Figs, Words, and Joy

I've been thinking about the power of our words, as you know. And no one understood the power of belief coupled with words more than Jesus. I was thinking about the scripture that says the tongue has the "power of life and death".

Remember that story in Matthew (chapter 21) where Jesus had been healing people as usual and, after a long day, decided to head out of the city to go stay with his friends in Bethany. On the way back into the city the next morning he was hungry, so he saw a fig tree and went to get a few figs, but it was just leafy...no figs, no fruit.

So he cursed it, saying something like: "May you never bear fruit again!" And immediately the tree withered, so much so that the disciples were shocked. How could Jesus make a tree wither just with his words? So they asked him, "How could the tree shrivel up so quickly?"

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth (aha...I may be onto something here...he said this is the truth), if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to this fig tree, but you can also say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

By this time, you'd think the guys would have gotten it. I mean, by now, they've seen Jesus walk on water, be transfigured into a being of light, feed thousands upon thousands of people with nothing more than a couple of pieces of bread and fish, healed countless people of debilitating diseases, even raised his friend from the dead! Not only that, but by now, the disciples have gone out on their own like Jesus told them to and did the very same things (see Matthew 10). But like me, they sometimes let life get in the way.

I find it interesting how many times Jesus says to someone he is healing, "Okay, you're healed as much as you believe it in your heart." Or "Take heart, your faith has healed you." Or "according to your faith, it will be done to you." hmmmm. I think I'm catching on. What I believe in my heart will be reality for me. So what if I say things to myself like, "No one will ever love you. You're ugly, how could anyone ever love you? Or you'll never succeed?" Whatever I think and believe in my heart will become reality. Romans 10 says that it is with our hearts that we believe and are justified (as in, it becomes reality), and it is with our mouths that we confess and are saved. But you can read the whole chapter for yourself. It is amazing!

So what kinds of things do I really believe about myself? What kinds of things am I saying to myself daily? If I want good stuff in my life, I have to change the way I think. If I want healthy, loving relationships with friends and family, I have to change what I say to myself and to others. If I live in fear that I will be alone for the rest of my life, guess what? Rather than the opposite happening, no matter how I fight it, I will fulfill my own prophesy! So if I want to be productive and bear good fruit, I have to change my thinking, what I say to myself, and my words to others. I love that saying:" Change your mind. Change your Life. Change your world."

Jesus said it like this in Matthew (12:33-37)- "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of evil vipers (OUCH!), how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! I think he just called me a snake in the grass! uh-oh. I think he's right. How many times have my words been like venom? Hoo-boy. Okay, so then what are the good things I should store up in my heart/mind? Maybe instead of thinking things like "no one wants me" or "I just can't seem to get a break" or "my life is going nowhere", I can start replacing those thoughts with things like "God became human just like me so he could rescue me from myself. God loves me. The Bible says I have everything I need in Christ for life and godliness. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. All things are possible to him who believes. God says he has a plan for my life; a plan to do me good and to cause me to prosper, plans for a future and a hope. He says he sets the lonely in families. He says he's close to the broken hearted. He says he already healed me 2,000 years ago when Jesus took that brutal beating before he died on the cross. He says anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame! He says he richly blesses EVERYONE who calls on him."

Now those are some good thoughts! Powerful thoughts. And if Jesus was telling the truth, then as I meditate on good thoughts and fill my heart with good words, I'll start speaking good words, and I'll begin (with God's help) to create a new reality. I won't say that I'm unemployed or sick or "Sure I have these degrees, but I can't find a job." Instead, I'll begin to say and believe that God is opening a door for me that no man can shut. I'll begin to say things like, "Well, I've made some plans and I'm trusting God to guide me and lead me to a better path."

What if you say, "well, that's all good for you, but I just can't believe that. I hate myself, my life." There's good news! Romans 10:17 says that "faith comes by hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ." That's what is so great! If you hear something long enough, you will believe it! So we can start by saying things to ourselves like, " I am loved and loveable."

Look in the mirror, give it your cheesiest, lounge lizard inflection, wink at yourself and say, "You are loved and loveable." It has to make you smile! You feel silly doing it. So what? Have you ever met a person who isn't afraid of looking silly? They ooze confidence and we can't help but like them! So bring out the silly, laugh with yourself, and begin to embrace the words that will set you free!

And now I can walk in joy, knowing that God is in control and he won't abandon me. He has given me all the tools I need to succeed. Now I can laugh at my old way of thinking and be more. More alive, more compassionate, more joyful, more loving, more productive, more thankful, more peaceful, more gracious, more enthusiastic! More of everything God intended me to be in the first place.

Who knows? Maybe we'll all change our names to "Joy" or to "Isaac" which means "laughter". Because Isaac was the fulfillment of a promise of God to Abraham and Sarah. They were over a hundred years old when "Laughter" was finally born to them. Abraham held on to hope, he believed in his heart, and he prophesied (spoke powerfully) the birth of his son. The end result was "Laughter"!

Here's one last good thought to hang on to, "weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning!" Hang on! Joy is coming to you! Say it till you believe it. Then say it again! Today's mantra: When I least expect it, I'll be surprised by joy.

Love

Today's meditational word is love. We've heard it said hundreds of times, "what we can conceive (or visualize), we can achieve." So today, I'm taking the time to meditate on what love really looks like. hmmmm. Love. Unconditional love. Love without strings? Is that possible?

The famous Love Chapter in an ancient letter to the church at Corinth says that love is patient. Love is kind. It doesn't envy or boast. It's not proud or rude. It's not self-seeking. It is not easily angered and, on top of that, it doesn't even keep a list of wrongs or offenses. (Uh-oh, time to chuck the list of offenses...and time to stop trying to justify myself.) Love does not delight when something bad happens but rejoices with the truth. (oh...I see, it doesn't secretly rejoice when something bad happens to the person who offended me. Real love won't say, "Well, she deserves it after what she did." Or "It serves him right!") Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (I Corinthians 13 paraphrased)

Why is love so important? The beginning of the chapter says that pretty much everything else is worthless compared to love. If I could speak all kinds of languages (even the language of angels), but don't have love, I'm just another noisey, annoying instrument. What if I had the gift of prophesy? What if I could understand all mysteries and all knowledge, even the Natural Laws of the Universe, but don't have love? What if I could move mountains and change the universe with my faith and my thoughts? Without love, I am nothing. What if I gave everything I owned to help the poor or I gave my body to science or I just lived sacrificially for others; giving, giving, giving...If I don't have love, I gain nothing.

Because love never fails. Prophecies (powerful words) will stop some day. Tongues (languages) will stop. Even knowledge will pass away, because we only see such a tiny pin-hole of light and truth. We think we know stuff, but we only know part of the picture. It's like trying to look in a mirror in a dimly lit room. We think we see and understand stuff, but our vision is limited. We sometimes mistake the reflection for the real thing. But someday, when perfection appears, imperfection will disappear and we'll see the real thing face to face. We'll no longer mistake shadows or reflections for the real thing.

We know that the sun and the moon are two different entities. The moon reflects the sunlight. And yet, if we never saw the sun, we might think that the moon is THE source of light, not understanding that it is only a reflection of a much more powerful source. Ah...now I'm beginning to understand...This world and everything in it is only a shadow of the things to come. And maybe my version of love has been very limited, a love in the shadowlands. But when I see love; real, genuine, amazing, powerful, creative, life-transforming LOVE, then I'll begin to be more like love, because I'll get it! I can't help but be transformed when I understand love as it really is!

What was that Jesus said about love? Oh yeah, love God with everything that makes you who you are (mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically) and love others as yourself. But I haven't loved myself much...For years, I berated myself, told myself I wasn't worthy of love because I wasn't a super-model or a MENSA consultant or wealthy and influential. I wasn't what the world system tells me I should be.

So how could I love others if I didn't think much of myself? hmmm. Maybe I was being self-centered. Maybe if I took my eyes off of my own imperfections long enough, I might look into the eyes of another and see what they need. Maybe I could reach out to others, instead of hoping they would reach out to me. Maybe if I stepped out of my comfort zone, I could make a difference in someone else's life. How can I love someone else today in a practical way that helps the other person?

When it all comes down in the end, only faith, hope and love remain. But the most powerful of these three is love. Love empowers people, liberates people, sets them free from judgment or expectations, sets them free to be everything they can be. I choose love today! Today's mantra: As I love, love is coming to me.

Staying Positive in a Negative World

Some days are easier than others to be upbeat. Some days it seems everything goes wrong. Some days it seems everything goes right. Today is one of those in-between days....nothing is wrong per se, and yet, the old habit of thinking negatively keeps trying to kick in. That's when I know it's time to replay the whole day and focus on my gratitude list.

I spent the morning with my dear friends, Joe and Jenny and their precious daughter, Molly. Jenny and I stayed up late last night, catching up. I treasure every memory with J & J. They are just wonderful people with whom I wish I could share the whole world! I think everyone should know them because they are just that neat-o! They make me laugh, belly laugh. Everyone should have a couple like Joe and Jenny in their lives.

I left Tulsa and got on the road. My thoughts once again turned to this epiphany...ya know...this whole Grand Unifying Element thing...the key or law which ties all the forces of the universe together and makes sense of everything. Some people are calling it the Law of Attraction, a natural law which works in the same way the law of gravity and the laws of thermo-dynamics work. It's a force which just exists because God created it that way. We don't get to choose whether we accept gravity or not. It simply is...and we get to deal with its effects on our lives. Just as truth exists whether I acknowledge it or not, some laws in the universe may exist and I just haven't figured them out yet.

If you haven't seen "The Secret" yet, I recommend it. You don't have to believe everything someone tells you, but if there is even a grain of truth in what someone says, it might be worth hearing. I was thinking about Old Balaam from the Bible. The story goes that he was paid to prophesy (speak against) the people of God. On his way to a meeting with the enemies, ostensibly to deliver his speech about how God would bring down the children of Israel, his donkey balks at a bridge and refuses to take one step further. Old Balaam tries to coax the donkey. Nothin' doin'. He berates the donkey. He yells, he pulls, he tries to drag the donkey. It won't budge. Finally, Balaam gets so irate over his donkey's obstinacy, that he begins beating the poor beast. As he is flailing the creature, the donkey turns its head and says, in a human voice, "Why are you beating me? Haven't I served you all these years, faithfully? Don't you see there is an angel of death on the road ahead who means to strike you down if you continue in your foolish journey." And Balaam's eyes are opened and he sees an angel with a flaming sword, ready to kill him should he take another step forward on his mission to speak against the people of God.

We laugh about it, saying things like, "well, if God can speak through an ass, I suppose he could use anyone." But how often do we refuse to even consider a truth someone is offering us because it doesn't come packaged the way we think it should? That person is a kook. Or she's a metaphysicist or a "cult" member. Or he's from some other church or another religion so what he or she has to say is automatically considered "bunk". There couldn't possibly be any validity to what they are saying because they don't have "whole truth" like I do...

What pride! What arrogance has been mine! Should I deny truth just because it doesn't fit into my preconceived concept of what truth should look like? If it is truth, then it is valid regardless of whether or not I believe it or accept it. Didn't Christ die for the WHOLE world, whether or not they accept that as truth?

Ah, but back to the Law of Attraction. Theorists say that the Law of Attraction, simply put, is that like things attract like things. Happy people attract other happy people. Rich people are drawn to other rich people. "Misery loves company", right? It also says that what we focus on is what we "create" in the universe or what we attract into our lives.

I think I prefer to call it the Law of Gardening. What is so fascinating to me is this whole seedtime and harvest thing. If I plant an apple seed, tend it, cultivate it, weed it, water it, etc. I know that at the proper time it will come out of its dormant stage and grow a small apple tree. If I want tomatoes, I plant tomato seeds, right? DUH! Well, if I want good things in my life...say, good friendships, good relationships, healthy finances, whatever...I know that I have to plant the right kinds of seeds. If I have rejected myself and others, I am not planting the kinds of seeds which will produce an abundant harvest of friendships.

I keep thinking of this old saying from the book of Galatians which says, "Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to the sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people..." Isn't that powerful? Some people call this Karma, the basic principle- what we do to others will be done to us. What goes around comes around. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. You poke someone's eye out, someone will poke your eye out. That's a powerful statement, but Jesus turned that statement and put a different spin on it. He said, "Do to others what you want other people to do to you." Treat other people the way you want to be treated. We call it the Golden Rule. I learned this as a little girl, but when was the last time I thought about it? Really thought about it?

Hmmmm. So what kind of fruit do I want in my life? There is another quote which says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness,and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Oh, I like that. Now, if I understand this correctly, when I begin to plant little seeds of kindness in the lives of others, someday I will reap my own harvest of kindness. Maybe it's not that complicated after all. A smile in the elevator, a genuine compliment to one of my co-worker's, voicing my appreciation of others, a refusal to participate into office gossip, choosing to be a faithful friend and colleague, giving up my seat on the bus for that woman who looks worn out, opening the door for the person who is obviously laboring under a cumbersome burden...

Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy." He obviously believed in this sowing/reaping thing. This is just one of those natural laws which God created when he set the universe into motion...and my words come under the authority of that law.

So much more to meditate on, but will save some of it for tomorrow. I pray peace which transcends human understanding to guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

And so it has come to this, the test....

For over a week now, I've slept fitfully at best. It's probably because I'm a guest in someone else's home and I miss my dogs. With the long work days of physically demanding catering all last weekend and only a handful of hours of sleep for the entire weekend, my body's defenses seem to be down...I'm tired and achy and sore and have a cold and a headache.... boo hoo.

And yet, even as I acknowledge that I am feeling run down physically and recognize that it affects me emotionally, I am in awe of the way our bodies are "fearfully and wonderfully made." On the one hand, I feel suddenly sad and just emotional. I want to cry because I'm so tired, but can't seem to sleep at night.

But on the other hand, I think how amazing it is that we are so intricately formed that our physical bodies can affect us mentally and emotionally and spiritually....and the other way around. Each part of us affects the other parts.

So I am putting into practice what I have been preaching. In spite of my feelings to the contrary, I choose to be happy and find something to rejoice in. I have to laugh at myself. I'm the queen of setting myself up for slams. I blame it on my self-deprecating humor. But earlier today, I wasn't watching my words...and I said to my friend, "Gosh, I look like crap." Then I caught myself and said, "No, I may feel really poorly right now, but I choose to say nice things to myself." At which my friend (though for how much longer is to be determined) snapped, "Yeah, but sometimes you just have to be honest with yourself. And the truth hurts!"

Uh, thanks, Buddy? So you agree that I look like crap? My...my...with "friends" like this who needs enemies?

Though I dropped into a bit of a funk for a few minutes today, I refused to stay there. It's my life and I want to live it to the full, not in pity parties, no matter how sick or run down I may feel. I read something from Ecclesiastes today that said something to the effect of: Eat, drink and be merry because you don't know how many days you have and life is worth living now!

Hoeing the Row

As I've begun my happiness experiment and really tried to bring my thoughts and words under a conscious, deliberate control, I still find myself falling short. I still say things I don't want to say and don't say the things I should.

So it's back to the garden for me...and a little pruning and hoeing the row. I remember my dad always enjoyed having grape vines out at our place in the country. Every spring, while it still felt like winter, he'd go out and hack the grapevine down to a nub! He told me he was pruning it. I was sceptical. How can pruning something so severely HELP a plant to grow? And yet, every year, dad was proved right. The vine would grow more than 30 feet each year, but only after he had pruned back ALL the dead branches. New growth was optimized by a lack of dead branches vying for the energy of the plant.

Why do I put so much energy into dead projects, dead attitudes, dead words? It only drains me. Sure, it might seem like I'm thriving on the surface, but when you get down deep, there's no fruit. Just leafy death. And frankly, poison ivy can be very green and leafy too, but I'm not gonna make a cup of tea out of it! Ya know? It's like being a white-washed tomb. Sure, it might look nice on the outside, but it's still a tomb, a place of death.

I guess it's time to get out the hoe and start chopping out the weeds in my life, like thoughts and words which don't bring life to myself or others. How many times do I resort to gossip? That's a weed that I don't want to take root!

And the thing about hoeing this row is that no one else can do it for me. I have to roll up my own sleeves, find the weeds, and root them out! And the way to do that is to continue digging for reasons to praise others, pruning away criticism and judgment and tossing them on the brush fire, and looking to the Master Gardener to see what kind of vegetation He would recommend, by looking in the handy gardening guide known as the Bible. Hebrews 4:12 says "the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it divides between the joints and the marrow, the soul and the spirit. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts." And in another ancient passage it is written that "they shall beat their swords into plowshares."

Welp, back to the garden. I've got some pruning and weeding to do, even if it's with a sword or machete!

The Flower Child

(Originally posted to my yahoo 360 blog in March of 2008, I thought of this dream again today when in conversation with my wonderful friends, David and Cindy Emerson. We talked about the Law of Attraction and a compassionate view of our fellow human beings. As we chatted over breakfast at the Broken Egg in Broken Arrow, David said something about how he has been trying to teach their 5-year old that everyone we meet needs love, kindness and compassion, which reminded me of this dream...)

I dreamt last night of a poor, young woman who was so distraught that she threw herself into a raging river, hoping to die or at least numb or end her pain. But instead of dying, she survived somewhat battered and bruised. Her body had been dashed upon the rocks, but not crushed. And as she crawled out of the river, gasping for breath, her body bloody and her clothes torn, a great crowd greeted her. They were cheering for her as though she had won a grueling race! Her bruised soul felt hope begin to rise as they cheered wildly, enthusiastically.

Gentle hands lifted her and set her on a new path; a path bordered by gorgeous flowers of the most unbelievable colors. Along this path were small signs printed with words of wisdom which she read at her leisure as she strolled along. At times, she met other travelers along the path.

When she came to a particularly breathtaking valley, she read a series of small signs which explained the role of flowers. One sign said, "He shows his love for us in flowers." Another read, "We show our love for others in flowers, oft through ceremonies and symbolism." Another sign continued, "Like a baptism in a church we might lay a person down with arms spread out like a cross, and we cover him/her in flowers." The final sign read, "We celebrate one another in life and in death."

The young woman sat down to ponder this series of signs. What could it mean? She envisioned her own stiff body with its arms outstretched upon a flagstone floor. Light poured in and flooded the small sanctuary of her vision. A group of friends covered the body in flowers and lifted it up. It was as though they poured love into the body with each flower laid on her breast. But it was not a funeral ceremony. It was an awakening ceremony.

She was not dead. She felt alive, more alive than she had felt in a long time as she recalled every kindness ever rendered to her, every word of love or cheer, every kiss, every hug, every friend or stranger who had spoken words of kindness or shared a cup of coffee. With each act of kindness they had given her flowers. She realized that she was no longer poor. She was flower rich; rich in good memories and friendships. She was on a lovely path once again.

And as she opened her eyes and looked at the valley below her, filled with untold millions of flowers at her disposal, she knew what she had to do. She gathered as many flowers as her arms could hold and turned her steps toward the river to join the jubilant throng.

Mark Twain once wrote: "Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." I don't know about you, but that is the language I want to learn most of all.

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Happy words

Did you know that Blogger (blogspot) turns 10 in August? Congrats, Blogger! If you're like me, you appreciate the opportunity to keep a daily journal online. The discipline of writing daily has been invaluable. According to Blogger's statistics, more than 270,000 words are blogged here daily! That's a lot of words!

I've been on a word kick lately, choosing my words carefully, not only in writing but in every word I speak. My meditation today includes words I've seen around town. I dropped by Kaffe Bona in Tulsa where the walls are covered with affirming words like: Bliss, Dreams, Hope, Love, Peace, Joy, Good eats, Good friends, Good coffee, warm memories, Life, etc.

We've all been told to grow up at one point or another. "Be realistic." "Act your age." "Get your head out of the clouds."

But what if we were people who really did follow our dreams, our bliss, our passion? What kind of positive, energizing, empowering impact could we have on others if we held on to this thought from Imagination's Door, my upcoming book of children's poetry (and for the young at heart, too):

Dreamin'

They say that it cannot be done.
They say don't even try.
They say that I am only one.
They say all dreams must die.

They say not even Attila the Hun,
though he was a brave sort of guy,
would ever attempt what others shun.
They say I am aiming too high.

But they don't know what I know-
no matter what they say.
And little dreams begin to grow
in spite of the "no's" anyway.

They say that dreams are for sleepin',
that day dreams will just make me fall.
But I know that even pipe-dreamin'
is better than no dreams at all.


So, here's to all the dreamers and life-embracing wordsmiths on Blogger! Keep it up! Thanks for your inspirational posts and honesty in blog form.

Happy, happy day!

Well, I apologize for my failure to blog consistently the last few days. I've had limited net access. I just spent the weekend working very long hours catering weddings. It's such a rewarding job to be a part of a very special day for someone else. Each wedding was gorgeous! And who doesn't love a wedding? People are joyous and ready to celebrate!

Now that I think of it, I'll bet people are joyous and ready to celebrate almost anyone or any day or event or occasion. Who needs a reason to celebrate? We're alive. It's summer. The sun is shining. New babies are being born every moment. There are trails and paths to be explored and maybe a trail or two to blaze yet. Life is good.

On the road again...

Welp, I'm off to Tulsa today. My former employers have graciously agreed to put me to work this weekend, working a few weddings and events. Yay! It should be rewarding and fun work! Everybody loves a wedding, right?

I'm grateful for a chance to work. Yippee! And though I don't know yet which of my lucky friends will get to host me for the week I am there, I am really looking forward to it.

So it's time to load up the car, say good-bye to the pups, and spend the next few hours on the road productively...I always enjoy a road trip. It's a good time to reconnect with God in prayer and meditation, thinking of all the things for which I am grateful.

This should be a good time to exercise what I've been preaching about choosing our words wisely and putting it to the test.

Peace to you!

Words! AGAIN!

So how does this grab you? Remember how I was talking about our words and what we "create" in the universe with our words? You know, Jesus said we would "call things into being which were not." Well, we've all had it happen to us at one time or another. You know, we suddenly think of someone we haven't thought of in YEARS, and then soon after we run into that person or they call us or make contact.

Five days ago, I thought of a classmate I hadn't seen since high school graduation. We had known each other since 1st or 2nd grade. In high school, we ran in different circles, but I always found Angie and her sister to be nice, genuine, pleasant people. I always thought of them fondly.

So, five days ago, I voiced to another old high school buddy that I wondered what ever happened to Angie. I even tried to look her up on Facebook, but to no avail.
My other friend had no clue where Angie was. And then tonight, ANGIE contacted me. She goes by another name completely, so I would never have located her or her sister on my own.

But it does bring me back to the idea that what we speak into the universe can be powerful! What am I speaking every day? What words are we using? I want to speak words that bring peace and joy and grace and hope and laughter and confidence.

I'm shouting it to the universe (understanding that man makes his plans but God's purposes prevail): I love peace. I want to be a healing, healthy person for others. I want LIFE! I choose LIFE and hope and abundant, liberating, wholesome joy. I'm telling the universe, "God is great and I know so little. But I want to be more like him in character and grace. And I am grateful!"

This reminds me of that letter from John (Jesus' best friend) where he writes:
"This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence even when our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us." - 1 John 3:19-23.

How cool is that? If we love God and love people and follow after God, then we know that we can ask whatever we want and receive it with confidence! Imagine a world filled with people who dare to believe God. I love what the writer to the Hebrews wrote (11:1-3). "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."

WOW! If you want to read something exciting, read the book of Hebrews in the New Testament! The unknown writer goes on to list examples of people who dared to believe God and act in faith.

Second Chances

I love second chances...and third chances..and fourth ones, etc. Did you see the story about the little puppy which got flushed down the toilet by an overly zealous 4-year old? It seems the kid thought he was washing the dog in the toilet and then did what he always does, he flushed it. Miraculously, the puppy was rescued from a sewer pipe under a nearby neighbor's home by a plumbing team.

It's such a great story of overcoming... Today, I'm meditating on stories of hope and overcoming odds.

Yay! Hanging on to the Dream!

Woo hoo! After 2 years of researching graduate degree programs and 6 months of the application process, I just found out that I've been officially accepted to the Masters (and hopefully, Doctorate- eventually) degree program at Portland State University! The Educational Leadership & Policy program is really one of a kind with its emphasis on Leadership in Ecology, Culture and Learning. Only one other school has anything remotely comparable...and that's at Oregon State.

After months of being in limbo, I finally am headed in the direction of my dream (one of them anyway). I'll admit, I've had my doubts along the way... Why do I feel called to Oregon? Why now? Did I really feel a tug toward Oregon before Hurricane Ike hit? How can I get there? Still so many questions...how do I pay for a move across the country when I've had no job for almost 2 years? How do I get a place to live with no recent work history? How do I get the money to pay for deposits? how can I afford to fly out for an interview? How can I afford to pack up and drive out by the end of the month?

I even have a 2nd interview for a job in Portland next Friday, June 26th...how to get there? But it seems like something is opening up and I'm willing to take a few more risks to make this happen. I guess that's the thing about faith. Faith isn't faith if everything is easy and obstacle-free.

I know it will be a new world and culture...and a lot of research before I can obtain my Master's degree, but I'm excited about the possibilities. I'm really looking forward to learning everything I can from the best in the industry. Yay!

Exercise Time!

Today, I'm exercising my faith muscles! Thanks to Lauren Kitchens for reminding me of this great old proverb (Proverbs 31:25)which says of the noble woman that "she can (and will) laugh at the days to come." I love that!

I don't know about you, but I want laughter to be my food...and mirth my drink! So I keep thinking of these wise, old sayings like:

"A heart at peace give life to the body, but envy rots the bones." (Prov 14:30)
"The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life..."(Prov 15:4)
"A happy heart makes the face cheerful..."(Prov 15:13)
"A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones." (Prov 15:30)
"Blessed are you who weep now, for you WILL laugh." (Luke 6:21)

And finally, I love this passage from John 16 (22-24): "Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

Einstein and Super String Theories

I had one of those dozing/waking moments this afternoon after hours of pouring over super string theories and related subjects...gravitational force, electromagnetism, weak nuclear, strong nuclear...and as I pondered/dreamt about the relationships between matter and energy, the thought occured to me (it's probably not original), "What if words were the unifying force that scientists are searching for?"

God spoke and the world came into being. We know that we can even change (to a nominal extent) our bodies by what we speak: negative words and thoughts twist not only our minds, but our bodies eventually follow (symptoms: chronic pain, our cells tend toward immuno-deficiencies, etc.). We've all heard of people who were literally twisted and crippled by bitterness of spirit.

And we know that happy, positive thinking can bring wholeness and health to our physical bodies. We've all heard it said hundreds of times: "Where the mind goes, the body follows."

So, back to words...we know that the Bible says the tongue has the power of life and death. Jesus even said we would be judged for every word we speak. He also said that we could call things which were not as though they were and they would come into being. I could go on and on...

What if the words we speak really are creating realities now and in the future? What if words are THE grand unifying force which binds all other forces together: gravitational, electromagnetic, nuclear...on the subatomic level? We know that it already works on the cellular level...is it not possible that it works on an even more miniscule/molecular/subatomic level?

Think about it: The power of words might explain the anomalies and inconsistencies in harmonic relationships which scientists and mathematicians are struggling to explain. Words could be the missing element which ties everything together. This is the power which allows us to bind on earth what has already been bound in heaven and to loose on earth what has been loosed in heaven (which by all reasoning exists outside of our space-time continuum).

This would also explain so many miracles; Moses parting the Red Sea, Jesus walking on water, water turning into wine, Jesus' transfiguration, healings... Jesus said he had the power to do all of that stuff (without words), but so that the people would believe, he spoke the word.

I love the "what ifs"...don't you? I realize that to some this will sound heretical. But if we really believe God, we will remain rooted in Christ, attached to the vine. Then we know that we can have what we ask and it will be done. And that "all things are possible to those who believe." (Mark 9: 23) We do not deceive ourselves into thinking that we are the source.

As James said (1:16-18), "Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits (or fragrant offering) of all he created." Maybe this is what Newton and company were onto. Einstein once wrote: "I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details."

As the Geneva scientists (at CERN) continue to attempt to measure their hypotheses with the Large Hadron Collider, I am reminded of a plaque, allegedly hung above Einstein's office, which read: "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." Who can measure the spirit or the power of God at work in man?

It makes me wonder what kind of reality I speak into existence on a daily basis by my words? How much more do I want to choose my words with care? What kind of world do I want to live in? What is in my power, as a child of God, to create? What is possible?

Willy Wonka Wisdom

I love this line from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (with Gene Wilder): "There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination..." It's from the theme song (Pure Imagination).

In my pursuit of happiness, I'm revisiting some of my favorite old movies and TV shows. I almost peed my pants last night, laughing at re-runs of Frazier. Happy people can find laughter in everything.

Take my friend, for example. Everytime she disagrees with her mother, her mother accuses her of being a communist. Now some might take offense, but my friend laughs it off, saying that if her mother were in a sitcom, she could be a comedic character, like the character of Marie in Everybody Loves Raymond.

Grateful List

I've been thinking about gratitude again. Sometimes, after dealing with a particularly demanding client, I get discouraged and think that only selfish, grouchy, high-maintenance women are ever attractive to men. I wonder, " Are they happy?" When the paint color in an apartment is enough to send you over the edge...when THAT is the worst, most tragic thing in your life...when you simply cannot live in a luxury apartment which has every amenity you could possibly wish for, but the paint color sets you off...and I think about how some people are struggling to find even 20 cents to pay for a parking meter, and for whom food is a luxury...When I think about how some people don't have enough money to pay their bills and each moment is an exercise in faith, a struggle to overcome despair...Then I think about what I am grateful for...

And today, I am taking the time to savor the little things like a cup of coffee, fresh from the French press my sister gave to me for my birthday. It's fabulous! I love a good, robust cup of coffee, made from freshly ground, perfectly roasted beans. And I love a French press...however, I kept breaking the beakers. So my sis got me one from Williams-Sonoma (I still love that store) which is stainless steel AND insulated, so my java stays like lava! Woo hoo!

And then there's the cup I'm drinking it in...we don't think about vessels like that much. But this one is special. It was part of a pair sent to me from my other sister in Japan. It is blue and cream colored. And when you look inside the cup, you see a handpainted FISH. I can't even do it justice. It's so cute. And then there's the small, antique blue and white plate on which my almond shortbread cookies rest. It was a gift from a dear friend as a thank you for all those cups of tea and late night chats. And let's not forget my Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook from which I got the recipe for those almond shortbread cookies. It is a beautifully crafted resource with lovely images of artisan breads and handmade goodies. I'm grateful that I had ingredients.

Frankly, I'm just grateful that I have a roof over my head. I'm thankful for my generous family. I'm grateful that I have coffee today. I have water in the fridge. I have dogfood for my dogs. I can walk and bike and swim. I can see.
I can see a lot for which I am grateful. In my mind's eye, I can see all my old friends and I have wonderful memories. I'm simply grateful for what I have.

So I'm starting a list of my favorite things; things that make me happy just to think about them:
a cup of chai
my loveable, huggable, cuddly cocker spaniels, Max and Sam
my Webster's New World Dictionary (what can I say? I like words.)
my very old Honda Civic, which still looks nice and runs well (mostly)
old friends
re-runs of I love Lucy
a job interview today!

Weeding the Thought Garden

I remember working in the garden when I was a kid; hoeing the row, planting seeds, watering, pulling weeds, picking off tomato worms, picking green beans and detassling corn. It's all part of bringing in a healthy harvest. My niece and nephew agree that only vegetables from Grandma's garden have real taste! Any gardener knows that a garden isn't worth planting if he/she isn't willing to cultivate it.

And we know that our thoughts and words are like seeds. When we cultivate those seeds, eventually, we will reap a harvest of what we have planted. If we plant good seeds, we get a good harvest. If we plant bad seeds, we reap that too. And bad thoughts are like weeds which choke out good thoughts. Another old proverb says, "let no root of bitterness spring up among you."(Deut.31)

I was reminded again to check my thoughts and my words. The Bible says that whatever is true or reality, whatever is honest, whatever is just or right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely; if anything is praiseworthy, think about these things (Phil 4:8). It also says that we have power in our words...not like some kind of magical ju-ju, but that what we think about, we speak. And what we speak has the power of life and death.

When was the last time you made someone's day by what you said? Or the last time someone paid you a compliment or just told you how much they appreciated you? Positive words can boost our whole day! Og Mandino said it best when he wrote, in The Greatest Salesman in the World, "never will I scratch for reasons to gossip. Always will I dig for reasons to praise." Our words can turn people on or they can turn people away.

I guess it's time for some daily weeding in my life. Out with the negative thoughts and in with the good seeds! This is one habit I can't afford not to cultivate. Good seeds begin with gratitude: purposely focusing on the things for which I am grateful like new beginnings, a roof over my head, family, happy dogs, and an opportunity for a new job!

Happy Talk

If you're like me, you can't think of the phrase "happy talk" without bursting into a musical! I always think of Bloody Mary's song in South Pacific:
"Happy talk, keep talky happy talk.
Talk about t'ings you like to do.
You got to have a dream.
If you don't have a dream,
how you gonna make your dreams come true?"

So today's focus is happy talk...talking about things I'm looking forward to.

Sometimes it's hard, because I always seem to be in transition: lose a job, go back to school, move away to find a job, no job...find a job, move again, look for job, apply to hundreds of jobs, move again, still looking for job, hurricane hits, lose most everything I own, stay with family, look for job, look for job, look everyday for a job, apply to hundreds of jobs, look for jobs all over the country, interview for one or two jobs, look for more jobs, apply to grad school...maybe I'm limited by only having 2 Bachelors degrees...time to move again!

Keep moving forward...just keep moving...something will open up! Keep knocking on doors. Something will work out!

I'm getting tired just thinking about it...which reminds me....
Confucius say: Man who run in front of car get tired.
Confucius say: Man who run behind car get exhausted!

ha ha ha ha I love that! It's goofy, but it always lifts my spirits.

The Pocket

A few years ago, a friend told me this story. She was having one of those hectic mornings where everything seems to fall apart, breaks in one's hands, and generally goes wrong. You know the kind. Reaching for your toothpaste, you knock over a glass, only to reach down and pick it up dropping your toothbrush in the process. You pick up the tooth brush and immediately drop it again...and again. Arrrgh!

Then as you are headed out the door, you realize that your nicely pressed, lightly starched, clean white shirt somehow transformed into a giant bib at breakfast, which you scarffed down because you were already running late! And now you'll have to wear a less obviously dirty shirt because you didn't finish laundry last night. You swear off of coffee and breakfast foods for the rest of your life and quickly change into the least smelly shirt you own, which doesn't quite go with the pants, but you don't have time to change those too!

Before you can even get out of the driveway, some pedestrian walking her dog stops in your driveway while Fluffy takes a dump on your lawn. And so you wait politely for them to get out of the way when you remember that the new highway construction project on your route is scheduled to begin this morning...

So...she was having one of those mornings! As she stepped into the small pre-school where she teaches Kindermusic, she was relating the horrors of her morning with another teacher when a small boy came up and began to tug on her less obviously dirty shirt. "Miss Eliz-beth! Miss Eliz-beth!!" he shouted excitedly, fairly bouncing out of his little shoes.

"Just a minute," she said as she continued her conversation with her colleague.

"But Miss Elizabeth! Guess what?!" he went on.

""Don't interrupt, please," she chided gently. Then turned back to finish her sentence.

"But Miss Elizabeth! Guess what!?", he just couldn't contain himself.

"What??!" she finally asked, seeing that he was about to burst.

He stuck his small hand in a decorative pocket on the front of his sweater and squealed, "I have pockets!"

She had to laugh! Pockets...that's all. Just pockets. He was beside himself with joy that HE had a pocket in which he could place his hand. He was proud and giddy...about pockets.

He proceeded to tell her all about how he could store stuff in them like paper clips and acorns.

It was exactly the wake-up call she needed to remind her to be grateful. No more energy wasted on recounting the ordeals of the morning, just gratitude for a simple thing like the pocket!

I don't know about you, but today, I will focus on the simple things for which I am grateful like air and water and puppy dogs and pockets...

New and Improved

I've been busy writing lately as you can see... I'm making writing a daily habit at the moment, since I need to gear up for grad school where I will be writing a lot!

Habits can be a really positive thing or a very negative one. We all choose whether we allow events and people in our lives to make us bitter or better. The habit of thinking positively (or with faith) does not happen naturally. It has to be cultivated like any other habit.

I'm a firm believer that what we focus on is what we'll get in life. If we focus on negative thoughts, we get more negative thoughts and bad things in our lives. If we focus on the positive, we reap a harvest of lovely, positive things and people and JOY! And THAT is what I want to attract to my life.

And so, as you already know, I've started a website and a blog...I know! I know! How do I do it? Well, for one, I don't work full-time yet...so I'm pursuing all my various interests in writing. Imagination's Door has been my brainchild since the early 1990s...and I'm finally doing something about it. I started writing silly poems about a year ago. 60, so far and counting on http://imaginationsdoor.blogspot.com. Maybe I'll get them published one day.

Green People Blue Planet is a website dedicated to understanding ecovillages and sustainable living choices, from housing options to energy sources to innovations in materials and community planning and organic foods... www.GreenPeopleBluePlanet.org

And now for my latest blog site in prose. It's my experiment in happiness called Happy Snowflake Dance at http://happysnowflakedance.blogspot.com. I'll be blogging happy thoughts and meditations and maybe a humorous anecdote or two along the way. I'm just fascinated by people who are bubbly, buoyant, bright spirits...you know the kind...NOTHING keeps them down. They effervesce!

Feel free to leave your comments anytime. I hope you'll join me in this experiment in making our world a happier, nicer place!Peace and loads of joy to you!


Gigi Garner,
Imagination's Door
www.GreenPeopleBluePlanet.org (ecovillages and sustainable choices)
http://imaginationsdoor.blogspot.com (children's poetry)
http://happysnowflakedance.blogspot.com (the happiness experiment)

Ahhh, a complaint-free world...

Thanks to Bill Geist of CBS News, I heard about a church in Kansas City which is hoping to change their personal habit...of complaining. They are each on a mission to go 21 days (the magical number of days for beginning a new habit) without complaining.

They wear those rubber wrist bands (like the Lance Armstrong "Live Strong" bands). Every time they catch themselves complaining or criticising or using sarcasm or making rude remarks, they switch the band to the other wrist. The goal is to not move the band for 21 days.

The theory behind it? The brain is like a manufacturer, manufacturing thoughts. The mouth is the consumer. If we continue voicing our frustrations and anger, the brain will keep producing more angry, frustrated thoughts. If we stop voicing those negative thoughts, the brain will stop manufacturing the negative thoughts.

It's an interesting concept. On one hand, I get it. Complaining never solves anything. And chances are that it only brings down the person who listens to the complaint. On the other hand, psychologists tell us not to bottle up our negative feelings. The Psalms are full of King David's complaints. But, David did not usually stay down. If he began a compaint, he usually came around to seeing a bigger perspective by the end of the psalm.

In fact, David often complained, but he would get it out of his system and then CHOOSE to focus on hope. I don't know if he complained to other people though. Perhaps, he only made his frustrations known to God....hmmmmm. It's something to think about.

In the meantime, I reset some of my goals for new and better habits last week, including going 21 days without complaining. So, I guess it's time to begin a more positive way of thinking. The worst that can happen is I'll be a happier, more positive person. Thus, this blog about the happy dance...

But I am perplexed...How would New Yorkers communicate? They may have to learn a new skill with the new habit...pantomime! And even that is suspect...I've seen more than a few "salutes" in New York involving hand gestures from cabbies, business people, and mother's of pre-schoolers. Maybe someone should tell them that that kind of pantomime is not acceptable according to the complaint-free rules.

Inspiration for this blog

There may be chaos still around the world

There may be chaos still around the world,
This little world that in my thinking lies;
For mine own bosom is the paradise
Where all my life's fair visions are unfurled.
Within my nature's shell I slumber curled,
Unmindful of the changing outer skies,
Where now, perchance, some new-born Eros flies,
Or some old Cronos from his throne is hurled.
I heed them not; or if the subtle night
Haunt me with deities I never saw,
I soon mine eyelid's drowsy curtain draw
To hide their myriad faces from my sight.
They threat in vain; the whirlwind cannot awe
A happy snow-flake dancing in the flaw.

~George Santayana