We say we love kindness, seek justice and walk humbly with our God

Micah 6:8-9 ~~ And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. 

Romans 12:13  ~~ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality

People throw rocks at things that shine

Love Taylor Swift - want to be her when I grow up??



Taylor Swift - Ours Lyrics
Elevator buttons and morning air
Strangers’ silence makes me want to take the stairs
If you were here we’d laugh about their vacant stares
But right now my time is theirs

Seems like there’s always someone who disapproves
They’ll judge it like they know about me and you
And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do
The jury’s out, my choice is you

So don’t you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
The stakes are high, the water’s rough
But this love is ours

You never know what people have up their sleeves
Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me
Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles
But I don’t care ’cause right now you’re mine
And you’ll say

Don’t you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
The stakes are high, the water’s rough
But this love is ours

And it’s not theirs to speculate
If it’s wrong and
Your hands are tough
But they are where mine belong and
I’ll fight their doubt and give you faith
With this song for you

‘Cause I love the gap between your teeth
And I love the riddles that you speak
And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored
‘Cause my heart is yours

So don’t you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
Don’t you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
But they can’t take what’s ours

They can’t take what’s ours
The stakes are high, the water’s rough
But this love is ours

choosing to live in fear or love

I need more love - to give more love to recieve more love!  Frosti is the most smooched pet in the US - but she can only do so much - poor dog.

 

Here are some ideas for bringing love rather than fear into your life:

Notice each day whether you are choosing to live in fear or love. Fear can keep you disconnected from the loving presence inside of you. Causing fear is a tactic of the ego, whether it be your own ego or the world’s ego. The world’s ego is a reflection of individual ego power and the amount of fear that is active. Learning to experience authentic love means abandoning ego’s insistence that you have much to fear and that you are in an unfriendly world. You can make the decision to be free from fear and doubt and return to the brilliant light of love that is always with you. Who you really are is that unclouded love.
Here are some ideas for bringing love rather than fear into your life:

• Remind yourself that your body is changing, as is your mind, so you are not that body or mind. You were created as a spirit that is pure love. That is where you want to keep your attention focused.
• Forgive yourself and welcome love back into your life. When you can do this, a kind of balancing occurs. Rather than atoning for faults with guilt, you are more committed to promoting joy and service. You will begin to do what you originally came here to do.
• Notice the acts of kindness other people do rather than their shortcomings. This is how the loving presence views you. We are all good, decent, loving souls who occasionally get lost. When you can focus on the good in another and hold that in your mind, you are acting from your higher self. This can help dissipate fear and anger.
• Remind yourself of how much you have to give away and of how precious and valuable your giving is. You have the same force running through you that allows the planets to move, the earth to turn, the seeds to sprout, and the flowers to open. There is not a separate God for each person. There is one universal intelligence flowing through all of us.
• Accept that you are enough. When ego begins trying to attract you toward fear, say loudly, “I am enough!” You do not need to be anything you are not. You do not need to prove yourself. You do not need to indulge your ego with fears and to keep your real self at a distance. “I am enough” affirms that you choose to love and chase doubts and fears away.
Join Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and Caroline Myss live from the comfort of your own home!

Krispy Kreme bread pudding.

going to have to try this... 

Krispy Kreme bread pudding.
http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2011/07/12/krispy-kreme-bread-pudding/

Oh, yes. Yes, I went there. And just to gild the lily, how ‘bout a little chocolate ganache dipping sauce, just like the glazed doughnuts of my youth. Now the only thing that’s missing is the sprinkles.

Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding Recipe With Chocolate GlazePrep time: 1 hour (includes refrigerator time)
Total time: 2 hours
Yields: 6-8 servings

For the bread pudding

1 (7.6 ounce) box doughnut holes
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the chocolate glaze

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter

1. To make the bread pudding, layer doughnut holes in a greased medium baking dish (approximately 8×8 to 8×11). Whisk together the heavy cream, milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Pour over the doughnut holes, mashing down a little bit so that all the holes gets saturated. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and allow to chill for one hour (any longer and the doughnuts will get too mushy), tossing occasionally.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Bake the bread pudding, covered, for 40 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue to cook for another 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
4. Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze. Melt the chocolate on the stovetop over medium-low to medium heat. Stir in heavy cream until completely combined. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. (Reheat if necessary before serving.)
5. Allow the bread pudding to cool for a few minutes before cutting. Drizzle each portion with the chocolate glaze before serving.

Imagine there's no Heaven - Emmanuel Kelly

You have to hear this man sing ~~ Emmanuel Kelly!

From Song Facts - the meaning behind the song "

from Song Facts website - what did John Lennon lyrics mean....   "Lennon was asking us to imagine a place where things that divide people (religion, possessions, etc.) did not exist. He felt that would be a much better place."

http://www.givingpraise.com/inspirational/warorphansingsimagine/

John Lennon - Imagine
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today


Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace


You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one


Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world


You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one


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Emmanuel Kelly is an Iraqi-Born refugee born with everything stacked against him, yet with his amazing voice I'm sure he'll go far in this years x-factor 2011, if you're still confused, this article published on the 30th of August sums it up brilliantly.


A Melbourne teenager who survived chemical warfare in Iraq left X Factor judges in tears during last night's performance.


Emmanuel Kelly, who w...as adopted by Children First Foundation boss Moira Kelly after she rescued him from an orphanage in Iraq, wowed Ronan Keating, Mel B, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Guy Sebastian with his rendition of John Lennon's Imagine.

All of the judges voted to send Kelly through to the next round but Keating said he was extremely moved with his performance.

"I don't think I have ever, ever been moved as much as I was by that performance," he said.

Kelly, who auditioned for last year's show but failed to make it through, said he was thrilled with the reaction of the judges.

"When I got up and started singing there was nothing else, adrenalin just took over, it was just a blur," he told News Ltd. "I just want to sing and I want to make people happy."

The return of The X Factor to Seven pulled in 1.319 million viewers, making it the most-watched show on Monday night.

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I must add this - Matthew 1:23

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a

son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being

interpreted is, God with us.

Open My Heart

Nice song - really works on the heart strings...

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Open My Heart – Advent Prayer Song by Beth A. Richardson

Lyrics

 Open wide the doorway to my heart, O God. Fill me with hope.
 Open wide the windows of my heart, O God. Fill me with peace.
 Open up the corners of my heart, O God. Fill me with joy.
 Soften up the edges of my heart, O God. Fill me with love.


http://soundcloud.com/alivenow/sets/open-my-heart-advent-prayer

Maybe we should read this everyday... On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King , Jr. evoked the name of Lincoln in his "I Have a Dream" speech

I Have a Dream " is a 17-minute public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on August 28, 1963

Listen here...
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html

Read here...
http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html

In 1950's America, the equality of man envisioned by the Declaration of Independence was far from a reality. People of color — blacks, Hispanics, Asians — were discriminated against in many ways, both overt and covert. The 1950's were a turbulent time in America, when racial barriers began to come down due to Supreme Court decisions, like Brown v. Board of Education; and due to an increase in the activism of blacks, fighting for equal rights.

Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, was a driving force in the push for racial equality in the 1950's and the 1960's. In 1963, King and his staff focused on Birmingham, Alabama. They marched and protested non-violently, raising the ire of local officials who sicced water cannon and police dogs on the marchers, whose ranks included teenagers and children. The bad publicity and break-down of business forced the white leaders of Birmingham to concede to some anti-segregation demands.

Thrust into the national spotlight in Birmingham, where he was arrested and jailed, King helped organize a massive march on Washington, DC, on August 28, 1963. His partners in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom included other religious leaders, labor leaders, and black organizers. The assembled masses marched down the Washington Mall from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, heard songs from Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, and heard speeches by actor Charlton Heston, NAACP president Roy Wilkins, and future U.S. Representative from Georgia John Lewis.

King's appearance was the last of the event; the closing speech was carried live on major television networks. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King evoked the name of Lincoln in his "I Have a Dream" speech, which is credited with mobilizing supporters of desegregation and prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The next year, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The following is the exact text of the spoken speech, transcribed from recordings.

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I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

Colossians 3 - Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Instructions for Christian Households

18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

21 Fathers,[c] do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

 22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Those who do wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

Footnotes:

a.Colossians 3:4 Some manuscripts our
b.Colossians 3:6 Some early manuscripts coming on those who are disobedient
c.Colossians 3:21 Or Parents

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+3&version=TNIV

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I understand that our Church staff is required to read this everyday.  I like most if it - I would soften it for me!  I'm not really into the "Wrath" of God - maybe more into the "Wrath of Kahn."  I really like this part - Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 

You are a magnet - from a Positive Thinking website

You have the ability to change your life.

You can do anything that you set your mind to.
You are the author of your own life.
You have the ability to change your life.
You have unlimited potential!

You are a living magnet.  You literally attract the things, people, ideas, and circumstances to you that vibrate and resonate at the same energy frequency as yours.  Your energy field changes constantly, based on your thoughts and feelings, and the universe acts like a mirror , sending back a reflection of the energy that you are projecting.  The stronger and more intense your thoughts and emotions are, the greater the magnetic pull becomes.  Now, this is not a process that requires any real effort; a magnet doesn't ''try'' to attract anything-it simple does, and so do you!  You are always in the process of attracting something into your life.

Do you realize that your life at this very moment is the result of everything that you have ever thought, done, believed, or felt up until now?  You can start right now to consciously and deliberately attract whatever you desire in this lifetime.

by Jack Canfield "America's Success Coach."

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~~~  Okay, this might be true - I'll try it.  I also met a lady recently that said you can change your outlook by changing your handwriting - hmm - interesting. - Hugs geo

PS - maybe I should contemplate life like my cat does.  She is reclining, having a little coffe, and reading about the Universe - she is very smart!!

Finding oneself - is not easy!

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself. ~Alan Alda