I was slipping into the dark abyss.
My fingernails scratched the side of the dark tube I was falling. I was trying to hold on, to stop myself from falling. Nothing worked.
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I felt shame when I read in the news that the Christian organization that I love had allegations of “sexual misconduct” splattered across their building.
I felt shame when I read in the news that the country that we are associated with, that is our friend, has allegations of “extortion” splattered across that beautiful landscape.
Why did I feel shame?
Similarly, I read Lord of the Flies this week, and when Jack stole Piggy’s glasses and purposely smashed them, that was wrong.
Jack stole Piggy’s glasses just before he and his cronies felt justified to do worse stuff.
And so, if we wonder where some parts of Christian culture and some parts of American culture are headed, check out Lord of the Flies to find out.
Thankfully, Jesus is seated on his throne, far, far above those who define themselves by His name. Thankfully, He sits far enough above us that the splatters of dirt and messes we make on Earth don’t reach His robe. His identity is not affected by what we do in His name.
HE defines US, instead.
And this is the good news.
Jesus, when He walked on Earth for thirty-three years didn’t intentionally pick up the banners to support the various political or religious quarrels of His day, and so neither will I.
Instead, I will continue to receive the love the Father so generously pours out when I stop to listen to His whispers.
And I will give away some of the overflow of the love I receive to others.
Jesus’ kingdom of love is the only powerful kingdom still standing thousands of years after Jesus roamed a tiny piece of Earth for thirty-three years. This kingdom of love is the only powerful kingdom guaranteed to stand indefinitely in the future. (For example, a dozen uneducated followers in a remote unknown town have turned into almost one third of the planet who claim to follow Him.*)
Thankfully, I’ve found a leader I am always proud to serve.
And so, I can curl up next to Him, feel the comfort of His presence, and know that since I’m His child, bearing His name, I can soar on the wind of His presence into whatever turbulence I encounter in the world.
Who defines you, friend?
When the lyrics of the song below sing, “You are the peace that settles around us,” are you ready to reach down in humility and pick up this peace, friend, carrying it close to your heart? God, we pray that everyone reading these smudged, messy, and grimy words will be surprised to find a handful more of peace they can carry today.
Footnotes
*Have you carefully examined some of the evidence for why?
Photo Credit: Dirty hands by Stormseeker on Unsplash
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Here is a real-life experiment to illustrate an important point: Husbands, (I recommend hockey gear first before you try this) the next time your wife gets annoyed, try asking your wife if PMS is real.
If you were unwise enough to ask, you will find out the answer to this question soon enough.
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
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“You. You have nice kids.” People say this to us.
Often.
And this is what I want to reply: If you put plants in partially acidic soil and leave them there, they will grow but not to their full height.
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Previously, I talked about mourning with the group.
I also talked about coyotes, but let’s face it, we all know I just made that stuff up. You should never trust things you read on the internet, anyway! Except you should entirely and wholeheartedly trust everything in this newsletter – Of course!
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Those cement factories overseas, where people labour in dust and despair, with no relief in sight by the power of unions, would be a hard place to work.
Homeschooling our kids is not as strenuous as working in one of those factories. But neither is homeschooling sitting next to the pool, a martini in hand, flipping through a magazine as we ring a small bell every hour to usher our kids onto their next subject. Homeschooling kids would eat you alive if you tried that.
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My mouth hung open. I stared at the woman walking past me. It was not polite to stare (I know, okay!), but I forgot that my mouth was still hanging open.
I had just worked out at the gym. My muscles were getting EVEN stronger! For example, this time, I didn’t have to go to the far edge of the gym to find lighter weights than the weights set out by our instructor for the group class.
I could use the lightest weights that were ALREADY placed there for the group class INSTEAD of locating even lighter ones!
My muscles were growing, and that’s why I was there! My ego was growing, too! “Look how strong I am getting!” I thought proudly, appreciating my thin little arms with increasing pride.
At the end of the class, as we were putting the weights away, I wiped my brow after picking up and putting away a hefty 10-pound weight.
And that’s when my mouth fell open.
I tried to keep it closed, but I would need both hands to do so, and I didn’t want to drop the weight I was carrying on my foot.
That older woman was carrying 50-pound weights in EACH arm as she helped re-stack the weights.
(!)
I instantly remembered the stories relatives told me of my strapping great-uncle. He was over 6 feet tall, built like a farmer (He was a farmer!) and threw 100-pound sacks of potatoes. “Wow!” I had thought, the day I heard this story.
That same day, I played another game of Candy Crush on my iPad while finishing my ice cream bowl, hoping I could be strong like that!
And so, this year, I joined a gym and began pumping 5-pound weights with full energy and gusto! “Wha-hooo!” I thought, imagining myself pumping 6-pound weights in another six months or so and maybe eventually moving up to 10 pounds in EACH ARM one day!
It turned out that my vision was too small.
Like in a lot of areas of life, during various seasons.
Like for many of us.
How is your vision for who you are becoming, friend?
And so, why should we go to the gym if it’s not solely to work out?
We place ourselves next to others who have a vision for themselves that is greater than the vision we have for ourselves. And seeing another get stronger helps me to have faith that one day, with patience and persistence, I can get a bit stronger, too. Stronger than I ever thought I could be, actually.
Am I willing to pay the price of a bit of sweat?
“One of the standards we ask of our male patients is that they can carry half their body weight in each hand (so full body weight in total) for at least one minute, and for our female patients, we push for 75 percent of that weight.”
Outlive by Peter Attia, MD (Chapter 12)
This goal is not only for the 0.00001% elite but is something that antiaging physicians like Peter Attia recommend that ALL of us who can (barring injuries and ill health) strive to work towards.
I didn’t even know this was possible for someone my age.
And on a not unrelated theme, who do you know, friend, who:
– Seeks to listen to the whispers from God,
– Obeys and is following Him on a journey of adventure,
– Is not (always) a jerk?
Are you willing to pay the price of their lunch? Can you meet with them to have your vision expanded as you listen to them for what is spiritually possible in your life, too?
May you become all that God intended for you, friend.
As the song below plays, consider asking God, can you please recall to my mind or introduce me to someone with an inspiring spiritual vision for their life? What nudges do you sense from God, friend?
You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.
Image Credits: Woman kneeling beside man by by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash, Bird soaring by by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash, Tough guy by Xenia Bogarova on Unsplash.
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More and more people like me!
What I mean, of course, is that some of my posts have gotten “likes”! That means you like me, right? I tried to “like” your “like” of my post to show you that I like you, too.
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It’s “combed hair and a clean outfit day” on Restoring Life!
I updated the Restoring Life “Description”, which is located HERE.
The fresh “About” page is located HERE.
The new “About” page is actually an old “About” page I am putting back in place after a time.
The first page, updated HERE, seems to “Fit” better, like a comfortable old shirt, instead of starched slacks.
(What IS starching anyway? And what exactly ARE slacks?) Whatever.
Here is a quote that seems to summarize the essence of Restoring Life’s new “About” page and “Description”:
By an act of faith, [he] said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place . . . When he left he had no idea where he was going.
I hope you have fun travelling your life adventure and that you have no idea where you’re going, too!
That’s the funnest way to travel!
And now you know something else about me!
(Or at least, you know more stuff about me that I don’t know, either. Whatever! Same thing!)
Please feel free to return the favour and share something fun about yourself or your journey related to this newsletter in the comments or notes section.
It’s an honor to fly with you, friend.
Thank you for liking me! I like you, too!
I said the one thing that no one thought I would say.
These five words, said quietly, into a rare moment of stillness at the boisterous party quieted every heart in the room.
The silence lasted for a minute, which felt like an eternity in that boisterous room full of shouting and laughter only a second earlier.
Here’s what happened.
They were loudly recounting the tale of the guy* who was poised to win a gold Olympic medal in the sailing competition at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.
Instead of sailing to glory and sitting atop an Olympic podium with his medal, the guy changed course to help fellow COMPETITORS, who were in an overturned boat for 16 hours and were in imminent danger of dying at sea.
“[Insert name] won that race,” the storyteller at my party continued, taking another swig of beer.
“Yeah, and what was the name of the guy who abandoned first place to help the other guy?”
“Who knows?”
The crowd exploded in laughter.
When it was silent again for that millisecond after the guffaws, I spoke up quietly, “God knows who it was.”
Then, there was silence, continued stillness, and awkward shuffling of feet.
Who speaks next, they wondered?
One person sidled up to me after this party, seeking me out for friendship. I had reminded her of something important, something she knew inherently but had forgotten for a while. Something her soul knew, deep down, it would be important to remember in future.
And that’s how I made a new friend that day.
And it’s good to have another friend who will sail over to help you get out of a bind when you are in a sailing race, for example, so you don’t perish at sea.
And there was the time when I was 8 years old, the 12-year-old said, “Give me all your candy!” And I gave it to him, of course. He was ABLE to win, but SHOULD he still do it? All of us know the answer to this question.
And then this week, in the news he said, “Let’s destroy our friend’s economy, an economy built on the pillar of trust in friendship because if we do it, we can win.” And yes, they CAN do it. And, yes, they CAN win.
But having another friend who will come and find you when you are overturned in a boat and imminent danger of perishing has some sort of value, too.
I hope you aren’t caught feeling ashamed on the day when our souls leave our bodies, and we meet God face to face, stripped of all the earthy medals we’ve won.
I’ve been pondering the trade war, started this week between our friends, The Americans, and us Canadians.
Yup, you CAN win.
But what SHOULD you do?
Is it RIGHT?
Thankfully, I don’t need to know the answer to that question.
(That’s between you and God.)
If you are considering exchanging a trophy or two for the kind that last a bit longer consider pondering this statement:
you let [your goods] go with a smile, knowing they couldn’t touch your real treasure
What is your “real treasure”?
Maybe being an (unconventional) loser sometimes has its perks.
For detailed advice on winning the races that matter and thus learning to grow into an even bigger loser, click HERE, HERE and HERE.
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Footnotes
Photo credit: Trophy by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash
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