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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Dealing with Life's Extremes

The old curse is may you live in interesting times. In so many ways, we who are on earth are indeed living in interesting times. But to make it closer to home, I am personally living in interesting times.

There is someone that I love very much who seems to have gone off the rails as the Brits say. This person has gotten into an extreme position re: religion & has decided that he is the only one who knows the truth & all others are wrong, bad & to be avoided. Others' spiritual experiences are invalid, false, not from God, etc. according to him. He has to protect his children from all of us who see from a slightly different perspective. He has gotten paranoid & imagines all sorts of false things & then acts on his false assumptions as if they were proven fact.

He has gone off, disappeared, left his livelihood, sold his home, shunned his family & friends, except for his nuclear family. He is beyond our reach -- except we pray for his peace as obviously he is not at peace. We pray for him to actually find Christ & realize that to emulate Christ's behavior is something other than this. We pray for him to know that for some of us our relationship with Christ is intimate, personal & deep & is not about shouting bumper stickers & making a public show. For some of us our walk with Christ is to be in a close & quiet relationship that informs us as to how to live so as to live in his Way. We are quietly, steadfastly, obviously (if you are paying attention) very Christian.

So while we pray, we also have a few tears rolling down our cheeks. Oh, what was & what could have been.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Joys & Sorrows

I just posted a quote from Mark Twain on my website re: the importance of sharing joys. https://sites.google.com/site/newthoughtsforanewlife/today-s-thought

So, this is what I'm considering today. I have dear friends, whom I treasure, & with whom I have the privilege of sharing our joys, but also our travails. It seems to me that the weight of life's troubles is lightened when compassion from loved ones enfolds you.

The joys do seem to multiply when shared. Tonight 30 of us from church are going to a community theater play, "Gypsy." How much fun it will be to not only enjoy the show, but also to be able to share it with others. Last Saturday my daughter & son-in-law met us at the San Diego Quilt Show. It was so much more fun to share that time. The joy was multiplied.

Thank You, Lord, for friends & family!!! Thank You that we have such wondrous gifts as friends & family & are not wandering alone on this planet. Thank You for the times they seem like Your Hands lifting us. Thank You for the times we multiply joy together. Bless them one & all.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Musings

I've felt rooted to earth & to my body for as long as I can recall. It somehow seemed to me that as long as I felt such interlaced rooting, I would have a strong grasp on continuing life on earth, & that at some point that grasp would loosen & loosen until it was time for me to go on to the next life effortlessly.

So, the point is, it is in fact loosening a bit. With the multiple odd, serious health challenges I'm experiencing during this year, I feel the connection here softening. I'm not ready to go on, yet I do feel the strong hold fading. I feel certain that when the ties are totally loosened, I will drift into the Light & the next phase of life eternal.

Now don't get morose. It's okay. It's natural. What a mess we'd have if we all stayed here forever. Plus, for me it's not imminent, it's just that I am aware the hold on my body is not as strong as it once was. I have some miles to go before I sleep as Frost said.

I do think that we need a Christian version of "The Tibetan Book of the Dead." We Christians don't prepare very well for going on. In some places it's almost a taboo to talk about it, let alone consciously prepare.

I know that God is Love, knows my heart, is with me always, & there is nothing to fear. I also know I have some things left to do here on earth. It is more vibrant, what I have to do, realizing that I don't have forever. I am at least in the last 1/3 or 1/4th of my earthly life. So the time to wait is not now. I need to get on with what I'm called to do. Afterall, I will be asked "Did you learn how to love? Did you complete your purposes for going to earth?"
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