Love It or Lose It

I am trying a new method of going through my clothes. Several years ago I decided to toss any item of clothing that I never or rarely wear, that had a prominent color or pattern that was not the most flattering, and that was ill fitting, unless I was willing to pay for alterations. That got rid of a lot of clothes.

Then there are some that still linger without my wearing them too often. Sometimes that is because they are "special" and cannot be worn casually. But there are others that sit on hangers week after month after year. I decided today to pick an item and either "wear it or toss it." If I cannot find a way to wear a particular item, it goes in the Good Will bin. If I decide after a day of wearing it that it is not something I love, then I will donate the garment to charity.

Either way, I must make a decision every day to "love it or lose it," or "wear it or lose it." If you see me wearing something that you don't think is particularly nice, please let me know, I really am trying to weed out things that aren't extra special.

The Age-Old Debate: Can Women 'Have it All?'

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-can-8217-t-have-it-all/9020/?single_page=true

This is a long article but the gist of it: can you be both a good professional employee and a good mother and wife? The article discusses how hard it is, and possibly impossible, to "have it all."

I guess I don't really have any practical thoughts on what it would be like to be an employee and a mother. But I want to have the mindset that I am not called to "have it all" but to "have Him all."

The only thing I "want" is to stand before the face of God; my career and my family life is only in service to Him. So there can never be a conflict, ultimately. It may seem that way, but at every juncture, I will just choose Him and the rest will take care of itself. I don't want to 'have it all.' I just want to 'have Him all.' I merely have to lay down my personal desires in service to Him..."I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me."

I know this is an extremely spiritual answer, but at the end of the day, I trust in God's sovereignty and I want to put Him completely in charge of my life and my will. This song lyric below shows how we don't have to choose between "having it all" if we singleheartedly choose the One right thing and let him direct our lives. There is no conflict.

I'm giving you my heart, and all that is within
I lay it all down for the sake of you my King
I'm giving you my dreams, I'm laying down my rights
I'm giving up my pride for the promise of new life
And I surrender all to you, all to you

Ultimately, where God guides he provides the will and the way to make things work.

The mystical land of my imagination

Habits and Destiny

Habits and Destiny

  "The long practice of Christian habits embeds faith, hope, and love so deeply within a human life that they can preserve our lives and our character and predict our future activity."

"We are becoming who we will be . . . "

—Dallas Willard

"What shapes who we will become? According to Charles Duhigg, "becoming" happens through a three-step habit loop: cue, routine, and reward. In his The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (Doubleday Canada, 2012), Duhigg provides scores of examples of habits that have revolutionized individual lives and entire corporations. Habits have helped sedentary, unhealthy smokers kick the cigarettes, start exercising, and become fit, healthy people. Habits helped the Indianapolis Colts, a once-failing professional football team, become Super Bowl Champions. Habits revitalized Alcoa, a once-ailing aluminum manufacturer, transforming it into a Dow Jones top performer. From individual to corporate life, habits manifest change and perpetuate behaviours that shape our lives.

Who Gets the Real Presence, and Who Says?

As someone who now attends a Catholic Church and chooses to abide by the rules and perimeters established by the Church for the good of the flock, I continue to hear many people share that the reason they ascribe to Catholicism is because of the Eucharist. They claim that the Eucharist is the Real Presence, the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus. Further, they claim that the Catholic Church is the only church that can enact transubstantiation because of their direct line of Apostolic succession. Apparently, people--many people--convert to Catholicism to partake of this Holy meal.

This is interesting to me, having been part of the Catholic Church all my life, as well as the Evangelical Free Church, Non-denominational Bible Churches, and the Anglican Church. I celebrated communion and remembered the Last Supper through the body and blood, bread and wine, frequently, in all of these churches. Never did I believe that the bread and wine was not the Real Presence of Christ. While I didn't think too much about it at the time, my default thought was that the elements were the true body and blood of Christ. I assume that many of the other members of those churches didn't consider what they were consuming merely symbolic, either. For the vast majority of Jesus-seekers, regardless of denomination or church affiliation, they view participating in Communion as in fact consuming the body and blood of Jesus, just as He stated emphatically at the Last Supper. To be clear--I have never been a member of a reformed or Baptist church, so I can't speak for their doctrine on Communion-- but in the churches I have experienced, I never considered Communion as a symbol but as the reality of the Eucharist.

This leaves the big question: is "thinking" one way enough? Is it the Real Presence because I think it is, or because the Church says it is, or because the right Priest of the right denomination makes the correct gestures and says the right words over the elements? I don't think so: it is the Real Presence because God makes it so...it is his spiritual law, and he can create and enact the great mystery at his will. Did I consume the Real Presence at my Anglican, Evangelical Free, and Non-denominational churches? I think so. But only God knows.

Big Problem

I am guilty on all counts! Lord, have mercy!


There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him:

• haughty eyes 
• a lying tongue
• hands that shed innocent blood
• a heart that devises wicked schemes
• feet that are quick to rush into evil
• a false witness who pours out lies
• and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Proverbs 6:16-19