Standing at the gate of a new year

Unless a wheat of grain falls on the ground and dies,

it remains only a single grain;

but if it dies,

it yields a rich harvest."

(John. 12:17)

"For it is from within, from men's hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean."

(Mark. 7:13)

There is so much emphasis, especially at this time of year, on "decluttering" "setting goals" and "making resolutions."

Most of these adjendas centre around the concept of renewal as the new year dawns upon us. But is it an internal renewal we are looking for or a quick sweep around the external framework, of our lives: dusting the cobwebs from the windowframes instead of the residues from the windows. Is the renewal we are seeking focused on the interiers of our being or are we simply trying to gain a little curb appeal? Certainly most of the tasks we set ourselves centre around material objectives. The grand resolutions we proclaim to make are more often than not simply an attempt to control the variables of life by managing risk factors (i.e.) giving up various vices and/or reaffirming or redesigning our identities to fit the life we think we aspire to have. In the modern world we consume the symbols which affilate with the lifestyles we hope to attain and as a result the emphasis seems to be upon owning our lives as opposed to living them. The incentive is not to become better from within but to patent the exteriors with physcological gloss of smoke and mirrors. Beneath the facade this ideology comes down to what we want to have as opposed to what we want to be.

The real business of de-cluttering means striping back the surfaces not applying more whitewash to the walls.

Becoming that which you were intended to be from the beggining is really what it means to be reborn and renewed along with the change from one year to the next.

It is the distractions that lead you away from God, turn your head from the light and your body from the path are what should really be put out with the trash.

Whether this is the television, overtime at work, video games, shopping, unhealthy food, alcohol, drugs or negative people.

The elements that often provide transient, mute, numbing pleasure to our senses while desensitising us to the truths about ourselves and our lives are like non degradable rubbish in an ever deepening landfill.

The sadness being that the landfill is our soul.

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the new year: "Give me a light that I may tread saftley into the unknown." And he replied :" Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord make us instruments

of your peace.

Where there is hatred

let us sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is discord, union;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkenss, light;

Where there is saddness, joy.

Grant that we may not

so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood

as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving

that we recieve;

It is in pardoning

that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are

born to eternal life.

Amen

Inspiring quotations

I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know, the only ones amoung you who will be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.

Schwietzer, Albert

Each small task of everyday is part of the total harmony of the universe

St. Theresa of Lisieux ( My favourite saint)

Kindness is more important than wisdom and to realise this is the begining of wisdom

Rubin Theodore Issac

Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless

Mother Theresa

Every blade of grass has it's Angel that bends over it and whispers , "Grow, Grow."

The Talmud

Give light, and the darkness will disapear by itself

Erasmus

Rest is not idleness, and to lie on the grass sometimes on a Summers day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching tehclouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.

Lubbock Sir J

Faith is a bird that feels dawn breaking and sings while it is still dark

Scandinavian Saying

Everyday do your best, God will do the rest

Abraham Maslow

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5,6

When God calls you to do something he enables you to do it.

Robert Schuller

When we let go of fear, only then can we gracefully move from what was to the miricle of what can be.

Robert Schuller

HOLDING SUNLIGHT

JOY

J*O*Y

Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last.

Finding Joy in the Simple things!

Finding joy in the simple things?!?!

It's hard to view the mudane, monotonous tasks of everyday life with awe and reverance. I'm awful at picking on the itty bitty details. Specks of dust on the TV, opaque fingerprints on the windows and watermarks on the stainless steel.

When I only had two kids (one at school) I would plan my day around my chores and I really did become more than a little unhealthily obsessed with details.

Since having my third baby (and hopfully more to come in the future) I realise that unless I become a slave to my ideals and notions of perfection I will never NEVER never have a "showhome"

And you know what this is okay. I really enjoy my kids so much now and I also enjoy my home. It feels like ahome. It is not a sterile environment. It is not a boot camp training ground. It is happy and full.

I'm trying very hard to allow even my everyday, routine tasks, washing up, laundry YEP!!! laundry AKA (Officially the most uninspiring activity known to mankind) cleaning and cooking to be utilised in helping me grow and become a better person. I know this seems like I'm pushing the limits of reality but stick with the program hehe!!!

Everyday chores definatly strenghten your patience threshold. And they certainly encourage you to adopt such things as tolerance, acceptance and placidity.

I really think that there is to greater emphasis on having a "perfect" home. The emphasis seems always to strive for what society deems "perfect" and "acceptable" Instead of "accepting" your own best efforts and embarking on those efforts with good intentions. For example: Am I cleaning my house to within an inch of it's life and buying and consuming products that don't make me feel any more fullfilled for a greater good or to impress my neighbour, friend, mother in law or the lady down the street who always turns her nose up at me?

I think that the idea of starting your daily businesss with a good intention is actually very important. The intention is the motivating force behind action. Therefore a good intention will set the orientation for your journey. It will be the basis for you navigation.

I am a pretty much expect the best, except the rest kind of person. I hope for the best, I try my best and I except the outcome good or bad. Because if my intention was good in the first place whatever grows from it should be in my best interests. It will help me to grow in my soul and bring me closer to God.

So I do think that it is important to be mindfull of the small and simple things. Each small experience guides, moulds, and turns our faces to the truth.

All the hope and promise of a sunrise

"God put all the hope

and promise of a sunrise

in each little life

that graces the earth"

"Precious one, so small, so sweet,

dancing in on angels feet,

straight from heaven's

brightest star,

what a miricle you are."

Living fearlessly

"That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and how you are to clothe it. For life means more than food, and the body more than clothing"

Luke 12:34, 22.

"Sell your posessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, trreasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it."

Luke 12:34, 33.

"But alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now."

Luke 6:11, 24.

People are in such a rush to be somewhere important, be somebody special, complete their ambitions and take control of their destiny before they are even old enough to get a driving license!?!?. Go to any bookshop and you will see 18 to 30 year old (sometimes even younger) celebrity autobiographies. No wonder there is a constant, low level, white noise uncertainty that you may have already "missed the boat". The pace of life and the pressures to be "perfect" are so consuming these days. We feel like we must charge along at 90mph, to reach our goals. We feel we have to own the latest home entertainment system to show that we have attained a certain position in society. The utility of an object has less meaning than it's symbolism in the contemporary world. A designer handbag with matching 6 inch heeled patented shoes may have little to know practical use but it symbolises success in society. It shows people that we are not the underdog, we are powerful before even opening our mouths.

But is there a greater strength in humility and a subtler dignity in poverty? Is their peace in choosing the right paths instead of the paths that will seemingly get us to our destination more quickly or lead us out of our responsibilities more effectivly? And what is the purpose of reaching our destination if we learned nothing on the journey? So that once we reach our destination of choice we still remain unsatisfied and impatient to seek newer, greener pastures? Is a courage in throwing off your security blankets: the expensive wardrobe, the faster car, the bigger house, the insurance policies, the credit cards and living a simpler life?

I believe that does take courage to take the first steps following an unmapped road with only faith, hope and love to guide you. But once you find your stride I know that there is also peace to be found in these ways and joy in the taking of every single small step forward. I am only at the beggining, beneath the shadow of the mountain but I know that from the mountains peak the and the possibilities will be eternal and endless.

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said:

"I am the light of the world;

anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark;

he will have the light of life".

I remember walking along some dead end roads in the in the not so distant past. Unsure of what choices to make for the best and feeling overwhelmed by the array of different directions, presented to me with each new step that I took. I was intent on survival, that I knew, it was my priority and I sought out the paths that seemed to offer me all that I required, all that I dreamed of, all that I wanted, all that was familliar, all that I already new. I felt compelled to seek out security, find an insurance policy that covered any eventuality. And the further I went, and the harder I tried, the more I tierd. At last I became paralysed with indecision and I fell to the ground and onto my knees. (I think that there is not a person alive who has not felt broken at least once) At that point the only place left for me to go was the place I had come from. I had to find myself at the beggining. I wanted to find myseelf like I was when I was a child. I looked at the long that I had left behind, I retracked my steps into the distant darkness, looking in vain for some neon signpost that would point me in bright, new direction. I searched along the ground for an easy way out, a detour, an escape route. As time wore on and the endless, blue skies of my childhood hopes began to fray at the edges and peel away from the sun I stumbled more and I dreamed less. Slowly I realised that just as footprints in the sand are washed away by the tides so these paths were leading me nowhere and leaving me nothing. I was walking in circles and not even realising it. I began to question my original perceptions: is security, as defined by the world achievable; is it fundementally an illusion? Can we minimize risk and failure, cultivate the perfect climate for nurturing fullfilment or find a formula for happiness? Aren't our attempts at designing the blueprints for our lives essentially futile. By taking complete control are we fragmenting ourselves from the original piece, the whole. Are we disconnecting from Gods light, the only light that can not be dowsed in the darkness of isolation, fear, suffering and anger?

With questions, a fragile hope, forgiveness, humility, gratitude and love I began my first steps on a new and sometimes difficult path. And he starlight of Gods will, Gods direction, Gods promise and Gods love is what I try my hardest to sail by today.

SAILING BY STARLIGHT

Sailing by Starlight

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Quotations, Inspirations, Prayers, Stories, Poems, Thoughts

and

Messages in bottles washed upon the shore