If the economy, and your place within it, is really important to you, you will be really hurt when it goes away. You can cultivate an attitude of studied indifference, but it has to be more than just a conceit. You have to develop the lifestyle and the habits and the physical stamina to back it up. It takes a lot of creativity and effort to put together a fulfilling existence on the margins of society.

- Dmiotry Orlov (http://www.energybulletin.net/node/23259)

When you suppress an urge, it will end up coming out eventually.  Press down too hard and it will pop right back up – much messier than you’d like. 

More than 1 of you are suppressing an urge.  You are suppressing the urge to write, eat, travel, break the fragile china of silence.

You hold on as long as you can but china’s heavy.  You hold on as long as you can because you have been told that, that that camera’s worth more than you are.  You have been told that you must stand there and hold those plates, those cups while your accusers smile at you and encourage you to keep it up all while they keep piling on that stuff hoping for a bigger boom, a messier splash when it crashes.  You were told to drop the pile before it was a pile.

Before that first plate had potential to become the foundation for a wobbling mess, you were told to drop it.  Silence is fragile but oh so hard to break.  I hear your thoughts but I also hear the thoughts of those next to you, sitting shoulder to shoulder. 

I’ve given you a filter.

I’ve given you the gift of thought- of relative silence.

The silence will be broken.

Either you can drop it into the refiner I have provided, where I break it for the purpose of creating a master mosaic – one that spans centuries, fills the whole wall of human history, floor to ceiling – or you can sweep the shattered pieces off the floor, wipe the blood from your legs, and limp to my refiner to offer the pieces as a scarifice – just as valuable to My mosaic but oh so much harder.

Eventually you will get stronger.  You are becoming stronger. 

Enduring your taunters as they add plate after plate after cup after spoon of things you must not break makes you stronger but honey – did you realize that I see, I recognize that you cannot move without dropping it all over the floor.  Some of you recognize My plan and think its too late.  You see the others accepting a plate, or two, or three and then walking over to My refiner and dropping it.  You see them laugh.

You see the others carrying a load too heavy.  You tell your own taunters to stop, aware that another plate or two will topple your stack, aware that your stack is taller than that child’s stack and if she cried when the china fell, shattering into her legs, bare from the skirt she once twirled in, then yours would sting – not only you, but that child sitting next to you, unaware, still twirling.

You see and you feel stuck, but do you not see the carts – the people racing from one to another – the team who’s mission it is to find those who have called them and get out and take the load off – 1 cup at a time.  Once they hear you – you must call them – once they empty your hands by placing the whole plates, into their cart, they give you a ride and ask you to break them into My refiner.

Do you not see that each who has found My refiner is asked to take a shift and show it to others?

Lift their load – they have to drop it, but you can transplant it, right by My side.

Show them My plan.  Point out that the workers are few and the loads are heavy.

Lifting them makes you even stronger than carrying, than holding them.

I am underestimated.

The truth is, I am powerful beyond imagination. I have the authority and the power to speak life into existence, to make mountains move, to make the lame walk, to pull dead folks out of the ground and to breathe life back into their dusty old bones. All Hell breaks loose when I walk into a room because the Kingdom is coming with me with a declaration of freedom. I am empowered by the Holy Spirit, and the blood of Christ runs through my veins.

But I am underestimated…

I underestimate myself. More often than not I choose to walk in fear instead of authority. I choose lies instead of truth. I live according to the words of those who spite me instead of the words of Him who created me. I came with an instruction manual with a function and a purpose yet I, like a man, set it aside.

Time to rise up.

Today I am going to try and overestimate myself… I am going to try and do the possible because with my Creator, there is no impossible.

Are you underestimated?

-Matt Patch, iammattpatch.wordpress.com

-anonymous

I didn’t learn anything new when wandering

through the library and stopping in the middle of an aisle to read Godin’s entire little book.  I was encouraged though that I had made the right choice- that my then current position was indeed a cul-de-sac, as pleasant as those may be.  

Today was the culmination of that decision.  More than once, I was encouraged to keep the options open, to understand that the door would not be locked behind me.  “It’s not too late to change your mind”.  I truly do love and admire my coworkers.

Former coworkers.  I handed over my badge on the way out the door today, after offering the guard some of the leftover chocolates and nutter butters my friends blessed me with.

I gave two and a half months notice so my friends came prepared, this day surprised nobody, but I — its still sinking in.  I quit.  anything- I mean, this is not a common occurrence- I’m one of the 4 out of 30 that sticks it through a crazy long slightly boring book study simply because I signed up.  I find myself analyzing whether I could make a weekly commitment before I even visit a new group. 

I find it hard to say no, but today I shook my head, looked down and gave a sheepish smile when asked whether I was coming back.  Not this time. “We realize you have stuff you have to do, but know that you’re always welcome back when you’re done” Thank you.  Really- thank you- but no.

No- I’m not completely sure what’s next but I’m excited.  Godin warns about quitting when it’s tough, when there’s potential to get past a dip and skyrocket.  He warns against staying when there’s nowhere else to go. 

I’ve said time and time again how much I appreciate Allstate and the workers I’ve gotten to know there, but it’s time.  That’s pretty much all I’ve got right now.  One chapter has to end before another is allowed to start. 

Passion and Searchlight and a thirteen hour middle of the night drive down south coming up this next week. After that, we’ll see.  It’ll be awesome.

Read from source: http://www.domaconnection.org/

Read more from me:

Image by paparutzi via Flickr

This terrifies, disgusts, angers, challenges me and yet, as has happened before, I expect the emotions to fade and to carry on as before. 

Christmas eve morning, the house is quiet, my 11 o clock meeting cancelled, I’ve been up breathing through my mouth and blowing snot and blood into a wet washcloth.

I’ve been reading this morning- Jim Bakker on his time in the federal prison system. 

I’ve been praying this morning- pretty much all I know how to do when faced with injustice this massive.  Or maybe the injustice is really that my life doesn’t resemble these.  Pretty much everyone I’m close to, everyone I know in general, has tried to convince me of my worth, that I’m capable, desirable, worth being with; and I’ve still come through quite a battle of wills in believing it.

These girls have not had that.  I’ve been protected, safe guarded during my most

vulnerable moments, but these ladies have not.  Their moments are taken advantage of, exploited.  How could I convince them of their worth, that their bodies are worth millions in chemicals alone and that they are high tech well designed, magnificent beings with real purpose that could be realized and potential that could be maximized on. 

Bakker talks about a smoking cessation group that encourages

inmates to realize their value, identity; to refrain from phrases like quit smoking that reinforce an identity as a smoker, but to concentrate on phrases like, I really enjoy tasting food.

Mohammed Yunus talks about convincing the poorest of the poor of their worth, their trustworthiness.

Whatever the venue, it seems the task is very similar- appreciate, add value to, people – all people- and when we do that we glorify God.

Image via Wikipedia

That can be hard though, awkward.  We seem to need to earn the right to speak the truth into someone’s life by going through something similar.  I haven’t earned the right to speak, but its been given to me as a responsibility.

I fail- yesterday I brought a bunch of blank Christmas cards to work with the intention of appreciating- adding value to people.  I used a few of them, but missed a few really good opportunities, including one to acknowledge the quiet guard that I usually mutter a bye to.  Nope- I walked right past- he was looking down, I just kept walking, no big Merry Christmas, no thank you for being here every day and for helping me out when I left my lights on 4 years ago and for calling the pd when I locked my keys in a running vehicle last year and-.

Nope, walked right on by like no one was there.

& Margaret, our cleaning lady.  The same quick thanks that I always give her when she comes by my desk to empty out my personal trash can, which has been inundated with tissues this week.  A quick thanks and good morning.  I know nothing about her.

I have one more week in the Hudson Allstate office to add value to the people there.  After that, I don’t know- I’ll have to find other people to add value to.  Perhaps they’ll be a part of a court rehab group.  Maybe I’ll be able to write:

Then a young woman walked in wearing a prison uniform and shekels.  The judge greeted her with a look that melted my heart.  It reminded me of the look the father must have given his prodigal son when he returned.  He told her how marvelous she looked now three months sober.  He remembered he had been afraid for her life the night she went into custody because she was so skinny and pale.

The judge spoke to her with grace and respect.  Although she stood there in shekels, he treated her in a way that retained her dignity.  I’m guessing that most of the women had not been treated with much respect in their lives.

--Teri

http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/

“There’s a manual on church history from the 2nd century, ok.  2nd century church discipline and this manual gives the following instructions:

Listen to this sentence: ‘If there is a man who is abusing his wife in the church, the pastor should take two stout elders and go visit that home’. ha! yes. Take that boy outside with some men and have a talk”

Biblical womanhood is not checking brain, will, at the door of marriage, putting the will of husband before the will of Christ.

http://www.brookhills.org/media/series/next/ – David Platt

“Man leads in a way that points women to the authority of Christ”

“Woman’s primary role is to support and she is accountable to God for the affirmation of her husband, in other words affirming her husband’s role.  Yes, I’m a suitable helper for you- designed by God in a complementary way, not a competitive way with you.  There are things you need in me and I affirm my need for your leadership”

“Honor your wives, do not belittle your wife for her failures.  By the grace of God laid on your life to honor your wives and to train boys to be men.  Dads, husbands, single men, we need to show boys that godly responsibility, humble initiative, hard leadership […] what that looks like in action.  And specifically going back, young single men, as long as you prolong adolescence in your 20s and 30s, you will teach teenage boys they need not grow up because your life looks just like theirs. 

“Train boys to provide, to protect, to lead women in loving, gracious, humble hard working ways that reflect the very character of Christ.  Exhortation to men.

“Women:  Incline yourselves towards wise, willing submission; disposition that is inclined to wise, obviously not foolish, you need not submit to a man that’s abusing you, take that to church, to the stout elders, but women in any situation to incline herself, first and foremost to wise, willing submission to God in constant prayer, He is obviously your ultimate authority, and He cares for you, Do not underestimate the effect of prolonged intercession before Him.  There are numerous times in my relationship with my wife where I have come to realizations in my life, marriage, and come to Heather and said ‘here’s a realization I found’ only to find that she figured that out a long time before and had been praying that I’d get it.  & so this is good.  good. Don’t underestimate the effect of prayers before your ultimate head and know that He hears you.  Even when you’re wondering know that He’s listening.  He’s always listening.  So, yield to Him in constant prayer, and then to men in certain positions.   Meaning, if you’re a wife, obviously incline yourself to wise willing submission to your husband as best as you can in a way that honors Christ, even if he’s not a believer, even if he’s a professing believer but not being a man, pray, submit to God and then to him, longing for him to lead, affirming him when he does lead.

And a side note to the Church, this is where we need to come alongside.” 

God’s desire for women is to desire to receive good, godly, humble male leadership, to respect a man’s caring initiative to provide, to protect, to work for our good, to live in a way that shows girls how to be women. 

Show girls how, show girls what a godly inclination to follow a man’s leadership looks like.