Rhythm of Rest
“I don’t want to ‘Mom’ today.” This was my first thought upon waking one morning this past week, and this was after a decent night of sleep! I am a middle aged, part-time working, mom with multiple children from elementary ages through teens at home. I immediately judged this internal dialogue. Why wasn’t I jumping out of bed, feet hitting the floor, ready to conquer the day? Maybe, just maybe, it’s because I’m attempting to do it all in my own strength and not engaging my world in a posture that includes rhythms of rest.
ALL IS WELCOME…
All is Welcome sounds great.
But, what does it actually mean?
You have the invitation to bring all of who you are – your True Self, your Broken Self, your emotions, and your False Selves. To not hide, but be fully seen and known in your present reality.
All of you is welcome!
The Edge: Real Life Authenticity
In the dance of life, I wrestle with bringing my true self to the “real world” of everyday life. I find myself wondering if I can bring all of me- the true me, the broken me and my story – to my world? Will I risk going to that edge?
Compassionate Curiosity in Relationships
Last month when I read Rob’s article … I resonated with the importance of the Clearing and Communication Model. And the thought hit me that another piece of communication that has been really helpful to me in the last few years is the concept of showing up with compassionate curiosity (that I got from Couples at the Cross). I told Rob that I thought we needed a 3rd ‘C’ model … the Compassionate Curiosity Model. Here is what I mean by that….
“I’d like to give you a piece of my mind”
I’ve “given a piece of my mind” before, and it’s not pretty. When this happens my words are a cyclone of destruction, like the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil ferociously ripping apart the landscape before him. He’s at least comical, but my destructive words are no joke. When I’m triggered, when a wound is touched, a false self spins in to rescue. Then my judgments and accusations and feelings erupt and cause relational damage. Hurt breeds hurt. In this posture, my heart is blocked from love and connection, the very thing I want.
Giving YOU a piece of my mind is not healthy communication, nor is it the way of Christ’s love. So why do I do it and how can I grow?
Leadership: Facing My Fear
One of the principles we hold to is:
“God meets us at the edge–when we face our fears.”
Tell me your greatest fear…
I don’t often take this particular exercise from the weekend into my “real” life. However, this year, so far, has been a doozy, and I am finding myself aware of a frequent sense of fear and anxiety. …I have found myself with a roving sense of fear…that is loud in my head. Do you ever feel this way?
Just a Moment
His name appeared late on the registration list. I uttered an audible groan. How would I get through the entire reunion weekend without encountering him? 49 years before Doug and I were thrown together as mis-matched freshmen roommates. He had arrived three days...
Leadership Lessons & Core Values:
I am reactive. I know it. I own it, and it is often not pretty. And it is valuable when understood.
I react to criticism, judgments, fair and unfair evaluations, and not getting my way. I’m reactive to a friend’s decline of an invite, or my wife’s challenge of my perspective. I’m reactive to the rain that washed away my plans for the day. I am reactive to pain and discomfort.
Click on the title above to read on ….
PIVOTING: A Pathway to Peace (even in a Pandemic)
To accept our reality, including obstacles, frees us to pivot and continue to pursue the prize. This is to accept the goodness of God, even in troubling circumstances, and trust that he is moving us toward a greater good – though the journey may be very hard.
Consider your actions, attitudes and heart toward COVID-19, quarantining and masks, politics, social injustices, your problems and pains, and the many antagonists in your life, including the messages and imaginations that live within you. Consider how you resist, the consequence, and the opportunity to accept and pivot.
Wilderness Vlog
3 minute video