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January 4 - January 12, 2020
as if life weren’t going fast enough already.
Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets. —Paul Tournier
Sadness is a wall between two gardens. —Kahlil Gibran
What he would give for a do-over: a chance to have this day start again
healing waters.”
No matter what God’s power may be, the first aspect of God is never that of the absolute Master, the Almighty. It is that of the God who puts himself on our human level and limits himself. —Jacques Ellul, Anarchy and Christianity
“If you let me, Mack, I’ll be the papa you never had.”
I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived from my nature.
“Only I can set you free,
And freedom is a process that happens inside a relationship with him.
when all you can see is your pain, perhaps then you lose sight of me?”
The problem is that many folks try to grasp some sense of who I am by taking the best version of themselves, projecting that to the nth degree, factoring in all the goodness they can perceive, which often isn’t much, and then calling that God. And while it may seem like a noble effort, the truth is that it falls pitifully short of who I really am. I’m not merely the best version of you that you can think of. I am far more than that, above and beyond all that you can ask or think.”
Who wants to worship a God who can be fully comprehended, eh?
Relationships are never about power, and one way to avoid the will to hold power over another is to choose to limit oneself—to serve.
The penetrating and alluring aroma of coffee drew his eye to the steaming cup waiting for him on the end table by the door. Taking a sip, he opened the shades and stood looking out through his bedroom window onto the lake, which he’d glimpsed only as a shadow the night before.
“When you chose independence over relationship, you became a danger to one another. Others became objects to be manipulated or managed for your own happiness. Authority, as you usually think of it, is merely the excuse the strong ones use to make others conform to what they want.”
But your choices are also not stronger than my purposes, and I will use every choice you make for the ultimate good and the most loving outcome.”
the purpose
it fashion
“And how confident are you in your ability to discern what indeed is good for you, or what is evil?”
It allows you to play God in your independence.
insane lust for independence.”
because this garden is your soul.
“You imagine. Such a powerful ability, the imagination! That power alone makes you so like us. But without wisdom, imagination is a cruel taskmaster.
do you realize that your imagination of the future, which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind, rarely, if ever, pictures me there with you?”
The person who lives by his fears will not find freedom in my love.
Submission is not about authority and it is not obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect.
“That’s because, like most men, you find what you think of as fulfillment in your achievements,
Most men have expressed it by turning to the work of their hands and the sweat of their brows to find their identity, value, and security.
This is ME!
“No wonder I feel like a failure with Nan. I can’t seem to be that for her.”
justice because
even if you had been to blame, her love is much stronger than your fault could ever be.”
When the light shines into the places where they live inside you, you start to see them for what they are.”
Just sharing life.
lost and independent
Systems cannot provide you security, only I can.”
“It’s extremely hard to rescue someone unless he is willing to trust you.”
Grace doesn’t depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors.”
Guilt’ll never help you find freedom in me.
A great truth
Emotions scare you, Mack. You lied to protect yourself, not her!”
Yep that is me!
Faith does not grow in the house of certainty.
True love never forces.”
All evil flows from independence, and independence is your choice.
“Emotions are the colors of the soul—they are spectacular and incredible.
rules and principles are simpler than relationships.”
“To be with you, honey.
“You cannot see in your mind’s eye something you cannot experience.”
Trying to keep the Law is actually a declaration of independence, a way of keeping control.”
Responsibilities and expectations are the basis of guilt and shame and judgment, and they provide the essential framework that promotes performance as the basis for identity and value.
I want to be at the center of everything. When I live in you, then together we can live through everything that happens to you.
