Letting Go

"Do you want to hold on to your kids?

Then let go. Laugh with them, cry with them, rejoice with them, and dream with them. But let go of them. Then when they come down the driveway to see you, you can know that the only reason they are coming is because they want to see you.

And you will begin to realize the deep joy that comes from having what you are willing to lose."

(See you at the house, Bob Benson, pg. 128)

Burn Brighter

"When we think of words like commitment and surrender, I am afraid that most of us have the idea that one of God's favorite things to do on a rainy afternoon is to figure out ways to "whoof" us out. In reality he wants to live in union with you so that you will become far more than you ever dreamed you could be. He wants you to burn brighter and shine farther and illuminate longer that you ever thought was possible.

And our oneness with each other, and our twoness, should be the same way."

(See you at the house, Bob Benson, pg.119)

Psalm 77

I'm awake all night -- not a wink of sleep.
I can't even say what's bothering me.
I go over the days one by one,
I ponder the years gone by.
I strum my lute all through the night,
wondering how to get my life together.

I read this in Psalm 77 this morning, and it spoke to me...it's exactly where I am right now. Life isn't making a lot of sense to me these days. Even though I trust in God, the human in me at times struggles with things inside me that I can't even express or explain. I suspect this is a common phenomenon in people with my make-up. Not engineers or scientists...who deal with facts. I deal with emotions, but somehow I've managed to put a lot of mine on the back burner, or I've buried them. I must go on and leave certain things to God to handle. But in my heart of hearts I am sometimes confused and sad.

Serving Others

"When Jesus says, "A man should lay down his life," I believe that what he is trying to get us to see is that this is where joy and love are found. Not just for the receiver but for the giver as well. He is reminding us to release our gifts and graces and let them flow out of us and into others, knowing that as we do, joy and love will come flowing back to us."
("See you at the house.", Bob Benson, pg. 86)