Lord,

You are our lamp,
you turn our darkness into light.
You are our light and our salvation

When we believe that,
do we need to fear anyone?
DO we need to be afraid of anyone?

LORD, help us to trust you as the stronghold of our lives, because when Jesus spoke to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

That’s what we need:
your leadership and clarity.

Please Lord help us to show your love and light to everyone we meet.

I believe almost all mysilentscream readers want to have good friends, and be a good friend.

Last week I spent time with my two longest-term best friends, Steve and Murph. While spending time in and easy conversation with old friends I was reminded what a treasure they are to me.

I also was reminded how often I take them and our friendships for granted.

I hope that you have less regrets in your friendships. Maybe this assessment will help you evaluate how good of a friend you are. As you take it I hope that you
– Feel encouraged that you have some helpful friendship skills
– Find some strategies that aren’t helping you or your friends

Do you relate like you value honesty?

I guess it’s true what they say, you can’t trust anyone
Because no matter how much someone can mean to you
There isn’t anyone that you can find in life who hasn’t lied
Whether once or many times, it doesn’t matter
We all do it and we are all to blame
No one is perfect but is anyone really innocent?
We are people and we find ways to have our fun
Some are sick and twisted and get what they want
And some are just trying to be happy
And it’s true, we don’t think ahead… 1

Since 1990 I’ve worked at TreeHouse. TreeHouse is a faith based, non-profit organization offering hope and guidance to hurting teens, alumni, and parents during difficult times.

TreeHouse is a safe place to be real about the pain in their lives that is causing them to think and act out in destructive ways. TreeHouse is a place to have fun, meet friends, discover faith, overcome pain, serve others, and be empowered to succeed.

TreeHouse alumni often tell me that they wish that they had relationships as adults like the ones that they had at TreeHouse.

Recently my friends and I played volleyball. It was a fun and competitive series of games.

Later that month I gathered many of the same late-night friends for another series of games. Even though it was after midnight I had the same expectations as the previous evening: I was looking forward to the same fun, competitive games.

We lost the first closely contested game. We dominated the second game as their team laughed and clowned around as they played sometimes sloppily. I prefer to win, but I actually felt sorry for one of their teammates who was evidently annoyed.

Believe in people.

Yes, believe in people, but not too much.

Beware “relying on human beings”, wrote C.S. Lewis.

(They’re) going to let us down.
The best of them will make mistakes;
all of them will die.

We must be thankful to all the people who have helped us, we must honour them and love them. But never, never pin your whole faith on any human being: not if he is the best and wisest in the whole world.

There are lots of nice things you can do with sand; but do not try building a house on it.”

I hate Halloween!
I love Halloween!
Both sides equally passionate.

Here’s my take, I love people visiting our house.

Every year on October 31st many children and adults come to my front door filled with hope.

They come hoping for a tasty treat.
They come hoping for something to make their life better.

What they get is a smile, a sense of community, and a moment to realize that the world is a better place than it seems.

“Things change.”

“Things change. Change isn’t easy, but it’s necessary.”

Mark Anderson is speaking at TreeHouse’s Women of Hope event today. 

Last night in a room-full of interested listeners Mark Anderson captivated us with humor, heart-ache and wisdom.  In Mark’s inspiring story entitled “Defeat to Victory” he shared some strategies that have enabled him to overcome tremendous obstacles and achieve high levels of performance in his life.

Mark and his family faced many challenges growing up. Fortunately, as he said, “things change.”

There is never a shortage of drama.
There is always some fool who feels the need to “start something.”

Someone near you today filled with anger, impatience, and frustration from their weekend will probably spill it onto you. Avoid the obvious emotional reaction. Skip the “That was stupid” regret you’ll have later. Instead, duck the drama?

How?

Three Tips To Help You Duck The Drama

Lay Low – Don’t cause drama. It comes back to bite most people.
Take It Slow – Don’t jump to conclusions when people bring drama to you.
Say No! – Don’t repeat gossip.

This week I’m responding to Ken Davis’ call to be “fully alive.” Fully alive people are characterized by many things including meaningful friendships, courageously overcoming fear, and a determination to course corrections when they fail.

We all fail.  Failure is painful.

Pain is part of the price of living.
– Love is painful.
– Relationships are painful.
– Failing is painful.

If we choose to move forward in our quest to live fully alive, we will fall, it will hurt . . . and it will be worth it.

Be prepared to pay the price. Change costs.  Progress can be painful.