Loving God includes being willing to allow the bright light of God’s word shine in your life. While, from personal experience I know how scary that can be, it truly is freeing to live with integrity. It’s scary living in the fear of God, but it’s amazingly freeing to rest in an awareness of your own imperfections without pretensions. It’s then that we can truly experience the wonderfulness of God’s love.
In the evening when were not talking or laughing I’m “not watching TV.” Yes, the TV is on, but I am usually reading while the TV plays in the background. Somehow I can pay attention to both my reading and the TV. I’m multitasking.
Multitasking.
Maybe I’m maximizing my time.
Maybe I’m increasing my productivity.
Maybe I’m lying to myself.
What I do know is that I’m dropping in on Facebook, checking an email inbox, messaging a friend or reading my RSS subs.
Tonight something changed. Right in the middle of reading a great article written by Shane Claiborne I stopped.
Have you ever been handcuffed? Even for fun? It’s limiting, restrictive and a bit intimidating.
That’s how I feel about fear. Fear limits, restricts and intimidates me. And it limits, restricts and intimidates you. Doesn’t it?
What causes your fears may be different than what causes mine, but we feel the same way. God wants to free us from the handcuffs that bind us. God wants to free us to be who we were created to be:
“Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’” [Isaiah 41:10]
Our Pandemic
“While the H1N1 virus has sickened tens of thousands of people and closed summer camps in a season when there should be little flu activity, it has killed far fewer than the 36,000 Americans who die from seasonal influenza each year. ”
I had not idea — no idea — that the “flu” was so deadly. I was blind to the pain and suffering that people experience.
In order to protect themselves many people defensively protect themselves with masks.
After years of passive participation in the TED community I finally felt obliged to comment today.
http://www.ted.com
There are many spiritual paths, I have no interest in debating their merits or misgivings. Scholars, theologians apologists & philosophers can do that far better than I can.
I’m neither meritorious not mentally impared.
I know that I have a personal relationship with God. I also know that God initiated it.
I have never heard an audible voice; I had to learn how to recognize God’s involvement and interaction with me.
