Life's not black and white

A Prayer

Let us see what is beautiful in You
Let us dwell on Your mercy
Let us be overwhelmed by Your compassion
Let us bask in Your purity
Let us be vanquished by Your grace
Then let us, without reservation,
Allow those qualities so enflame our hearts
That we cannot help but express them ourselves
                                               ~by Steve Kimes


http://stevekimes.blogspot.com/2011/01/our-prayer-in-church-today.html

In Remembrance of a Friend....

Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never ever the same.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go.
Some stay for awhile and embrace our silent dreams.

They help us become aware of the delicate winds of hope
and we discover within every human spirit there are wings yearning to fly.
They help our hearts to see that the only stairway to the stars
is woven with dream...and we find ourselves unafraid to reach high.

They celebrate the true essence of who we are…
and have faith in all that we may become.
Some people awaken us to new and deeper realizations…
for we gain insight from the passing whisper of their wisdom

Throughout our lives we are sent precious souls…
meant to share our journey however brief or lasting their stay
they remind us why we are here.
To learn… to teach… to nurture… to love.

Some people come into our lives to cast a steady light
upon our path and guide our every step their shining belief in us
helps us to believe in ourselves.
Some people come into our lives to teach us about love…
The love that rests within ourselves.

Let us reach out to others and feel the bliss of giving
for love is far richer in action that it ever is in words.
Some people come into our lives and they move our souls to sing
and make our spirits dance.

They help us to see that everything on earth
is part of the incredibility of life…
and that it is always there for us to take of its joy.
Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never ever the same.

~by Flavia Weedn~

Paloma Rose Childress

Our daughter Paloma joined our family on July 24th, 2010

With Love

With Love
~Put no demands on love, and love will bring you much.
~Give love away, and it will be yours in greater and greater abundance.
~With love, what was weak will grow strong.
~With love, what was impossible becomes real.
~Love can find the beauty and value in even the most desperate situation.
~Love will bring hope where nothing else can.
~Though love cannot be explained, it can never be denied.
~Love has its own reality that transcends the most oppressive limitations.
~Love elevates what it touches to a higher dimension.
~When love is present, fears are calmed, wounds begin to heal, and joy is gloriously within reach.
~Love, not because there is a reason, but because there is the possibility.
~Love, and you will know what you cannot understand.
~ Ralph Marston

Be Thankful

In everyones life, at sometime, our inner fire goes out. Then it is burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.
~ Albert Schweitrer

I Choose Love

I CHOOSE LOVE…
No occasion justifies hatred;
No injustice warrants bitterness.
I choose love.
Today I will love God and what God loves.
I CHOOSE JOY…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…
the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see
People as anything less than human beings,
created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as
anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I CHOOSE PEACE…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I CHOOSE PATIENCE…
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place,
I’ll invite him to do so.
Rather than complain that the wait is too long,
I will thank God for a moment to pray.
Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments,
I will face them with joy and courage.
I CHOOSE KINDNESS…
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
Kind to the rich, for they are afraid.
And kind to the unkind,
For such is how God has treated me.
I CHOOSE GOODNESS…
I will go without a dollar
Before I take a dishonest one.
I will be overlooked before I will boast.
I will confess before I will accuse.
I choose goodness.
I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS…
Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust.
My associates will not question my word.
My wife will not question my love.
And my children will never fear
that their father will not come home.
I CHOOSE GENTLENESS…
Nothing is won by force.
I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL…
I am a spiritual being…
After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.
I choose self-control.
I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ.
I choose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
To these I commit my day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks.
If I fail, I will seek his grace.
And then, when this day is done,
I will place my head on my pillow
and rest.
~by Max Lucado
When God Whispers Your Name