About This Blog: A Change

If you haven't noticed, my blog has changed some. The title of this blog used to be 'Art of the Heart': Go Hard, Don't Waste, Keep Real', but it is now 'Thoughts of the Heart'.

Side note: In the Bible the 'heart' has many meanings. For example:

1. Inner man, mind, will, soul, midst
2. Understanding, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory
3. Inclination, resolution, determination
4. Conscience, heart of moral character
5. Seat of appetites, seat of emotions, passions, or of courage

 So instead of blogging about Art and the Artist, I will be blogging more about the Heart, deep thoughts, revelations, lessons, ideas, and deductions that come forth from it, or effect it. (My own heart, being the starting point ;-)

As Ecclesiastes 3 says "There is a time and a season for everything"...
And so my blog is entering a new season.

Still in many ways it will be similar, because the same principle will remain:
Out of the heart comes what a man produces. Be it art, words, actions, decisions...
So my old blog description remains relevant:

 What does it mean to live motivated by what we believe? What we believe determines
who we will become...

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. Luke 6:45

I hope you enjoy the random and sometimes excessive thoughts put to posts. I have an overactive mind, and tend to truly enjoy analyzing people and discovering 'why they do what they do'. And I apologize if I my perspectives on myself too much, but in a way blogging is like journaling, and although it has a broader audience, it is still a form of self discovery, and and outlet of one's personal ponderings lol.
Anywho, I hope even so that you may find these thoughts interesting, and perhaps even relatable and encouraging to your own life.

And while I'm at it, here are a few more scirptures that come to mind about the heart, and what the center of our thoughts should be. So that even when storms may hit our minds, these scriptures remind us that God is a refuge, and that good thoughts are actually healthy thoughts :).

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace, whose mind (aka heart) is stayed on thee, because he trusts in You.

Romans 12: 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that be testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable and perfect.

Philippians 4:8
Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy or praise, think on these things.

Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. 1 Sam 16:7

Looking Back Over 2013: Lessons & Realizations

Dec 17th, After Midnight
Tonight is much like other nights, in that I sit upon a bed with sleepy eyes, but the desire to write prevails my need for rest...For the last week my mind has been rewinding like a film reel, and bringing to mind the year in review. I see myself arm in arm at a ball, jigging around in my Mum's old wedding dress, my mouth a grin. I see myself spending evenings by a riverside with a film crew, and driving back and forth down the country road to different locations to shoot. It's almost as if time stood still on that one summer day in June, as I sat in that passenger seat and watched the road ever wind ahead of me. I breathed in the warm air and watched the sunlight reflect off the oak trees leaves. Something about that moment was bittersweet. Just like this year. Because even as I took in the beauty around me, my heart was looking for solace.

At times I have felt almost like a war veteran, a solider who reads the letters of his friends or his lover, and dreams of being back in a room with familiar things, round the table with those who's laughter and conversation comforts his heart.
This has been a year of journeying forward. A year of jumping off the ship into the water. A year of trying new things, a year of greater boldness, a year of doors busted down with a sledge hammer.
And even in the discomfort of having to let go of safety blankets, I have armored up with a hardness of mind that has enabled me to walk more like a conqueror than a casualty.
I suppose I am a creature of self preservation. And I am very successful at that. But in many ways it's as if I put the 'robot on' and seal up my eyes.
 I'm guessing if I had been born a guy, and were a soldier, I would be very hardly, because I would detach myself from the misery...
But now I feel the truth. It's the numbness from being on the battle field, that has left me looking for familiarity. While my eyes were shut, I forgot what home looked like. It's like starting over. It's like the solider returning home and finding his siblings have left the house, his lover has married another, and his Mother is in the hospital.
I don't think I've been in this place before. Just when life seems like it will provide only the same, it gives us a avalanche. Have you seen the Dreamworks film 'The Croods'? The movie comes to mind as I type. In the film the main characters (a family of cave people) find that the earth is breaking apart, and the continents forming...in the midst of this, and in result, their cave (where they spent most of their lives hiding from danger) crumbles. And they are forced not only to find a new home, but in the process an altogether 'new life'. But in the end, the new life is better than the old. Perhaps it takes a bit of learning to truly thrive in it, and embrace it...but in the end things worked out for the better. And this is how I've seen the story of my family from this year. And I know that God will work out all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.~ Romans 8:28...

Anyhow, I thought I'd blog a post about some general realizations from 2013.

1. Life takes you by surprise. You never know who or what will take hold of you and stir something you didn't know was inside. Good or bad.
2. The road never stops winding. Just when you think you've figured it out, climbed the hill, you discover that there are a lot of hills, and a lot of miles ahead, many that look the same. But there is a end, and there is a destination. Just sit back and enjoy the ride, and remember to keep your eyes on the road. Looking to the right or the left (aka in the wrong direction) can make you sick.
3. We're not who we were 5 years  ago, 1 year ago, perhaps even who we were 1 month ago, or 1 day ago. We cannot expect to remain the same on the outside, or on the inside. Not that we change as a whole, but because we are never 'finished' until we die; life, people, and decisions, have a way of constantly forming or "deforming" us. Life is progression. We are as sketches flipped on pages, ever moving and evolving, just like old fashion animation.
4. There are things we may know and feel that cannot be mentioned, and are better un-mentioned. But it doesn't change the fact that that knowledge and those feelings are real and have their consequences.
5. Replacing the old, doesn't always mean the new will be easier. Sometimes change and 'upgrades' come with much pain. Pain that we were not ready for, nor expected. But without a struggle, there is no growth. And how do we know what the new will bring, if we are not willing to face the  undergoing of losing the old?
6. God answers prayers. He hears the desires of our hearts, and creates miracles all the time. We are so undeserving of his blessings, and yet he loves to give us good things because we are His children. What a loving Father He is.
7. Careful. A girl may lose her head to whoever's hand she holds. (So to say) There is something about the physical that stirs emotions we may not ever desire. And it's a very interesting how closely connected the physical is to the emotional, and the emotional is to the spiritual.
8. There is a spirit that heightens our selfish nature, stirs a lack of compassion, and feelings of anger and discontent. There is an enemy in each of us that doesn't take much to nurture before it becomes a monster, and that enemy is our own flesh. The devil need not do much, when he knows that with little help, we all are capable of destroying ourselves.
9. A fool's folly is as poison arrows to a wise man. He holds up his shield, draws out his sword, and desires to hit the fool with the blunt of it. Wise men and fools rarely meet. The fool is blinded to his foolishness, but the wise man sees only destruction in his eyes.
10. A man with a quick tongue is bound for mischief, And there are those who speak the opposite of what they feel. Be leery of a double minded man, for he is unstable in all his ways.
11. Of more comfort is a mute friend, than an friend that uses words in spite. For words hurt worse than daggers, and the intent of the heart is determined by the words it fires.
12. There is much that fades and falters. Thus only the confidence of a man's heart will remain. In what does he place that confidence? Surely not in his own self, for even his own self shall fail him. Only God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
13. Haste not, regret not. In haste there is mistakes, in haste there is folly. Better to have not acted, than to have acted and regretted.
14. There is a time and a place for everything under heaven. There is a time to speak, and a time to remain silent, there is a time to love and a time to let go.
15. Be not deceived. Being able to hold back ones feelings completely is not a virtue. He who can choose to detach,  is also presented the choice to be hardhearted.
16. It is not weak to be human. It is not weakness to feel. It is providence. For without man's weakness, there would be no need for his dependence, and if there was no need for his dependence, there would be no need for his deliverance. Without involuntary feelings of regard, many a men would die without ever doing revolutionary acts. There are those who would have us burry our hearts, never shed a tear, but that is because those same people have been hurt themselves. And reminding them of the emotion inside themselves is scary, because they see that there is an  endless recess of it. But C.S. Lewis put it well when he wrote "The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers...of love is Hell."
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhbJC6Fz6fA&feature=share&list=PLp3WAI8tCfShOODzS8eXnJNIUlXom9gXV&index=5
17. The greatest discomfort is to lose something you realize you never truly had.
18. Greater is a friend at hand, than a brother a far. For there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and there is an enemy who pretends to be a friend.
19. There is no place like home. But in the end, home is where the heart is. http://youtu.be/b7cf24tIAT8
20. Be yourself. Be careful how you change for others. Keep a check and always a firm understanding of who you are and your goals. Remind yourself what you want from life, and remember that you are an example and influence on those around you. Don't let go of your faith, or bow down for anyone. Let Christ be your vision and Lord of your Heart.

He asks that we don't have idols. Which is harder than it seems.
 He asks that even on the windy roads of life, and when in the season when spring seems far away, not to give up hope, and not to stop praying.

There is a time and place for everything. Soon 2013 will be in passed.
I personally will not be able to forget all the wonderful and trying times I have had. And in retrospect there has been more times of laughter than of tears.
I praise God for all his blessings, and his provision. I pray that I would be made stronger and wiser from the trials.

This year has been a full one. Perhaps the fullest of them all for me so far. And as I lay my head down tonight, my mind goes round and round on the carousel of memories.
But here's to letting go...Here's to moving on...Here's to the greatest things in life...the eternal things...Joy, Peace, Love.
May they reign in our hearts forever.

Doubts of a Realist

Interesting thoughts filled my head this morning as I got out of bed, like those little revelations that start off as what seems to be " logical explanations" to problems I may be facing...

Perhaps you don't know what it means to be a "Realist". Perhaps you are an Optimist...Well I'll tell you something I'm not sure I would have said when I was younger, "Being an Optimist has it's benefits".
That being said, you probably won't relate too much to this blog post if you are an all around Optimist, because though I do not claim to be a Pessimist, realism does not prefer one side over the other...And sorry to break anyone's bubble, but most times 'reality' isn't as easy as it seems.

I suppose for most of us who claim to be "Realists", we imagine that we are 'grounded', and perhaps some of us 'logical people' just imagine we are 'realists' because it sounds the coolest. We think "Ah, realism...that sounds right. Cause after all, I am grounded in 'reality'." Therefore... that should mean we know it all. Ha ha, no, but let's be honest, that last part is not perhaps something we'd admit verbally, but being a 'realist' can follow a logcial "know it all" complex for some. And then there are those who just have a firm grip on 'what's what' and those who'd rather just 'live life without a second though' see the logical people as 'know it alls', when if fact they only have knowledge to share.

Recently I did an online test to discover "What Fictional Character Are You?" It was just a short quiz, rather fun and frivolous, but it confirmed a suspicion of mine. Want to guess what character I got? Sherlock Holmes. Yes, him. Uh huh, the dedicated, observant, brilliant, get er done, unique, logical, Sherlock Holmes...who in his weakness could also be viewed as selfish, in his own world, careless, disinterested, a loner, heartless, and even a "know it all". But anyone who has read or watched a good deal on the character knows that what Sherlock truly suffers from is being a a stubborn "realist". And a verbal realist to boot.
I thank the Lord's mercy that I am of the personality that is able to keep my opinions to myself, and I thank God I'm not just like the fictional character of Sherlock who at times needs a good spanking, due to never socially disciplining himself.

Now I'm not about to make this entire blog post about 'Sherlock Holmes', I've already done that elsewhere: See link:,http://thinkbeyondthescreen.blogspot.com/2012/11/fictional-characters-and-what-we-can.html
 But perhaps by mentioning him you can get a good idea of a character who sometimes fails to "feel" or "believe in the supernatural" due to his realism complex. But the truth is, no matter who we want to see ourselves, I'd say a good percentage of the time we who have the ability to be 'realists' can sometimes detach from our emotions in order to be able to face reality and essentially, embrace it. Because what you should know about the realist, is it's not enough for him to face reality, he most embrace it.

And 'detaching from one's emotions' can lead to Pessimism, before Optimism. Meaning? The Melancholy Realist, can't help but sometimes see or imagine 'the worst', 'the bleakest outcome'. But the only difference between a true Pessimist and a Melancholy Realist, is that The Realist doesn't fear or whine over what he believes could be his death, he genuinely  faces it, with the courage of many.

But here's the clincher; that same courage as one may call it, that ability to de-tach from emotions in order to take on a troop, can also be a hindrance. Yes, to some this is a sought after ability, to be able to overcome any sort of emotional wall. But once it becomes natural to us as breathing to be able to block feelings...let's just say to a certain extent it's unnatural to 'not feel', and it's important that one does not lose sight of compassion and respects the feelings of others. Long explanation shortened, a man cannot practice stiffing his emotions to embrace reality, and not actually form the habit of stiffing his emotions towards all sorts of pain and trauma. It's just like a the war torn veteran.

And here comes my point...I've been pondering lately how it can be that a man who has believed in God for his entire life, has experienced his answers to prayers, has felt love, believes in the cause of the kingdom...can suddenly detach from his faith and dare to think doubtful thoughts. Where do these thoughts come from?
I believe the truth is, it's not that a man looses his consistent grasp on the Christian Reality, but rather the enemy plays with his personality weaknesses. Because deep down inside the realist, he is human, and he naturally feels too. And what does he feel? What comes against the faith of a realist? Subtle fear...fear that what he has believed is not backed logically, and that he is stepping into the zone of the emotionally led.
Because after all faith, is a matter of believing in the unseen. Truly, for Sherlocks this is a great feat, to believe in something they don't observe. Though God is all around us, and all we need do is look at the proof of his creation.

So whenever it seems like 'doubtful thoughts' fill your head. Before you freak out and throw in the towel.,  before you say you're 'falling from the faith', or begin to think you're not a 'Christian', remember that just because you are now a Child of God, doesn't mean your personality isn't still earthly bound, and needs to constantly be whipped into subjection. The flesh is a heady part of us. We need the Spirit to run free in our conscience and subconscious. So every once in a while when you hears doubts whisper in your ear, don't let them steal your confidence, which has great reward. You're not crazy, nor are you unsaved. Just because you don't think like the Optimist, or the very Emotional person who seems to always have belief to share, doesn't mean that you aren't Saved. Every man has his battles, every man has his weaknesses. The weakness of the blinded optimist is that he can get so caught up in the loveliness of God, that he never checks himself to see if perhaps he isn't so lovely. While the introverted realist can spend too much time focusing on the ugliness of the world, or trying to condemn himself, that he doesn't spend enough time looking up to see the loveliness of God, and His love for him.

It is pessimistic thoughts that make the realist doubt God. Fears invade his mind, the 'what ifs' tare into his head. Why? Because the realistic must embrace reality. And because no man can truly know it all, or tell the future, sometimes the realist must improvise. What is the motto of the  Pessimist? It is "Expect the possible worst", or "Fear the possible worst"...but the Melancholy Realist can't help but lean that direction by his motto of "Think possibilities." And since the worst is always a 'possibility', since the realist must be grounded and ready to embrace what comes, since the realist must not be taken off guard, and since he knows life is usually not all daisies and roses, he can choose to embrace the negative possibility.
Sound complicated? Perhaps. But what you need to recognize is that life is a matter of complicated puzzles for Sherlock personalities, because we do not close our minds to possibilities, therefore the end we come to a conclusion you may not have been tracking. Haha.

What does this come down to? How do we solve the case of part time doubts?
With the most obvious recommendation of course. Love. Yes, love. Love potion #9. No, not really. More like Love potion #1. Without love, there is no faith. As the bible says "Perfect loves casts out all fear". It is hard for some Sherlocks to believe in love, because they can tend to see it is completely 'emotional', and/or they just stay away from it, because they can't relate to it. They can't relate to it, because they have let selfishness harden their hearts. Because let's face it, no man without God can be a good man. No man without the love of God can truly be a blessing to society, because we are all fallen human beings, effected by the original sin curse. Each personality is tainted.

The truth is, some of us need to stop being so caught up in being 'untouchable' and start serving instead of wanting to be served. We need to come down off our high horses, and realize that with all that is said. Our true weakness, yes the Melancholy Realist's true weakness, is his waning love tank. He needs to fill it up, because most times it's just near dry. How can our love tanks be filled? How can we become more than what we were born as? Are some people just born with more love in their tanks, or bigger tanks altogether?

Ezekiel 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

What we need is the love of God to fill us. We need to come before Him and ask him to fill us with his love. We need to spend time focusing on the greatest act of love ever performed, and that was what Christ did for humanity on the cross. We need to see ourselves as we truly are, weak, faulty people, in need of a Savior who can live through us, and make us vessels worth using. 

1Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

2Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

3For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

4Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight;

so you are right in your verdict

and justified when you judge.

5Surely I was sinful at birth,

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.

10Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

so that sinners will turn back to you.

14Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

you who are God my Savior,

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15Open my lips, Lord,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17My sacrifice, O God, is^b a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart

you, God, will not despise.

~ Psalm 51: 1-17

May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.
- 2 Thessalonians 3:5

An Apology To Those Who Have Been Hurt By The Church

I see your pain, and it hurts me. The cause of this pain is one of the very hardest things for me to bare. I know that man is imperfect, and not all aware of the damage they do...
So, I want to apologize... for all those who have hurt you. For those who have sat beside you in worship, with their hands lifted high, but who never extended a hand to you when you were in need.
For those who said things about you that weren't true, for those who told you you were a freak and shunned you, because you were different. For those who claimed to be followers but did not follow. For those who ignored you, back stabbed you, or gossiped about you.

The love inside me weeps to see what's it's done to your heart. People have pushed you away from the truth, because of selfishness. They have been hypocrites. And I have not part of hypocrites. I have told you before, and I shall tell you again, hypocrites will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. He who does not love his brother, no matter how much he calls upon the Father will never receive the prize.Only he who has clean hands, and a pure heart. He who loves.

"Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter." Matthew 7:21


My enemy wants you to doubt this love, this love that goes deep. The pain of this earth is the way he injects his lies. If this earth were without pain, suffering, persecution, it would not be temporal, and you would not need the blood I shed for you. Nor would I have died so that you can live one day in a world without the pain caused from the original sin. Eternity is the promise of no pain.

Child, I've seen everything you've been through.
When I walked down the stone paved road holding that heavy tree, I sacrificed - acceptance, comfort, my relationship with friends, my connection with the Father... my heart felt your pain. I know how it feels to be scoffed at, to be rejected, to be ignored, to be spit upon, stabbed, beaten, accused of being a heretic. I know what it means to thirst, to have nothing, to lose loved ones to death. I was God in the flesh, and yet my earthly father died, my best friend died, my disciple denied me, and my own betrayed me for 30 pieces of silver.  Did I turn against my Father? No, this is the curse in the place where man dwells. I and my Father never created things to be this way for you. The curse brought death, sickness, pain, rebellion. I warned Adam about this...I asked him not to eat of the tree.

My child keep your heart from offense. Don't let the pain turn into anger. Forgive, or else you will be eaten alive by bitterness. I am a God who loves you, not a God who forsakes you. I ask you to forgive my people, forgive those who spitefully use you, forgive those who have spoken ill of you, love your enemies, do good to those who curse you. If a man slaps you, turn to him the other cheek. By doing so you will be the stronger one, you will turn a heart to the Lord.

I ask nothing but that you love. I loved you enough to endure the harshest of treatment. As a man sacrifices for his family, for his country, I have sacrificed for you. When I was put to death, I spoke these words "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do". Forgive those who have accused you, or done you wrong in my name, just as I forgave them who murdered me in the excuse of their religion. For they were blind, as are many.
 Forgive them, for they know not what they do.

And remember, that even when I walked the earth there were those who strutted about in the temple, and seen themselves as godly men, but they misrepresented the truth. How?  They chose only religion, but did not love their fellow man, live righteous lives, or love Me in their hearts.

So, has your heart been broken? Have you been told you don't fit in? Have you been ignored, back stabbed, gossiped about? You have no idea how much my heart hurts that people represent "the body" and don't "live it".

I love you.
More than words can possibly say.
Don't forget how I lived, and what I gave to tell you so.

Forgive, and you will be set free. Forgive, so that I can forgive you also.
I am not a building, a label, a denomination. I am not other people, I am He who gave everything for you. Believe in this love. Do not be offended.
I love you. I accept you. I want you.
Don't focus so much on the pain of this life. Just like the soldier who doesn't focus on the trench he dwells in, but the cause he fights for. Grumble and complain not. I will provide for he who trusts me. He who forgives his offenders.

Accept my love. Seek me. Find me.
Beyond the lies, beyond the eyes, beyond the religiosity of man.
I am, that I am.

Being A Good Steward - Season of Change?

O.k, so maybe I should be doing something non-computer related at this moment. But the desire to blog, is winning over. :-) It's been awhile since you've heard from me...

A topic that has been on my mind lately is that of 'being a good steward'. I suppose I hadn't heard that term in awhile, because when I read it in one of my pen pal's emails not long ago, it stirred me to question what 'being a good steward' really meant to me personally. 
I guess I hadn't really considered it before.

At first I thought of what gifting or areas of my life that I have neglected...Some areas came to mind. Although, as I continued to ponder...I realized that things have changed over the last few years. There are some hobbies that I once engaged more in, that I don't anymore. There are some friendships that have fallen into the neglected category, (not by my choice or doing).

It's interesting though...how in some cases "neglect" isn't always bad.
But change occurs, and life does not remain stagnant. Then this song came to mind: http://youtu.be/X91IWV_rEmI
Yeah, and then there are those neglected areas, neglected relationships, that you wish you could change. But, not everything neglected can be so easily 'picked back up'. Because you can do your part, but every man has his. You can't make someone else be a 'good steward'.

And then I thought about how we can be poor stewards, by 'overuse'. Whatever causes 'waste', whatever causes 'decay', 'ruin'...these are fruits of 'bad stewardship'.
Being a drunk, being an addict...is being a 'bad steward'; a bad steward of health, money, time, etc.

And then I considered how I have 'overused' more than 'neglected'. Yeah, perhaps I have neglected spending time reading the word, and I could be spending more time basking in God's presence...but overall, it's the "bad stewardship" of 'overuse' that hit home for me.

You see...I love to write. Writing has always been a way pouring my feelings out, talking to God, communicating with those closest to me, making friends, creating stories, etc etc. To some it's 'painting', to some it's 'visual arts', to others it's just 'speaking', everyone has their own 'language of the heart'...Written words, have been the language of my heart, whether they're sung with music, scribbled into a journal, or penned in a letter.

And that's all fine and dandy, but it has come to a point where I have 'over-written'...and my body has been starting to feel the effects. Stiff wrists, popping joints, and lack of penmanship control.

And then there's online communication. I spend a lot of time on facebook, when I'm bored, wanting to chill, or am just looking for some friendly communication.  But, when your eyes start to dry up, and your back starts to hurt from hunching over the computer, and your wrists hurt from clicking/typing on the keyboard...it's all signs, of "overuse".

Same with watching too much TV, and playing too much piano. Any object or activity when overused or overdone can become unhealthy for the mind, body, or emotions.

So I feel some changes are in order. They are occurring as I type. Other things, hobbies, relationships (things I've invested into for so long) are suddenly changing in their importance and preeminence. I feel my body asking for a 'break'. What does this mean? It means I may not be writing as many letters, it means I may not be visiting facebook as often, it means I may have to give some things a rest, and pick up new hobbies and start new activities. It's a good thing. And I'm not just 'deciding' to make changes, these changes are occurring in me. I feel my mind, body, and emotions asking for a "break"...'breaks' from some things I never thought I could grow tired of/from.

All I know is that I may be wandering around aimlessly for a bit, and it may take awhile to figure on what to focus my energy on, and what to spend my time on, in the place of that which I'm 'breaking' from. But, it will become easier. And I have God to question and lead me in the right paths.

So what does 'being a good steward' mean to you? Have you been a 'good steward'? If not, how can you make up fro the energy, time, health, lost? Do you feel called to 'take a break' from something? or maybe  'pick up' what you've 'put down'?

 Oh, and if you're curious here are some scriptures about 'being a good steward':) http://www.openbible.info/topics/being_a_good_steward

Over and out.
AJ

Creation Delcares The Glory Of God: Thoughts On The Topic

O Lord, the earth declares your great craftsmanship, nature reveals Your wisdom.
 The Seasons give glory to their Creator, and in their splendor point to 'your own'.

The Summer sun radiates on a field of green grass, and cows graze on the food you have supplied. As I watch them I am reminded of how you supply for me also, every morning, noon, and night... with food that is satisfying to the taste. While I eat the fruit of the earth I am overcome with gratitude, as I take the example of food, and consider that you want us 'to enjoy' and 'to be satisfied' with that which is 'good'. You could have created food 'bland', only to fuel us, but never to be eaten with joy...But, instead you gave us buds of 'taste' and put flavors in every plant. How good you are! I am reminded that you want us to 'take and eat' of 'You', and 'to be satisfied'! (Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8)
I nap in the summer sun, it's rays fall upon my face, and warm it. The radiance of the sun points to Your radiance, and how you desire to rest your presence upon us, and warm us with your love. (Psalm 19: 4-6)

The Autumn air is crisp and the sky clear...I go for a walk with a friend and breath deeply to clear my mind. The trees are painted in golden hues, and orange undertones...What a splendid artist You are! Your Holy Spirit is like the air that fills my lungs, and clears my thoughts. You clean us and make us pure with the washing of your regeneration.

 I watch as the snowflakes fall upon my window pane, and I am in awe at the detail you put into your creation. Each individual snow flake, so unique, and yet so perfect...I am reminded of my own individuality, and all of mankind's; each person fashioned, each one known and cared for personally by their Creator. As the snow continues to fall, and thousands of snowflakes begin to stick to each other, I think of the cells in my body and how much attention to detail you paid when you created the inside of an human eye. I cannot say enough God how much your art amazes me. You design and paint not only a 'picture' on canvas, but a 'living, breathing, creation'. You are definitely a success God, a Master of Creativity and Functionality.

 As I notice buds on the trees, and the grass regrowing from the ground, I am reminded of how You make 'all things new'. Birds sing from the tree limbs, and a little rabbit leaves his underground home. Life awakens once again! Around this time you died and rose from the dead, just as the earth rises from the grave of death., You rose...You renew my soul, and bring me to life.

I do not believe in this all being 'chance', how can I when I understand...that all beauty is fashioned by Your marvelous hand! ( The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. Psalm 19:1-4)