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Racer X Like Jesus [Part 2]: Life with Passion and Purpose, Speed Racer Style

(warning, movie spoilers!!)

In Racer X like Jesus (Part 1), I shared how you can hear from God in unexpected places: timely counsel from a neighbor, that special song in the store, the wisdom of your kids, the breeze on your skin.. I got unexpected lessons from Frozen (5 Lessons I didn’t See Coming), so an encounter in Speed Racer should’ve been no surprise.

But once your spiritual antennae are up, movie dialogue touches deeper than simple script. Here were 6 gems I pulled:

Continue reading “Racer X Like Jesus [Part 2]: Life with Passion and Purpose, Speed Racer Style”

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Jesus: Homeless Refugee ‘Moocher’, Not Welcome in Today’s Church?

You know the story of the guest pastor who visited a church in shabby attire, unshaven and maybe even unshowered? Churchgoers sidestepped him and certainly didn’t seat him at the front, so imagine their surprise/shame when he got up to give the sermon.

It’s a good example of the authenticity of our Love, and while Love shouldn’t be swayed by sight, any flesh and blood wrapped in labels like “Refugee” -“Homeless” -“Foreigner” -“Moocher” -“Homosexual” -“Annoying Friend,” will test our hearts.

Do we love because we want to, or because we ‘must?’ If the latter, is that really love?

Continue reading “Jesus: Homeless Refugee ‘Moocher’, Not Welcome in Today’s Church?”

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4 Important Words that Totally Lost their Meaning, and Hope for 1

Language is living. Social environment, technology, time and the freedom and individuality of every human being modifies our communication. But there are some words that should just stick and if they don’t we may need to replace them. Here are four that, in my opinion, have totally lost their meaning–they need to be spelled out before their weight or truth comes across.

Continue reading “4 Important Words that Totally Lost their Meaning, and Hope for 1”

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Goodness Trumps Greatness Every Time + Two Other Life Hacks

God can use anything to get our attention, from a song on the radio, to a kids movie. As a recovering Pharisee (aka, avoid-anything-not-blatantly-God), this was hard for me to accept, but Disney’s Frozen blew my mind (5 Lessons from Frozen I didn’t see coming here).

I recently saw “Oz, the Great and Powerful ” (2013, with James Franco), and it was chock full of heart lessons. Here are three that touched me, and I hope you too. (Warning, Spoilers!):

Continue reading “Goodness Trumps Greatness Every Time + Two Other Life Hacks”

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Igniting Heaven on Earth: Sound the War Cry in Your Heart

A picture with caption “true friendship” and heart dog emojis came on my twitter feed. Many replies read “awwww,” but my heart broke when I saw it…

homeless man and dog

Did people chose to overlook the life status of this pair? Maybe it wasn’t popular to burst the love bubble with, “But they’re homeless!” Whatever it was, only one of the many replies said: ‘I wish I knew where he was so I could help.’

Continue reading “Igniting Heaven on Earth: Sound the War Cry in Your Heart”

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Nesting Made Me Nuts – How Prepping for Baby points to Heaven’s Heart

You can prepare a room, prepare baby clothes, and try to prepare yourself, but nothing can prepare you for the wild “nesting” phenomenon that rises in you. I got hit bad, worse than most women I spoke to. And just to be clear, I was never a housekeeping guru–simple tidy, not spotless, was my m.o.– but almost overnight I had an itch to scrub and organize everything. And not just the “baby room,” the whole house.

Beauty and Perfection became the new standard and I was on a mission, without realizing, to make the best “nest” possible.

Continue reading “Nesting Made Me Nuts – How Prepping for Baby points to Heaven’s Heart”

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A Tale of Two Sauls: God is always looking to Honor You..

How many foul ups do you have in your family? Usually we can’t see further back than three generations, but God sees the whole line–every mistake, pain, wrong motive, but also every kind deed or thought..from the Beginning. But should we be afraid…?

family-tree-background-family-tree-background-graphicsfamily-tree-background-geneology

Continue reading “A Tale of Two Sauls: God is always looking to Honor You..”

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Puberty of the Soul… Freedom and Choices

School years can be pretty hard. You struggle trying to be yourself, not always fitting in, puberty, pressures, crushes, bullying…. I gladly forgot it all. But decades later I felt something like growing pains, but in my spirit. Can you have spiritual puberty? If you’re feeling awkward or uncomfortable, the answer may be yes.

Everything in life grows and matures, and I believe this is true spiritually as well.  Continue reading “Puberty of the Soul… Freedom and Choices”

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God’s Love is Deeper than our Worst…

Visit any church and listen to people sing about God’s Love–but do they know how deep it goes? Can they understand it or would they recognize it?

spilled milkLove is easy when given to one who spills milk, but how about someone who spills blood? And not accidentally but purposefully?

The hard truth is God’s Love goes that deep… for the mass murderer, the child rapist, the filmer of any kind of torture….

We may think we’re decent people, innocent of such crimes, but don’t forget: your thought life is also part of the equation. Jesus said being angry with someone was like murder, and looking lustfully at someone was like having an affair  (Matthew 5:21-30).

Truly no one gets into heaven on merit, but we’re all invited:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16, bible)

So considering all the hate and evil in the world, not just in deed but in thought- Jesus was on the craziest Love mission ever… Continue reading “God’s Love is Deeper than our Worst…”

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Transgender God, Part 2: The Motherhood of God

In “Transgender God, Part 1: What’s in a Name,“ I shared a sensitivity with “Father” as a name for God since many have been abused by theirs. I also spoke of compassion for the #LGBTQA Community who suffer everything from name calling to persecution or death solely for their identity/love choice.

God chose the male AND female gender to express “Himself” (Genesis 1:27), and if “He” can identify with both genders,  we’d do well to accept others who do the same. After all, the Royal Law is: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (James 2:8), and last I checked no one wants a hard time, especially from strangers, on deeply personal matters like identity or marriage choice…

Treat others as you want to be treated, right?

women_and_men_Equal

This Wild Kids, Wild God series was always about sharing God’s Heart, and a precious though hidden revelation is found when reflecting on God as Mother.

Continue reading “Transgender God, Part 2: The Motherhood of God”

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Transgender God, Part 1: What’s in a Name?

When I started this “Wild Kids, Wild God – 31 Days looking into God’s Heart” series, I had no idea how deep I’d go.

In recent posts of this series I started noting:

I use ‘He’ and ‘His’ as pronouns for God, but fully recognize God with both Male and Female  ‘identity’–for lack of a better word–, as evidenced by the human race and through the Bible…” Post coming soon!

This is that post, and the topic is dear to my heart. It may disturb, but can also encourage, and my desire has been, as best as I can, to put God’s Heart ‘out there,’ crazy as It may be.

So let me “come out” about this.

Continue reading “Transgender God, Part 1: What’s in a Name?”

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Don’t Carry a Thing…Not Even Anxiety

A friend posted on Facebook that a store clerk offered to carry her single loaf of bread to the car. Was he trying to get a tip? I was skeptical, but apparently he genuinely wanted to help.

And it occurred to me: if this young man’s heart was tender enough to want to carry a loaf of bread for a stranger, how much more- and heavier things does God want to carry for us?  Cares, anxieties, fears.. the stuff that keeps me up at night or makes me want to quit.. Continue reading “Don’t Carry a Thing…Not Even Anxiety”

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Real Love & Self Control…Hug me as tight as you can!

Day 18 of the “Wild Kids, Wild God – 31 Days looking at God’s Heart“ Series.

With three little ones running/crawling around the house, a quiet moment with my eldest son is rare. When it comes, I snuggle him close and rustle his hair. He usually looks up and says, “Hug me as tight as you can!”  My response is usually,”I don’t want to hurt you.” But he insists, “Pleeeaase!” Yes, I’ve squeezed pretty tight, but at some point I back off lest I hurt him.fruit of the spirit

Self control is maybe the hardest characteristic/trait on the list of 9 “Fruits of the Spirit” we should be cultivating in our lives. But it’s a necessary one. Without it we can become weapons of destruction, against ourselves and others.

I’d never hold my 7month old baby as tightly as I’d like. I recently realized I clamp down my lips whenever I hold my kids–I think I’m subconsciously compensating for the restraint in my embrace!

But discussing self-control and restraint may seem silly if we think about babies. What about other things? How controlled is my tongue when I’m angry? Or my appetite when icecream is in the house. Can a man keep his eyes on his wife? Can a politician check desire for personal gain and refuse a lobby bribe? Continue reading “Real Love & Self Control…Hug me as tight as you can!”

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5 Lessons from “Frozen” I didn’t See Coming…

I’d been avoiding Frozen like the plague. A few bad frozenDisney experiences, including watching my son hyperventilate when Nemo got taken, and well, “kids” movies aren’t always for kids.

But that’s not the only reason. The “Pharisee” (keep-out -all-things-not-blatantly-“God”) in me still creeps up. Thankfully God is bigger than any wall I’ll ever build around myself…

So after a long refusal, I finally accepted a nudging invitation to watch the film. AND I’M SO GLAD I DID!

Continue reading “5 Lessons from “Frozen” I didn’t See Coming…”

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Present yet Invisible: How to Keep Hope in Despair

It was a big deal. My kids were watching the Disney classic, Cinderella for the first time. I sat with them, enjoying the nostalgia and reliving the story. Can you imagine a life withcinderella servant that oppression and injustice…? Being a slave in your own home?

Isn’t this happening to all Humanity at this time…?

And then the dramatic scene where the sisters rip her dress to shreds. Cinderella runs to the garden, weeping and in despair. The whole atmosphere changed in our house.
Continue reading “Present yet Invisible: How to Keep Hope in Despair”