"Double Your Income Doing ONLY What You Love"

I have a friend who runs a seminar series teaching people how to double their income by doing only what they love. It's an amazing concept that has seen people leave behind their careers to see something new blossom into what they'd only dreamed about. Can you imagine being excited to get out of bed and go to work??!!

Seems a little to airy-fairy, doesn't it? But, if you think about it, the idea does have Scriptural backing. Jesus came to make our joy complete. He's given us the desires of our hearts. There's a reason why we love to do what we love to do!

I've been thinking quite a bit about this idea, lately. I have to admit that I am not at all excited to get out of bed to go to work; in fact, I usually struggle to control the thoughts of frustration and anger toward my job. I have a review coming up, where we're supposed to discuss my raise. I have an idea of what it'll take to keep me here, and it seems like it might be a little more than what the company thinks I'm worth.
I'll gladly accept a job that'll pay a bit less if it's something that I would enjoy doing. There's a lot of comfort in knowing that my job is not the source of my means of living. Sure, it gives me money to pay the bills; but, I have probably seen at least a year's income come my way outside of the conventional job, in the last several years.

It is miraculous. I even have a superstition that has grown on me as a result of invisible hands coming all the time - namely, that if you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.
- Joseph Campbell

I want to live the life I was meant to live - I want all of us to live the life we're meant to live! It is to be a Wonderful Life!

Come Talk To Me

"Come Talk To Me"

The wretched desert takes its form, the jackal proud and tight
In search of you, I feel my way, though the slowest heaving night
Whatever fear invents, I swear it make no sense
I reach through the border fence
Come down, come talk to me

In the swirling, curling storm of desire unuttered words hold fast
With reptile tongue, the lightning lashes towers built to last
Darkness creeps in like a thief and offers no relief
Why are you shaking like a leaf
Come on, come talk to me

Ah please talk to me
Won't you please talk to me
We can unlock this misery
Come on, come talk to me

I did not come to steal
This all is so unreal
Can't you show me how you feel now
Come on, come talk to me
Come talk to me, come talk to me

The earthly power sucks shadowed milk from sleepy tears undone
From nippled skin as smooth as silk the bugles blown as one
You lie there with your eyes half closed like there's no-one there at all
There's a tension pulling on your face
Come on, come talk to me

Won't you please talk to me
If you'd just talk to me
Unblock this misery
If you'd only talk to me

Don't you ever change your mind
Now your future's so defined
And you act so deaf and blind(And you act so deaf so blind)
Come on, come talk to me
Come talk to me, come talk to me

I can imagine the moment
Breaking out through the silence
All the things that we both might say
And the heart it will not be denied
'Til we're both on the same damn side
All the barriers blown away

I said please talk to me
Won't you please come talk to me
Just like it used to be
Come on, come talk to me

I did not come to steal
This all is so unreal
Can you show me how you feel now
Come on, come talk to me
Come talk to me, come talk to me

I said please talk to me
If you'd just talk to me
Unblock this misery
If you'd only talk to me

Don't you ever change your mind
Now your future's so defined
And you act so deaf and blind(And you act so deaf so blind)
Come on, come talk to me
Come talk to me, come talk to me

- Peter Gabriel


This song always awakens my spirit. I can hear both my heart and God's singing at the same time. If you have the chance to listen to the song, I suggest you take it. Let your spirit hear the words sung.... let your spirit sing the words... let the Lord sing the words.

Secret Sunday

After a month off (Bathroom Reno - See "The World in a Nutshell"), we are resuming Secret Sunday this week.

If you've been to a Secret Sunday, you're invited again. If you haven't been yet, and are interested, let me know.

Life to the Fullest

I've heard quite a few of my Christian friends, lately, talk about how they are despising their self-indulgent lives. There is something deep inside us that must live a life of Glory, but it seems to be impossible in this day and age (cf. "Be Ye..."). We think that life has to be a struggle, if we're going to Glorify our Lord.

I've been thinking about this for weeks, and I just can't get my head around it. The idea of a struggled-life glorifying Christ is not what I read in Scripture, and it's not what I hear when I pray. Granted, many of us are way too self-indulgent; however, to live a life that is hard and unenjoyed is not at all what Jesus died for - and it's definitely not why He was resurrected!

Jesus said that He came to give us a Full Life (Jn 10:10). Now, this is not how I'd describe a life of struggle and hardship. Struggle and hardship are indeed a part of a Full Life, but they aren't the whole of it. No, there must be seasons of great joy and ease, as well.
Look at David's life. Nobody had more going against him at times, yet Israel never saw such prosperity and joy while he was King. Read the stories of Abraham, Joseph, Elijah... all of our Biblical heroes - men and women who're close to God, living Full Lives - had times of joy and ease of life, as well as struggle.

Balance is the banner being waved by the "healthy" in our society, these days. Now, I do not agree that compartmentalizing and balancing out the different aspects of our lives is healthy, nor is it the heart's desire; however, there could be a reason why some of us are turning our sights toward a more self-sacrificial way of life. There is a happy medium.

Jesus is the herald of a Full Life. Let us not forsake the "high" for the "low" (and vice versa); but, let us embrace all that God brings our way.

Be Ye Holy, as I AM Holy

The most dreaded commandment a Christian can hear. How can one be Holy like God??!! I mean, He's GOD!! I'm just a sinner! Poor me...

While I have never been one to beat myself up over my short-comings, I have often wondered how I was to live up to that great command: "Be Holy, even as I am Holy." I mean, sure Jesus paid the price, so we don't have to try to live up to God and all His Glory; but, still, everyone that I know - be they Christian or not - aspires to somehow be a better person. And, Christians all seem to somehow try to earn God's favor because they've heard and read a million times, "Be Holy!"

Today, I got some insight into what God may be talking about....

I am fortunate enough to be enjoying weekly therapeutic massages because of a crossover in benefits packages with my wife's work and my own. The massage therapist is quite insightful, and we have many great conversations during the hour that I'm there. Today, she was reminding me that as I enter in to Fatherhood (3 weeks!) to still focus on being a whole person. That's when I heard it: Be Holy, as I AM Holy.

It's when she said "whole person" that it struck me.

What does holy mean? It means to be set apart. So many times as we become parents, or enter relationships or jobs, or anything, we lose who we are. We give up everything of ourselves into this new part of life, and in a few weeks/months/years/decades we are left feeling drained... empty.

God is God. There is no other like Him. We are made in God's image - He's made each and every one of us unique. And, while we are called to live together in global community, giving of ourselves to one another; we are still - each and every one of us - unique individuals.

Be WHOLE, as I AM WHOLE.

The Big J-bowski

So last night, after settling down from an evening of driving home from the ski hill, I thought I'd see if there were any good movies on before hitting the hay. Well, I managed to catch the last hour one of my favorite movies - The Big Labowski.

I love the movie on many levels. On one level, I kinda I wish I was The Dude. I have no idea what his job is, but he seems to have a pretty relaxed time of things... for the most part. I mean, other than the part of his life that is the movie seems pretty easy going: wake up, have a drink, smoke a joint, go bowling, have a drink, go home, have a joint, have a bath, have a drink, go to bed. It'd be a nice vacation, anyway.
On another level, however, I see the futility of trying to avoid life. The whole premise of the movie seems to be that, even though The Dude does his best to stay out of everything - wishing the whole world would just pass him by - he gets into trouble. We cannot escape Life - It will find us.

Everyone just wants to have their cut - that's all the movie is about. We live our lives, trying to get ahead of The Man, trying to better our lives. But, it does all seem to be a chasing after the wind, doesn't it? Maybe The Dude is on to something....

Do you hear what I hear?

I've been hearing many people talk about how contemporary Christian worship is... sliding (for lack of a better word). There are a number of people I associate with who think that contemporary Christian worship songs sing too much about "I" and not enough about "Him/You".

In a lot of ways I can totally see their point. We go to church to worship God, right? We're not 'supposed' to be going for ourselves. I've heard it said that many current worship singers have sold-out for the big bucks.
While this may very well be the case, I'm not so sure that these singers started writing their songs with "I" lyrics b/c they're selfish or have lost focus on God.

Here's what I think started the "I"-song revolution. I believe that many worship artists heard God speaking to the greatness of His greatest creation. See, God has made us in His image... "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods' ?" Jn 10:34
What God does to us in His presence is amazing! I love how I feel when meditating, consciously in His presence. And, when I do this, His Power in me seems to increase. I feel more Divine. The Charisma seem to come alive within me. I can't give words to how I feel when I concentrate on God within me.
See, I am honestly tired of worshiping only the God who exists outside of me. There are too many of us who see God in Heaven, but are blind to God within us... God amongst us. Yes, God is to be revered; but, He is to be revered everywhere, not just in Heaven.


OK, now I'll tell you the truth of what I think about contemporary Christian worship songs. They suck, for the most part. I find so many of them to be shallow and uninspired. For the most part, I agree with my Brothers and Sisters who want to sing more hymns... I'd just like them rocked up b/c I prefer R&R over Granny Tunes.
But, contemporary worship was birthed out of a voice within many of us who heard God saying, "I'm inside you. I have made you My Dwelling Place."

O Lord, I love who You have made me to be!