You are the Architect

Big Pearls From a Small Clam Shell

Road Trip ~ Atlanta continued

 photo from Patsy Clairmont's official website

One of the benefits of attending the AWSA conference was hearing some pretty incredible speakers.  I was really looking forward to hearing our keynote speaker, Patsy Clairmont, and she did not disappoint.  This tiny bundle of energy is an absolute spitfire, but she's about more than making me laugh.  I wrote down some of her more memorable gems~

God did not create us to be on an island by ourselves.  We cannot afford to be offended by every small thing.

We are told not to judge others but we can be fruit inspectors ~ inspecting the fruit of their lives.

We cannot determine a person's maturity simply by their gifts because gifts are given, not made.  Maturity is determined by how we use our gifts.

Kindness goes before truth. 


Emotions don't have brains but we allow them to dictate our life.

Tout Lasse

Tout casse, tout passe, tout lasse ~ everything breaks, everything passes, nothing lasts. (French saying)

Meaningless! Meaningless!...All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible)

Truth or lie? I guess the answer depends upon whether yours is an earthly or heavenly perspective.

Food for Thought

"Most people...have unthinkingly exposed themselves to so much deception that they do not even realize they are being deceived...Unfortunately, most people mindlessly accept whatever they hear and see. We listen to music, read books, (internet) and magazines, watch movies, listen to advice, and respond to advertisements without asking ourselves important questions:

• What is the message?
• Is it really true?
• Am I being deceived by a way of thinking that is contrary to the Truth?"
  

(Excerpt from Lies Women Believe & the Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss).

Truth

Without Truth there can be no free will, no freedom, no morality. --- Chuck Colson

Map Quest

"You are here. Where do you want to go? Who do you want to be? How can you get there? What does God's Word say? The unaware life is not worth living

(Deborah Newman, Living on Purpose, Full Fill Magazine spring 2008)

His Daughter

Everything you lacked from your earthly daddy, God will fill in; you are part of His family. (Lysa Terqeurst, Design 4 Living Conference)

...part of His family. He chose us, we didn't choose Him. Just like we didn't choose to be born from our earthly father, but we possess half of his DNA. But earthly dads can fail us; even the best of them can fail us. God will never fail us -- you --- me. He will never desert us --you--me. He will never forsake us--you -- me. We are His.

Smiling

From my friendly real estate/mortage loan team at www.williamsteam.net. Enjoy!

• Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all?"
• What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?
• If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
• Why do they put Braille on drive-through bank machines?
• What was the best thing before sliced bread?
• If you ate both pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?
  

and

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine. (anonymous)
Even if you fall on your face, you're moving forward. (Victor Kiam)

Entrusted

I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. --- (Mother Teresa)

Hold the Sugar and Marshmellow Fluff

Criticism serves to make (me) harsh...and cruel, and leaves (me) with the soothing and flattering idea that (I) I am somehow superior to others.

Ouch. Oswald Chambers tells it like it is. No fluff, no sugar coating.

Come to Me

"Come to me. Our Lord's words are not, Do this, or don't do that, but Come to me. If I will simply come to Jesus, my real life will be brought into harmony with my real desires." (Oswald Chambers)

Peaks and Valleys

"our cravings for a mountaintop experience--all we talk about is our planning for our time on the mountain. We must learn to live the ordinary 'gray' day according to what we saw on the mountain." (Oswald Chambers)

One thing about Oswald Chambers, he tells it like it is. Literally give me a sunny, bluebird kind of day and I'm ready for anything; but give me a gray, sunless day and I become gray and lifeless, too. Thank goodness I don't live in Seattle, I'd be miserable and worthless. Metaphorically speaking, it is difficult to continue to live from the vapors of mountain top euphoria when I'm living in the everyday valley. I'd rather be on a trip to a foreign country than a trip to the grocery store. I'd rather be enjoying a date with my husband than engaging in a tough conversation about finances. I'd rather be communing with fellow believers than living my faith in a non-believing world. I'm going to have to learn to embrace my entire life if I'm going to get the most out of every step of my journey.

Practicing Planned Abandonment

Planned abandonment - "means learning how and when to say no, as well as cultivating the discipline of saying no...Invariably the challenges (we) face are due not to lack of opportunity but to the multiplicity of choices."

No wonder I feel overwhelmed. I'm a take-it-all-in kind of gal, which is great for fun and life experience, but doesn't do much to further my stated life purpose. I've been practicing planned abandonment lately and it's amazing how much less distracted and more empowered I am. Sounds simple enough. Is not so easy to do.

(Quote from Jesus Life Coach by Laurie Beth Jones, pg 10)

Ouch

" ' We have become a puny and weak-willed society because of ...a cynical sort of lazy, bored, arrogance...Our culture is frankly bored with everything. We are a species made for cosmology yet our culture has rendered us passive couch potatoes and shopping and entertainment addicts. In short, we have been cut off from the big(ness) of the universe, and consequently we are bored, boring, and violent.' "

(Matthew Fox as quoted by Laurie Beth Jones in her book, Jesus, Life Coach.)

Simplify

To reorder one's own world, the need to simplify is imperative. Otherwise, we will find ourselves unable to be at rest within, unable to enter the deep, silent recesses of our hearts, where God's best messages are communicated.
(Chuck Swindoll)

Sneakers

There is hope for me yet. An article posted on Yahoo!News says that prolific sneaker buyers (3 or more pairs annually) are 61% more likely to exhibit character traits of a modern leader. "What is interesting is that these personality traits held true across the board, regardless of age, income, or gender."

Whoa, sneakers are my number one footwear purchase (check out the cute Sketchers in the photo)--but I have to say my motivation is one of comfort and accommodating a previously broken foot. Does that qualify for leadership traits?

(Referenced original article written by Belinda Goldsmith of Reuters LIfe!. poll information Mindset Media and Neilsen, quote from L Arvonio of Mindset Media)

A Choice

Life is like a coin.
I can spend it anyway I want, but
I can only spend it once. (unknown)

I will not just live my life.
I will not just spend my life.
I will invest my life. (Helen Keller)

Playful Deeds

“It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes.”

(Thomas Aquinas)

Someone sent me this quote. I love the idea of playful deeds. It sounds so young, uninhibited and free. Remember all the playful deeds you used to do as a kid?

I like to send cards anonymously. They surprise people. They make people happy. Despite all the fast, in-your-face means of communication we have at our disposal today, there's nothing like holding a card or letter in your hand. I still get excited when I receive a piece of real mail (not bills or junk mail). I often brew a cup of tea before I open it so I can fully slow down and savor the moment.

I used to have a Secret Sister. The idea was to fully honor her without her knowing who was doing it. I'd send her gifts for her birthday, or for no particular reason at all. I'd send cards of affirmation and encouragement. Hmm, I haven't done that in a long time. It sounds like fun.

Have you done any playful deeds lately?