Today's Inspiration: Living Out Loud

A thousand forms of loveliness elude us every day, and there are moments of God's grace, sweet epiphanies and great insights that sometimes get lost or overlooked because we are too busy or in too much of a rush to notice....  But we have to take care to notice... There is something about the great outdoors that always centers me... And being able to intimately hear its wisdom and express some of its most beautiful sceneries through my senses and language is truly an all time favorite and privilege. Although a typical eight hour day of professional work is necessary and worth its "grain of salt" (for many things...), it is not my provider or what truly sustains me... For I like to consider the lilies and how the wildflowers grow... As they do not labor or spin and yet, not even Solomon, in all of his royal splendor was dressed like one of these.  And if God (our Father) clothes the grass which is here today and gone tomorrow, then how much mor...

Whenever the waves raise within the ocean of your life, try not to fear, argue or waste any time resisting it... Instead, find yourself a "Boogie Board" and ride  that thing like it's nobody's business! Loving the waves... -Chana

Remembering to say "thank you" is a daily practice in my life, and having finally found the creative space and renewed strength that I often need to breathe and write, I’d like to use a piece of it to give a heartfelt "thank you" to all of you for your love and support and for stopping by often to visit my page. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is "The Ten Lepers" (Luke 17), and in remembering it today, I want to encourage you to practice being " one of the ten " who expresses gratitude and joy to God and to others. If you've never read the story, it talks about how Jesus walked through this small village and saw a group of ten lepers.  Naturally, the lepers stood at a distance, as people with this disease in those times were thought to be unclean... But they knew who Jesus was... and that he had the power to heal them, so they wasted no time in calling out to him for help. They said: "Jesus! Master! Have pity on us!"...

May we wake up hungry  for what we have not yet tasted and FEAST on that which has already been given... And may we recognize (sooner than later) that the only place that success will ever come before work  is in the dictionary.. . Rise and GRIND and stay hungry for your dreams and visions that have yet to be fulfilled. -Chana

While many of us are waiting for specific things to change within our inner and outer lives, let us not forget that there is always a "greater" purpose carefully tucked inside these times...   Surrender.. . For many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails... And to everything there is a time and a season... Embrace the wait. ~Chana

We each are born into this world distinctively different and yet, the core of what makes us different is as universal and as common as mud... We "intentionally" have these unique mixtures of unrepeatable facial and body features - as well as a unique mix of environmental upbringings and experiences ( for a reason )... and yet, some people want to be (and expect you to be) like everyone else - or at least, just like them... But I can't help but wonder how being the same would erase our very purposeful parts in the whole... For we each have unique songs to sing, notes to play, things to create and words to speak and write about life, important lessons, paths taken, and experiences of love, losses, loyalties, dreams, disappointments, and many more... that absolutely no one else can say or do like you...  And this is just a part  of God's purpose for the entire universe... and it's pretty important... So please...