Some thoughts on having peace in the middle of the storm

We have massive thunderstorms in our area today. In fact, the country has been riddled with unusual upheavals of tornado, hail, wind and unstable weather activity.

The weather has been harshest to those in the southwest, particularly parts of northern Texas and Oklahoma.

In our family we are all reacting differently according to our realities.

My sister is first on the list of heroes. She and her husband and children are seeking to help those in their area who have been less fortunate, including a family who lost everything to a recent flood.

Others are staying put as getting out in this weather may pose more of a hazard.

That's me.

With parents who count on us, it's not wise to rescue others at our parent's expense. They need us here and now. Meanwhile I continue to work at my desk and stay tuned to the weather.

I also know I am privileged to have the time to blog at will and don't take it for granted. I am very grateful and seek to use my words wisely and in a way that leaves you better for having visited my writings.

John, on the other hand, is out making it happen. He's "hunting something down and killing it" so we can have dinner tonight, if you know what I mean. The weather is not keeping him in, partly because his work is not where the most severe troubles are. Yet, the troubles are all around. He understands the risk and is tuned in and ready to get to higher ground if needed.

I could be frantic, but chose focus.

I could chose to fixate on horror, but chose humor.

I could be jittery, but chose joy.

I could chose non-sanity, but I chose service.

I could be worried, but chose wisdom.

I could panic, but chose peace.

Check with me at the end of the day to see if I met my goals. My prayer is you'll pray for me as much as I am praying for you in your circumstances. We need each other, and it's so good to know people are wishing you the best where ever you are, and they know you are wishing them the best.

I have work to do today. So do you.

May you find peace within in the middle of the storms that rage without.

Finally, may we all make peace with the past,

preside over our present-day well

and feel deeply optimistic about the future.

For I believe more today God blesses those

who stay connected with their own

and who realistically seek to bless everyone in their path.

This post is dedicated to all the trained workers, reliable rescuers and loving volunteers who serve those affected by the storms of life.

Nature that Nurtures the Soul

I am nearly finished with Philip Yancey's book "Soul Survivor," and constantly feel he has taken a walk through my mind, asking the same questions and looking for them using the same methods I use. And yet, Mr. Yancey continues to challenge me practically, stretch me mentally and provide a safe place for my emotions as I continue learning how to express encouragement to others.

I so enjoy reading one who appreciates nature as John and I do and weaves it into real life, uses it to train his psychological acuity and expresses his gratitude for the material world.

 

Want to take a free vacation?

 

Take a walk or go for a bike ride. 

 

Want to meditate on God when the Bible does not make sense?

Look at the skies.

 

 

Want to show friendship when there are no humans to be found?

 

Love on a pet.

G.K. Chesterton stated in his book Orthodoxy that "Nature is not our mother, Nature is our sister."

To walk with Bible in hand staring only at it's printed words while under God's cathedral of Creation misses the stage on which God's play is playing out.



He gave us bodies to use, care for and nurture in order to help teach others how to do it better.




He gave us a mind to use, educate and churn out ideas in order to help those created in His image know more about God and His purposes.

 

He gave us emotions to use, harness their energy and focus on expressing truth to serve humanity.

 


We may seek a normal and placid existence, but the truth is, this state is only best and realistically lived out in our soul. I believe this is true inner peace.

The design also includes the ability to redeem one's body through exercise and proper nutrition, through education and artistic expression & productive innovation of any kind.

Annie Dillard said, "Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will sense them. The least we can do is try to be there...so that creation need not play on an empty house."

 

I believe that Creator wants us to enjoy his gift, find solutions to better our lives and share them with others.

Or God would not have made nature to compliment us.

People Are My Books & Books Are My People

When I was younger, I wasn’t a great reader. In fact, I didn’t try to read because the people around me served as my books.

I was the type that would start a book and not finish it, then feel guilty years later associating personal failure with my lack of finishing books, and other things. 

So I made a decision sometime in my late teens that I would finish books I started, unless they were irrelevant.

I began journaling in Jr. High. Life was exciting and I didn’t want to forget one drop of it!

Journaling helped me preserve the best memories about my friends and family. Later, journaling helped me sort through emotions in my personal development. Journaling has also served as a way to thank God for his gifts, for recording answered prayers and as a general talking back to God.

Doodling in school transformed into writing my thoughts down at work when life felt overwhelming, or when I was navigating my own belief system, trying to learn what had not been specifically taught or shoring up a conviction in the middle of a difficult situation.

About eleven years ago I decided to take writing seriously. My creative side had transformed from a visual artist – the one that got the art scholarships to college – into a creature who couldn’t stop thinking about life and thanking God and others for their contributions to my blessed life.

I read recently that overnight success takes about 15 years. I may get there yet, but meanwhile I write. I read books cover to cover about themes and people whom I admire, seek to imitate [until my own voice develops more], and then write about at some point.

I don’t beat myself up any more about not having been a cover-to-cover reader as a child, because now I understand that people were my books. From the missionary team my parents were a part of, to the rich landscape of Brazilians I grew up with - and others cultures in Brazil - each person was a book in progress. Each life a story to savor, enjoy, laugh and cry with.  

Now I am understanding that books can be my people. When there are no contemporaries that I can connect with on a certain topic, I can find a book by someone who resonates with what I am seeking. I am richer for the good gifts of books and unending stories that reflect the living God, even subtly.