Name it and Claim it! (?)

I don't ascribe to a Name It and Claim It mentality. I don't think God or the universe gives us everything we want just because we speak it. New Car! Trip to Italy! A Million Dollars! Having said that, I think there is certainly some truth to the power of our words. There's a truth when it comes to the things we speak and the things we dwell on. The bible is pretty clear about the power of the tongue.

Having said all that, here's the story. So the church I attend on Wednesday nights does something when they take the tithe. They put on the screen things that they are believing God for: it's the idea that God has promised to bless us if we give, that God is waiting for us to be generous and He will be generous back. This is the list we recite:

Jobs and better jobs,
Raises and bonuses
Benefits Sales and commissions
Favorable settlements
Estates and inheritances
Interests and income
Rebates and returns
Checks in the mail
Gifts and surprises
Finding money
Debts paid off
Expenses decrease
Blessing and increase


This is controversial even in the church let alone to people outside the church. But I believe there is power in words, so the congregation reads this list out loud every service right before the tithe is taken-- myself included.

Fast forward to this morning. We had an all staff meeting, we have one every month. Well, this morning they announced that at noon, all the staff gets to go to a designated place and pick up a check... not a pay check. It's a bonus. Do Something Nice with the money, our interim ceo told us. Don't spend it on the electric bill- You deserve to spend the money on yourself.

When we picked up our checks, people were flabbergasted. No reason. No warning. Each check was a large amount of money. I immediately thought of that list I had just spoken out loud the other day at church.

Gifts and surprises. Finding money. Blessing and increase.

Coincidence? Name it and Claim it? The Law of Attraction?

I'm just putting it out there that perhaps what we do with our time/money/words has further reaching ramifications than we give it credit for. Perhaps we really need to wake up to how we use our resources and how we want them returned back to us. Joy gives way to joy... and in the right mind frame, trials can also produce joy. If we have a spirit of giving, then what we receive in life will be a reflection of that. If we have a spirit of loving others before ourselves, we will receive that as well.

Should we tithe in order to gain the above blessings? No, I don't think so. Should we do good expecting good things to come back to us? I don't think that either. We give and we do good because it is the right thing to do, because we put our money and our time where it is most important to us. And true happiness comes from a thankful, joyful heart.

Let me end by saying, though, that I am not above sometimes putting God in a box. And it's really nice when he surprises me in such a blessed way!

Real Time Update

It's a cautious thing, meeting someone for the first time. First date. First impressions. First day on the job. First time meeting new clients. First time meeting new consumers... 

I've been meeting lots and lots and lots of people lately for the first time. I've been brushing up on my first impression skills. Lots of smiles. Lots of shaking hands. Lots of feigned interest or real interest. Lots of names to remember. Lots of trying really hard to not try to impress. Lots of opportunists to remember who I am and to showcase my real self. Lots of opportunities to decide who I am and where I'm going and who I want to be and who and what I want to surround myself with. 

Remember that time I blogged about my life being on the brink? Remember how I talked about standing on a ledge, how the choices I make in the next few months will shape who I will Become? I was so right. And I am so right in the middle of that right now. 

My friend Sunil found me on my first day at The Whole Person last month. He looked at me, grinned, and said "Welcome to the first day of your new life". 

He was so right. 

Which church do I choose? Where do I choose to live? What activities do I choose to fill my new time with? What do I do with my new weekends totally off? What do I plan for my summer? Who do I choose to share this life with... what friends, what roommate, which of my many guys...

Meaningful work? Crushing it. Where to live? Found the place. Roommate? (after all that agony... no change was needed...). Activities? Signed up for and begun. Church? Chosen. Summer Plans? Filling up. Something Bigger than myself to be devoted to? Got it. Boyfriend? Well, can't have everything all at once can we? 

In my estimation, the only thing on my list is to actually move. Once that is accomplished, it seems the life I have dreamed of for myself has finally materialized. It feels almost too good to be true. But after the past 20 months I've had... I will take it and accept it and be grateful. 

Night Time Drive pt 2

Iron patio table, long legs stretching out and
I am sitting, sipping coffee,
talking with my friend while
the late spring leaves fill the trees
with a heavy green,
ripe with the summer to come.

The air is warm, the breeze bringing
possibilities,
the white Christmas lights slowly blinking in the trees.

This is it.
This is that coming together,
that Clink of everything falling into place.
When you Know you were meant to be
in this place
at this time
and this moment
is yours.

You have just now opened your heart and the
bright, wide world
has just filled it
with a vastness, an intensity you couldn't
dream possible before.

And heading home,
magic fills my soul,
the summer wind in my hair
the lightness of my spirit
the calm tranquility of pure Being
inside me.
My car moves with a grace previously unknown to me,
unconsciously, I accelerate,
becoming one with the moon
and the sky
and the twinkling lights
and the saturated green reality around me.

This is as close to Eden as I can get,
I feel as in tune with my creator as I ever have,
every heart beat a prayer
every breath,
a reminder that this life is a joy,
every mile I pass
pulls me in tune even closer to that
perfection.

This is what Springtime
does to me.
This is how He
speaks to me.
Not always in words or song,
but in these passing,
fleeting moments
where suddenly, surprisingly, encompassingly,
all is
right again.

Westport and Patios and Springtime Oh My!

I sat on the patio of McCoy's for 2 1/2 hours tonight and didn't once miss going out dancing. I drank 2 glasses of wine. I had good conversations. The air was fragrant, I walked the streets beforehand, perused the area around the KCAI and decided the loft is a better idea.

I was at the Crossroads Friday night, there photographing Expressions, the art show put on by The Whole Person. I spent 5 hours walking around the gallery, taking photographs, talking to artists, talking to co-workers, passing the time much, much quicker than I ever would have thought. The night was filled with laughter, art, conversation, and the beauty of a gallery space filled with the light of a springtime setting sun (photographers, can I get an Amen?). Walking to my car after, I passed by an alleyway with a guitarist and a drummer playing away. The alley was pitch black and filled with people listening. I crouched down, shot some pictures, packed up and moved away, took in some of the music, let it fill my soul, then continued on to my car. Artists even filling the back alleyways of the city at 10pm on a Springtime Friday night.

Magical.

Tomorrow I'm working. Going climbing. Going to small group.

I am inching closer to the life I dream for myself.

I am taking the steps now to continue to grow into the person I've always wanted to be.

Wine on the patio. Climbing before bible study. A Loft in the river market. Local art covering my walls. Night time walks around Westport. Dancing at the Levee. Reaching out... and being covered by adoration. Biking. Running. Connecting. Growing. Improving. Loving. Being Loved. Pouring out being poured in to...