rachman-unprecedented: August 2007

Passion!

pas·sion (păsh' un) n.

1. A powerful emotion, such as love or joy.

2. a. Ardent love. b. The object of such love or desire.
3. Boundless enthusiasm.

These are just a part of the definition for the word "passion," but they are the parts that I want to think about for just a moment. A mentor of mine was speaking into my life the other day, when he began to tell me about the power source for my life. Or for any person's life for that matter. That power source is your passion. Everyone may have a different passion, but everyone should have one.

Passion produces purpose for your life.

Passion will push you past the problem.

Passion will cause you to expect more, go farther, accomplish greater, and get the best from every day.

Now you will need to watch out for the "passion poisoners." These are the people that will try to undermine your passion. They may not realize what they are doing or they may be quite well aware of what they are doing. It doesn't really matter which one they are, because either one can do damage if you let them.

Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, because out of it flow the springs of life (or out of your heart flows your passion). Proverbs 4:23 (paraphrased)

(One word of warning: Guard your heart, but don't fortify it. There are enough walls in the world without building any around the one thing that holds your passions. You want to watch out for those who would poison your passions, but you don't want to keep out the ones who may become your passion.)

As one who has chosen to follow God, and His Son, Jesus, as Lord and Savior, let me say that for me, my passion is becoming, more and more, about knowing and loving God and His people. And speaking of choosing, my mentor mentioned a part about being passionate that I had not expected. He says that passion is not a feeling; it is a choice! What? I thought that passion was something that we just wake up and feel each day. Whether it is passion for a person or for a career or maybe even for God. Not necessarily. We may be passionate about something or someone, but most all of us, if we have lived long enough, have had the experience of waking up one day and not feeling that love or passion anymore. We have to choose that passion again. We have to choose to live with passion each day. Even if we don't think that we have a passion, choose to live with passion. You (and I) will be surprised to discover that we find things that we want to be passionate about. And while we are talking...may I suggest that you choose to find out about the God I know. Just ask Him to become real to you. Let Him show you about a passion you can choose every day for the rest of your life.

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~ rachman

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Trust is Better Than Hope

Jewish wisdom says that, "Hope is when there is something to latch on to, some glimmer of a chance. The drowning man, they say, will clutch at any straw to save his life."
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Emily Dickinson said:
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Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
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And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
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I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
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Hope is good, but according to that Jewish wisdom, "trust in God is even when there is nothing in which to hope. The decree is sealed. The sword is drawn over the neck. By all laws of nature there is no way out. But the One who runs the show doesn't need any props."
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~ drawn from Internet wisdom
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Sorrow

C.S. Lewis wrote in his book, "A Grief Observed" the following paragraph:

I thought I could describe a state; make a map of sorrow. Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state but a process. It needs not a map but a history, and if I don't stop writing that history at some quite arbitrary point, there's no reason that I should ever stop. There is something new to be chronicled every day. Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape. As I've already noted, not every bend does. Sometimes the surprise is the opposite one; you are presented with exactly the same sort of country you thought you had left behind miles ago. That is when you wonder
whether the valley isn't a circular trench. But it isn't. There are partial recurrences, but the sequence doesn't repeat.

Like all of us do, Mr. Lewis was dealing with grief as best he knew how at the time. But there is one line which I wanted to look at a bit more: "Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state but a process. It needs not a map but a history, and if I don't stop writing that history at some quite arbitrary point, there's no reason that I should ever stop." I think that's an interesting statement. Grief is an emotion that we have to actively stop at some point or it will continue until it consumes us. I would not try to tell anyone else how long it is right for them to mourn, but if they don't overcome grief and sorrow, at some point it will overcome them. No one would really want to be like the renowned Queen Victoria, who worn black the last 40 years of her life.

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~ rachman

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A Butterfly at Last!

I attended a memorial service for the daughter of a dear friend of mine yesterday. It was not as sad as I had expected it to be, as the young woman had died quite suddenly; but rather it was truly a celebration of life. My friend, the mother of Wendy, spoke after the eulogy, and comforted us; though we were there to comfort her. She spoke about the joy her daughter had always brought her. She talked about the love and devotion Wendy had for her two young sons as well as for her husband. She talked about her daughter's love for God and the trust she had in Him. She also told about Wendy's love of butterflies. I want to share the poem which was read during the service in remembrance of a beautiful and joyful young woman:

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Transformation by Kristi A. Dyer, MD, MS

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For years I remained hidden from view afraid to show myself or my true

colors.

Cloaked.

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Concealed

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I ENDURED.

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Waiting for the spring with the sunlight the signal to emerge.

Slowly.

Cautiously

I began to unfold my wings, finding the courage

discovering my strength.

In awe I marvel at the array.

Deepest sapphire blue.

Renewing amethyst violet.

Tranquil aquamarine.

Iridescent blushing rose.

Sparkling.

Radiant.

I TAKE FLIGHT.

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~ In Memoriam, W.K.F.J.

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Integrity

Just a thought for the day:

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A good barometer to determine whether something will be of benefit materially, is whether it is the proper thing to do spiritually. A business venture that implies breaking your moral principles will also be detrimental materially. At times, we experience tremendous pressure when our ethics seem to stand in the way of success--but this is only an illusion. The spiritual and the material are in conflict only to our subjective eyes. In fact, they work in harmony as one.

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~internet wisdom

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rachman-unprecedented

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Friday, August 31, 2007

Passion!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Trust is Better Than Hope

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Sorrow

Sunday, August 05, 2007

A Butterfly at Last!

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Integrity