Moving slowly...

Move slowly, with calculated intent.

Move slowly...moving quickly increases the chances of mistakes. The propose is to limit the likelihood of mistakes. If you move slowly you know that you can KEEP moving...don't get ahead of yourself.

calculated...make sure you think about what you're doing while, and before, you're doing it. Plan out your moves carefully. Speak carefully, act carefully. A misstep is a step not calculated.

Intent...know where you're headed and move toward that heading, plodding without deviation. Fear is the enemy of intent. A strait line is them most efficient shape, and an arrow is meant for a destination.

move slowly, with calculated intent my friends. It's what I tell myself everyday, and it's what you should to.

Never stop, never give up, never deviate from the things that you HAVE to do, and you will be a success (if even in your own eyes).

Much love,

M.

A Cat in the Sun

A cat is in his glory laying in a shaft of light. He's warm, safe, peaceful. Well cleaned, coat shinny, and belly full.

A cat in his glory.

We're glad it's summer over here. Glad it's not winter. Glad there's still sunshine at 8:30pm.

...REAL glad the winter's over.

Doesn't mean suffering's over, but it means we don't suffer in the cold of night.

Means we suffer in the LIGHT.

Means we suffer in the DAY. And in the day there is hope.

Doesn't mean we hate the night.

'Cause we GROW in the night, REST in the night. KNOW that DAY . WILL . COME.

So we GLORY in the day. PUSH HARD in the day. Live HARD in the day. WORSHIP in the day.

Be thankful for the DAY friends.

Much love in the Ghost,

M.

Interesting times

We've had this dream, my wife and I. Our dream is to be together as much as possible. And we've been trying to figure out how to make that dream happen.

We know we can produce events with the best of'em. We know we can work together like few other couples can. We know we can work harder, together, than most people. And we know we have business savvy to boot.

So we came up with this idea,

"Say, girlie, what if we start a business together? You know, like events and photography kind of thing..." "Wow, that would be on hell of a risk, wouldn't it?" "Well ya, but realistically, if we don't do it we'll look back and say, 'why didn't we start a business together...'" "Maybe you're right, lets think about it some more and talk later..."

A while (and a lot of life) later, and we re-approached the idea,

"Say girlie, what about that idea we had about starting a business together?" "Yep, been thinkin' about that..." "You know, if I don't do it now, we'll probably never do it. And I either need to do it or stop talking about..." "okay, lets do it!"

(Conversation summery, no conversation actually happened that way)

My internal dialogue lately says, as Yoda best put it, "do or do not do, there is no try..."

So, without further ado, DND Productions!

We've been waiting to do this since we got married...so stick around. Things just got a whole lot more interesting!

Watchin' movies...

We're watching 'everything is illuminated' on our sweet little set-up tonight. Got it last night. LED with a blueray player (to come).

Never set one up for myself, before this...

It's kind of a dream.

See, we didn't have a TV in our old place, and when we moved into this one, and with everything that went on soon thereafter, we got one kind-of out of necessity (you can check back in the posts to see what I mean), but it wasn't the one we 'wanted'. And we promised ourselves that if we ever had 'any' money we'd get one.

Well, it's here...

Still got some settling to do for it...drill the wires, put art up, etc. but you get the idea.

Just marking the occasion.

...Ya'll should come, have a glass of wine and watch a movie with us sometime.

M.

Cuttin' the grass

I bought a lawn mower a couple weeks ago, cause this is what my yard looked like...

You can see it WAY in the back. Nice mower, but it's one of those manuel push kind...good for emissions. Bad for me!

I almost quit.

Almost gave up.

Got the the end of this first strip and had blisters on my hands already.

Had the rest of the yard to do.

Then I thought,

'How can I expect to be an example for my church if I don't manage my own affairs well?'

'How do I expect to respect myself as a man if I can't power through this yard?'

'How do I expect to be a good example to my wife if I can't do this?'

See, I expect a lot of myself. I expect a lot of my work ethic. Expect a lot of the outcomes of my work. Expect as close to perfection as I can muster.

Means I let myself down A LOT.

This time I didn't.

Before I knew it I had my head down, WORKIN'.

And before I knew it, the yard was DONE.

And wouldn't you know it, two weeks later, and the yard looks like this!

Just cause hard times come around doesn't mean you can let your expectations of yourself drop.

Expect results of yourselves, friends. Even if it means blisters on your hands and a little sweat on your brow. The results will pay more than your suffering.

Much love,

M.

Straining toward the goal

I press on (push harder) to take hold (cleave to) of that for which
Christ Jesus took hold of (captured) me. Brothers (and the Loved), I do not
consider myself yet to have taken hold of (my reward) it. But one thing

I do (and I will): Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead
(into the LIGHT), I press on (strain further) toward the goal (work harder) to
win the prize (refined by trials) for which God has called me heavenward (to
GLORY) in Christ Jesus!

Happy easter everybody...

Battling Trust

Spacing out the timeline by which this happened. Sifting through the papers by which this happened in my mind, 'cause things are moving quicker and quicker as we age. Moving from one step to the next almost without pause for consideration about what the next step will be...

Maybe it's suppose to be that way. Maybe its Trust sitting at the table with me, asking me to follow it instead of the paper trail I believe I have. Talking at me that is not really in my control, that it's not really up to me. Not really mine at all. 

But I battle Trust with barbs like, 'but look what i've done' and, 'see how I've built it'. And trust looks at me while I speak, seeing me.

Selfish, proud, belligerent, dirty and unremorseful am I to Trust. But he loves me.
He loves me. Busted and leaking. Soaking in my own guilt. Securing a place in the darkness, according to myself. But he thinks otherwise...

He thinks otherwise that I might have hope one day. hope in myself. Hope to heal myself. Those around me. Hope to have hope that I might one day be acceptable to Love.

And He knows I am acceptable to Love.  Acceptable in my search.  Acceptable in my selfishness, pride, belligerence, filthiness and unremorsefulness...made RIGHT by Love.  Made Good.

And I sit, covered in the papers of my 'proof', made acceptable, made right, made Good.  weeping.  in awe.  in Love.

M.