Life wins.

such a plethora of things to be grateful for...

The ah-ha moment of realizing the difference between isolation and solitude

Dreaming for the future, not based on what I want to accomplish but who I want to become

Really loud crickets

Servant-hearted dreamers fall in love with giving their lives away.  Life is simple: make life better for others with whatever you have in hand.  Matthew Barnett

Blooming poppies along the road

Beauty heals, beauty nourishes, beauty restores.

A physically strong healthy heart... (and we'll get there on the emotional side)

Easy access to clean bathrooms when needed with running water and soap

Local honey and goat cheese spread on a warm, freshly baked traditional baguette

We hear the saying all the time: "don't get your hopes up." I've never liked that saying.  It seems to me that we should be getting our hopes up - and keeping them up all the time. Matthew Barnett

The relief on their faces when I replied in English

This climb was much easier than the last one

A very successful shopping trip with lots of sales

Blending in

Lots of reading on a rainy day

You must take the pressure off. This is essential. Pressure nearly always guarantees you will have a hard time discerning what God is saying, if you hear anything at all.  Pressure clenches up your heart and soul and ties all your insides up in rubber-band knots.  Even if God is shouting, it is unlikely he can get through to you because of the chaos.  John Eldredge

Fresh broccoli and hummus

30 km bike ride and a full body smile

An A on my last paper

I have something to offer, I am not just a consumer of life

There will always be tension between what I do and who I am, because they run so closely together.  Wayne Cordeiro

Setting boundaries and then successfully keeping them

The beauty of the mountains that catches my breath every single time

One of the best days ever - laughter, hammocks, sunshine, chatter, franglais, beauty in friendship and just being together 

Wondering what the future holds and knowing without a doubt who holds the future, and trusting that.

That I am in better shape than I gave myself credit for

Voices of reason in a world of chaos

That I still have several more weeks to lean in to the untangling, the life breathing, the gifts and the beauty that is this place

We have staked it all on this - that life wins.  Oh, dear friends - life wins.  Life wins.  Sometimes now, especially if we will pray.  But life wins fully, and very soon.  John Eldredge



Matthew Barnett quotes from "Misfits Welcome"
John Eldredge quotes from "Moving Mountains"
Wayne Cordeiro quotes from "Leading on Empty"

Welcome Back

An abundance of gratitude for…

Feeling my heart thaw and my soul breathe and my spirit whisper welcome back

In the middle of rock bottom I discovered rock bottom is not where people go to die but where people go to be recreated. Matthew Barnett

Church bells on the hour

Sheep grazing on the mountainside

Exploring a medieval castle

Red wine and Camembert

Feeling hope rise again

Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.  Dallas Willard

The smell of cut grass

The damp shade and the smell of pine while hiking

Dear friends whom I met in two different seasons and countries meeting each other and the sweet photo they sent me to commemorate the event

Fresh milk

Spinach and fresh mushrooms

What matters is not the accomplishments you achieve, what matters is the person you become. Dallas Willard

New friends exploring the possibilities of missions

I really do still love my job

Laughing at a silly low-budget movie with a friend

Easy camaraderie while making dinner together

Sunshine and blue skies, panoramic views from the top

The customer service rep who never switched to English

A straightforward, honest, no drama, mean-what-we-say friendship

Naps

Freely giving and receiving blessings

A stunning flower garden

You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God.  Dallas Willard

Birdsong

Birds of prey soaring overhead

Fat bumblebees buzzing from one bloom to another

A long sleep after a full weekend

Coffee

Being remembered by people I met two years ago

A prayer of blessing from a pastor who understands

Your face was meant to shine. Glory always shines. Glory was meant to be shared. John Ortberg

Tractors cutting, turning, and baling hay

Open homes, open hearts, encouragement and blessing

A long bike ride, and not being too sore afterward

Snow-capped mountains in the distance

Still light at 10pm

One thing I’ve realized is that being different doesn’t disqualify you from a dynamic life. It prepares you. Matthew Barnett

Worship flowing from English to French and back again

That it doesn’t matter what language we pray in

A sunny patio with chairs and a table

Being able to help change a tire quickly with no drama and no problems

One of the greatest days of my life was the day I decided to die to my dream of being a success and become alive to the dream of being a blessing.  Henry Cloud

Freedom to dream and wonder and hope again

Friends and family across the globe who love me regardless of the monsters I’m manifesting

Surprise blessings, surprise donations, surprise favor that reminds me I’m not in this alone

That’s just how God works with us – he relentlessly pursues us because all he has ever wanted is to be with us.  He reaches out to slaves, people in prison, and people like me doing silly, foolish things and says, “Welcome back”.  John Ortberg

Quotes from John Ortberg and Dallas Willard from the book “Soul Keeping”
Quotes from Mathew Barnett from the book “Misfits Welcome”
Quotes from Henry Cloud from the book “Boundaries”