unrest...thoughts on living your purpose

storm clouds gather

"You can always tell when a man is not living in the purpose for which God created him. You sense his unrest. You get a feeling something is not quite right, even if you can't put your finger on what it is. When you are around a man who is fulfilling his calling and doing what he was created to do, you're aware of his inner direction, confidence and deep security." -Stormie Omartian, The Power of a Praying Wife

stormy seas

there are always storms in our lives...times when storm clouds gather and times when there are rough, stormy seas...when we feel lost, alone, afraid, unsure...times of unrest...unrest of the spirit, the mind and the soul...unrest about of purpose and direction...

soaring thru the storm

how you choose to deal with these storms is a view into your strength of character...you can let the storm engulf you where the undertow will pull you down or way off course...or you can soar above the storm where you are lifted up...and propelled along your journey as if on wings...

break in the clouds

and eventually there is a break in the clouds and the sun comes shining thru...and a remarkable calm embraces you...you realize that you have weathered the storm...learned its lessons...and, with deep gratitude, have grown...

sun comes shining thru

and if you are conscious enough you may even find a diamond in the stormy sky...the life lesson that was hidden within the chaos...one that strengthen you and sustains you and brings lasting gift...

diamond in the stormy sky

a simple treasure...an inner direction and confidence to set sail in the direction of your purpose...and follow that path wherever it leads because you know...you BeLiEvE that it is your destiny...

head into the sun

the face of hunger today...

Americans who once might have donated food or money now find themselves in need and many of those who used to volunteer at a foodbanks are now standing in line for food at local pantries...hunger and food insecurity is on the rise for middle Americia...

America's food banks need a bailout

The struggle to feed America's nouveau needy*

quite a haul for someone who is hungry

The message is simple. Ever more Americans need food they can't afford. As tough economic times take their toll, increasing numbers of Americans are on tight budgets and, in some cases, facing outright hunger. As a result, they may be learning a lot more about food banks and soup kitchens than most of them ever wanted to know. -Nick Turse

is someone in your neighborhood hungry? i would venture if there is a for sale sign in the yard, especially if it has been there for some months...the people inside may be hungry, very hungry...and they may not have any idea where to go for help...

when formerly-employed people need to stretch beyond the bounds of pride and normalcy and ask for help...it can be humiliating, humbling, and painful...when you are hungry it hurts...when your children are hungry all pride quickly disappears...

your local food bank probably needs emergency food...

people without funds need:

1. food
2. deodorant...
3. toilet paper...
4. toothpaste
5. otc medicine (aspirin, tums, etc,)
6. soap and shampoo

from msn article 10 donations food banks need most

"Consider this," Ross Fraser of Feeding America wrote in an e-mail. "If you buy a can of tuna fish and donate it to a food bank, it will cost you a dollar and some change." However, a $1 donation to Feeding America provides "about 20 pounds of food and grocery products to someone at risk of hunger."

Other food banks rate their return on your dollar at anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds of food. They do it by buying in bulk, using volunteer labor and working with food brokers who notify them of deep discounts.

the foodstuffs needed are:

Proteins. Canned meats such as tuna, chicken or fish are high in protein and low in saturated fat. Peanut butter is rich in protein and high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils, the "good fats." These are among the most expensive foods -- too expensive for food banks to buy large quantities.

Soups and stews. They are filling, particularly the "chunky" soups, and contain liquid for hydration. In addition, soups can be filled with protein and vegetables.

Rice and pasta. "They're really staples," Nowak says. In addition, grain-based foods, such as pasta, are a good source of fiber and complex carbohydrates.

Cereal, including oatmeal. Breakfast cereals can be an additional source of protein, and most cereals today include a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Canned vegetables, including tomatoes and tomato sauce. Studies indicate that canned vegetables have about the same nutritional value as fresh vegetables.

Canned or dried beans and peas. A staple of diets as early as 6700 B.C., beans are a low-fat source of protein and fiber.

Canned fruits. Only a small amount of vitamin C is lost in the canning process, making these a healthy choice.

Fruit juice (canned, plastic or boxed). Make sure it's 100% juice.

Prepared box mixes such as macaroni and cheese or Hamburger Helper.

Shelf-stable milk. This includes dehydrated milk, canned evaporated milk and instant breakfasts.

*Article by Nick Turse

are you going to finish strong...

Nick Vujicic...courage every day...

it really only matters that you finish...not how...

Yehudit...

dawn's early light

this is a continuation of the story from last post about a special woman from Jerusalem i met on the beach this week...her name is Yehudit (pronounced yeah-who-deet) Hebrew for Judith...of Hebrew origin meaning "from Judea"...have you ever had an experience where, during it, you knew you life had been touched in such a way that you would never be the same again....that is what happened to me this morning...

Yehudit walks on beach

Yehudit walked with me this morning...slowly as my foot is healing...she is very tiny with a gigantic spirit...she told me of her life and her mission...she is a Jew who believes in Christ...and her mission is to dispel hatred from the hearts of people all over the world...i believe in my heart of hearts i took a walk with Jesus this morning...

Yehudit's sky

she said, "one word spoken in anger can place hate in someone's heart...you may not even know that the seed has been planted...and this tiny seed thought causes damage to the world...."

has anyone planted a tiny seed in your heart?

i rejoice in the abundance that surrounds me...

you never really know where your blessings will come from and when...this morning was a glorious one on the beach...the sky was magnificent...pink rays shot upward from the sea...

i was walking slowly as my foot is broken....another morning walker asked how my foot was doing...she was walking with a friend...i commented on the beautiful, glorious morning sky...the friend raised her arms toward the rays and said it was a gift from God...we made an instant connection and i said i would e-mail her a photo of the sky...she said she was wishing that she would have brought her camera this morning because it was meaningful to he...


i sent her two photos when i returned home...one of the sky with the pink rays and one of her footprints i had taken after she passed me...she sent me this in return...

Rav (Abundant) Chesed v' Brachot... (Grace and Blessings in the riches of the inheritance of Y'shua the Messiah lavished on you!)



she perhaps will never know how this blessing touches my heart today...i rejoice in the abundance that surrounds me...

blessed discomfort...

in the movie Bounce, Ben Affleck encourages Gwyneth Paltrow:

"It isn't brave unless you're afraid."

as an artist i am accustomed to creating within blessed discomfort...as a creative entrepreneur i am more than used to blessed discomfort...as a child of God i have learned to embrace blessed discomfort...

blessed discomfort has helped me grow as a woman, and artist and a spiritual being...on my life path it has not been easy to surrender to fear...

to find the courage to stand in my own truth and be my authentic self, i have had to walk through fear...my worst fears...feel vunerable, raw and exposed...hopeless, helpless and alone...i have had to accept that the plans i had for my life were not the plans of God...and i had to adjust, reinvent myself and reengineer my life...

i would not call myself brave or courageous...nevertheless, i would call myself a survivor...and i have a new descriptive adjective...

F E A R L E S S

if you have followed my journey of the past twenty months, you have seen the fear, and sometimes the anger, as i stumbled along to today...it has not been easy or pretty, nor has it left me unchanged...but it has taught me to confront fear head on and come to the knowing that i have survived my worst imaginable fear...lack of security...for nothing in my world is secure today except my faith...

to see the expansion of this topic for artists please visit my blog - The Artist as a Spiritual Explorer...

to see my path in full and raw detail, visit my blog - down...but not out...

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carolee is having a giveaway on her blog for the cutest trinket box...go see by clicking this sentence...

the glory that is to be revealed to us...

in times of severe stress and stormy seas, i remember my faith...

"Then the rainstorm came over me; and I felt my spirit break. I had lost all of my belief, you see, and realized my mistake." -Seal, Love's Divine, Seal IV

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. -Romans 8:18

i am rejoicing and in deep gratitude this Sabbath for i believe that the current circumstances of my life are to build my virtue and teach me patience and trust...my life lessons...i told a friend this week that i had become fearless...and for this i am most grateful...

Sabbath Song...almost every Sunday I post about my sacred life, my faith, or my spiritual walk...I invite you to write your own song on your Sabbath...please take the Sabbath Song badge below and use it on your blog...


i am moved to share about my religion this morning as there are many myths about Catholicism...one that always pains me is the misconception that Catholics are not saved...we are baptised as infants and confirmed at the age of 12-14. Confirmation, in the Roman Catholic faith, marks the coming of the Holy Spirit into your heart...the completion of our Baptism. This is the time when we accept Jesus as our Saviour...similar to 'being saved' as in the Protestant faith.


this is what i believe: The Holy Spirit is the bond that links God the Father with his son Jesus...a link of love and communication that never sleeps...each of us is a child of God through Baptism... sisters and brothers of Jesus...i view every human being as my brother or my sister and treat them with the love and respect i have for my siblings..as with my biological siblings, sometimes it is easier to do than others.

when God looks on each of us, he sees in us the image of his son...there is an unbroken stream of love and communication binding us to the Father...and that stream...that bond is the Holy Spirit...even though, at times, we feel like we may have lost that connection...


much of the time i do not feel like a temple of the Holy Spirit...yet it is when i feel unholy and unable to pray that the Holy Spirit speaks for me to the Father “with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).


as i grow older, i realise that prayer is not about finding beautiful words or petitioning for our needs...nor is it about making speeches to our Lord...but rather tuning inward toward the Spirit of Jesus...who is always there, linking me to my heavenly Father...one of my most special memories is the day I realized that my prayer had transformed from a monologue into a dialog...it was an awakening for me...and my prayer life has been richer and more fruitful as a result...

i begin each morning by the sea where "the glory that is to be revealed to us" is revealed to me...one tiny tidbit at a time...i spend almost two hours in meditation and prayer...i am blessed to be able to have this time in this beautiful setting that is revealed in my photographs...life is good...thank you God for giving me the circumstances of my life...

i rarely get political...but i have had no health coverage for over a year and no way to get the medications i need for many months now...but the health care thing has cause much dissension between some of my friends who really believe that we will be pushing their grandmothers into an early grave and that Obama is like hitler because he can energise our youth...all i can say is Lord help us... read this for the best topic i've seen on the whole debacle.... and i beg you don't believe everything you hear on faux news...