Many of the frustrations we face in life result from denying, rejecting, and/or ignoring our personal calling. As we do this, we become split off from ourselves and the ONE to which we are a part and belong. Few people pursue, discover, and fulfill a calling because...
“You have to carry the fire.” “I don’t know how to.” “Yes, you do.” “Is the fire real?” “The fire? Yes it is.” “Where is it? I don’t know where it is.” “Yes you do. It’s inside you. It always was there. I can see it.” The Road, Cormac McCarthy The novel The Road by...
“Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being...
Calling is where the inside drive meets the outside need. “Vocation does not come from a voice out there calling me to be something I am not. It comes from a voice in here calling me to be the person I was born to be.” Thomas Merton The aerodynamics of an airplane...
“Trust that which gives you meaning and accept it as your guide.” C.G. Jung Calling is the path to meaning, purpose, and significance. The iconic 1985 movie The Goonies tells the story of Mickey, Chunk, Data, and Mouth (the Goonies); a group of young misfits who...
It takes time, effort, and attention to develop clarity on your calling. Rarely if ever do the heavens part and a voice bursts forth telling us what to do when. What’s the fun in that anyway? And if it did, would we really listen? Would we even believe or trust it?...
Max’s eyes grew big and his arms flung in the air in frustration as he said, “But Dad, I don’t have any memories there!” You see, my family just made a big move from Jackson, TN to Murfreesboro, and my six year old son was trying to tell me he was scared because he...
“Scarcity is like a pair of glasses we do not know we have on, but they interfere with everything we see.” – Lynn Twist The word scarcity derives its meaning from medieval Latin denoting a sense of diminishment or being reduced. In today’s language, it always...
Perhaps you’ve heard the stories of canaries in coal mines. Miners would take these yellow birds down into the depths of the earth because of their sensitivity to harmful elements – these birds would sound the proverbial alarm that would signal danger to the...
Please join us in helping refugees stay warm & keep heart this Christmas. Legacy Mission Village is in need of hats, gloves & coats for their refugees. All sizes accepted (kids and adults). Brand new or gently used condition preferred. Drop them unwrapped in...
At face value, extreme fear (i.e. Terror) is this overwhelming, draining, malignant dragon. It’s the beast behind not having enough toilet paper, going out in public (or being asked to stay at home when we don’t want to), big social changes, etc, etc. Its terms...
I didn’t want to plant my wildflowers this year. For years I’ve bought a sack of 30,000 wildflower seeds in early February and then guerilla garden them like Johnny Appleseed on any patch of ground needing beauty. This year I bought my seeds around the New Year. I...
Amid all the devastation and panic leveled on our city recently, there is much to grieve. Much has been lost. Many dreams and hopes have vanished. In the natural disaster that shocked our city, some unnatural things happened. People not only lost their homes and...
What does it mean to live life on life’s terms? It is to say, “OK, Life, I see you. I don’t really like what you are saying or doing, but I am choosing not to ignore you. I am going to take you at face value and just do the next right thing.” It means to take each day...
My 8-year-old son is very disappointed that his Annual Easter Egg Hunt had to be canceled this year. And rightfully so. He’s grieving the loss of one of his favorite traditions. For the past few years, he has delighted in sending out invitations, filling the plastic...
In light of so much going on in the world that (rightfully) brings up fear, I believe it is important and helpful to remember how we were made. First, we were made to feel. Your fear is normal. It actually brings about clarity around things that can seem murky or...
My fellow human beings, there is no doubt that we are in the midst of hard times. The recent tornado that tore through parts of Nashville, the political divide that continues to separate our country, and now, the ramifications of Covid-19 on our day-to-day lives are...
1. Anger acts as the check engine light. When you notice anger coming up in your body: stomach, chest, face, etc, it’s time to slow down and pull the car over to check in with what is really going on. (Car is you; Engine is your heart) Without anger we cannot love...
Some days you will feel like the ocean. Some days you will feel like you are drowning in it. – Lora Mathis Aren’t there moments when this is absolutely true — we feel like the ocean! Powerful. Strong. Unstoppable. Floating easily with contentment and joy,...
“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen.” Beuchner If ever a human being summed up existence in fifteen words or less, Frederick Buechner does it here. The world is full of beautiful things. Sunset at the beach The laughter of...
Years ago I wrote a book titled The Voice of the Heart: A Call to Full Living. It is about feelings and living how we are created to live. That was almost twenty years ago. I have continued to work in the field of “living life on life’s terms” and continue to...
Boundaries in relationships are the markers that help differentiate you from someone else, or communicate where you “begin” and “end.” Using an analogy of land ownership with fences and gates, boundaries are the fences around your land. Gates are the passageways that...
A primary responsibility of a healthy family system is to help develop children into capable human beings. Two hallmark expressions of the emotionally and spiritually capable human being are the ability to work and to love, i.e., to be able to live fully in...
