halfhearted

***I'm just popping back up here to say this blog went all kinds of places***

The following is from Sailing Between the Stars by Steven James:

I think God hates all that is halfhearted because when you divide the most important things in half, you don't end up with half but get the opposite instead.  Halfway justice is injustice.  Halfway devotion is compromise.  Halfway purity is sin.  Halfway holiness is ungodliness.  Halfway worship is ritual.  Halfway love is apathy.  Halfway hope is despair.  Anything that's halfhearted ends up becoming all wrong.  A person cannot be somewhat pure or slightly Christian.

This is how I am with people sometimes.  You just get half of me... but I'm working on it.  I just thought of something, when people are half on Facebook, it's usually doubled.  You only give half of who you are (the good half) and so that part gets blown up and you become something you could never live up to in real life.  

Anyway, I've made great strides this past year in becoming just who I am.  I'm so flippin' worried about offending people, but what I've realized is

1) You are grown people that if you disagree you can either tell me and we can talk or you can look away and get on with your day.  If if affects you in any other way, that's on you, not me.  That's hard for me to accept because I want to take responsibility for how YOU feel regarding what I say.  Which I could never do anyway.  It would cause hours of needless worry and overanalyzing.  (psst.  I'm good at that)  And I'm going to say here, I haven't had a lot of opposition, so I think either I just happen to choose good friends or I'm not getting through to people.

2) You don't care as much I assume you do.

I'm just an absolute freak for Jesus, so it's natural that it comes out in all of my posts.  He's so woven through every single moment of my life, there's no way I COULD leave Him out.  And since that's how it is with me, there's no way I would WANT to leave Him out.  I want YOU to know about Him, too, and either share our mutual beliefs in love or get you wondering.  If the God I say is alive, leaves you alone after He makes you wonder through me, then you can just keep assuming He's not who I say He is (but He won't...leave you alone, that is...be warned, you're in for a lifelong battle of wills with an all-powerful- never dying- loving the hell out of you- God.).  I'm sorry to you for toning him down for so many years so He would be easier to swallow. I wasn't doing you or me or GOD any favors.  Steven James sums it up well:

And it isn't skeptics who have done this.  Sadly, so much of the real Jesus has been sanitized and neutered over the years by well-meaning church people.  I think they feel a need to protect him, but you don't protect your sword; you use it to fight with.  You don't need to protect Jesus-- he's the first and last weapon in God's quiver.

Here is a man full of furious love.  Here is a man whose blood is on fire.  Hurricanes and demons step aside to let him pass.  Anytime we picture him as weak or helpless or pathetic, we're only holding a mirror up to our own souls because this skin-covered God is mightier than the stars.  

He is the passionate fury and the furious passion of the infinite and almighty God.

And yet... he was meek enough to wash the feet of his followers, humble enough to be laid in a manger, playful enough to let kids tug at his beard, and tolerant enough to party with prostitutes.  

Yes, he was the baby in the manger.  Yes, he is the man who made demons tremble.  Yes, he is the lamb of God.  Yes, he is the Lion of Thunder.  Here is a man who is not ashamed to weep in front of the crowds, and neither is he afraid to accuse -- to their faces-- the most powerful men in the land of spiritually abusing the people.  

He is both.  He is all.  The beginning and the end.  THE AUTHOR AND THE INK.  Love piercing time.  Mystery living next door.  

"The author and the ink"  SHEWWW that lines gets to me.  I love thinking of Him that way.

I sort of love believing in this God that I can't fully explain to you.  A God that's as much as a feeling to me as He is fact.  I love that!  I love the mystery of God and this world and the questions that it brings up more than the answers, I think!  I can appreciate mystery and the fact that this story of the world is so filled up with it, makes me want to seek it out even more.

1 Timothy 3:16

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh,    vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Wow.

I don't know how to end this.  I can't sum things up like Seinfeld, that's for sure.  I guess, if you have any questions, ask me.  I will probably have to seek out the answer, which works for me since I'm sure I'll learn something, too.  I'm not a person that has scriptures in my head on the ready because I have a hard time with focus (can ya tell by my blogs???) but this is the year for me to work on that.  OK, I just realized writing that out this is the year I'll work on KNOWING the Word by heart as much as I can.  I know the ideas but I'm all the time saying things like "somewhere in the Bible, it says.."  That's been ok but now it's not good enough.  I'm spiritually maturing and I need to do this for me.  Have a great day, world!

Much love,

C

Cloud covering

I was driving home this morning from taking Zoe to school and a thought occurred to me.  On the way, I was thinking how wild it was that some mornings the sun can be so bright and others the clouds seem to completely cover it at the same time of the year.  As I was turning into my road, I noticed the sun was as bright as ever.  The clouds had parted and there was the sun.

To me, the clouds were like thoughts and the sun is God.  Our thoughts can completely block him out.  One thought (cloud) after another just covering and covering until you can't see the shape of the sun anymore.  There is still light all around, there is still evidence of the light, it's still daytime, but the source is covered up.

So, how do we combat this?  We can immediately turn our thoughts toward God .

Isaiah 26:3

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Then, put new thoughts in your brain:

Philippians 4:8 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Why are our thoughts so important?  They just stay in your brain, right?  They aren't hurting anyone...

Matthew 12:34

" for out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks."

Our thoughts come straight from our heart.  It's not bad if we have a negative thought, but we need to immediately take that thought captive.  

2 Cor 10:5

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and      take every thought captive to obey Christ" (btw, at this point, I CANNOT get this blog in the format I want, everything is going wrong and I'm being tested already! I'm leaving this little blue box and different font.  You guys don't care right?  It's messy...like life haha) Here is how it looks like for me: Thought:  I am going to go straight to the website designer where I got these scriptures and punch him/her in the throat because it's so hard to copy and paste from that site.  I don't care how much money it takes to fly there,  I don't care if my kids miss me while I find him/her, I don't care if the po po get involved.  I. WILL. FIND. THAT. PERSON.   Courtney: (deep breath) I am thankful the Word of God is so easily accessible to me at all times.  I have many bibles in my home, an amazing bible app on my phone, and tons of websites that hold the Word of God.  IT'S. SO. EASY.   Thought: Yeah...but still...stupid website... Courtney: THE JOY OF THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH, the format of this blog doesn't even matter!!!!   I'M GOING TO HEAVEN!   I'm choosing to be happy! Sometimes, it goes exactly like that. Actually, the more I have that type of interaction with myself, the easier it gets, but I have my days where I really suck and those thoughts end up becoming my attitude for the whole day.  All because of one 20 minute span where I had a hard time getting my blog in order.  MY WHOLE DAY.  RUINED.  Because of THAT?  Geez, it sounds silly but when you start letting that happen more and more, it's like an avalanche.  And it won't just ruin your whole day, it'll ruin whole spans of time, maybe whole days...months...years...your life?  DON'T BECOME THAT PERSON, stop the cycle now. I'm really hoping some of this reached someone because I felt it so strong within me and I'm praying you can overlook not only the format, but the fact that this isn't my most well written blog. I'm fighting with myself not to write really big: AFTER THIS, GO READ MY LAST FEW BLOGS...I REALLY FELT I 'GOT IT' WITH THOSE!!!!  GO!!!   (see what I did there?  I said it while pretending not to...oh yeah...not much pretending haha) In closing, PART THE CLOUDS AND LET THE SUN SHINE IN!  When a negative thought or a thought that doesn't align with God's Word comes into your head, get rid of it and replace it with something true.  The Word!  Or at least a positive thought.   Is there anything more beautiful than when the clouds start to part and sun starts streaming in through them?  Like it's bursting forth and has just been WAITING impatiently for a chance to let its sunbeams reach the earth.   Much love, C

Obedience. KEEP READING, I know this seems like a sucky topic ;) but it's one of my favorites...

I am really loving this, this morning:

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."  Isaiah 30:21

I think it's speaking to me so much because for the past year I've been really thinking about just obeying Him.  Just doing that.  A few years ago, I read a quote by Rick Warren that changed my life. 

"God doesn't owe you an explanation or reason for everything he asks you to do. Understanding can wait, but obedience can't. Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. In fact, you will never understand some commands until you obey them first. Obedience unlocks understanding."

Man, it takes the pressure off.  I like someone else steering the boat.  Actually, I wish HE DID steer the boat, but He tells ME which way to turn the wheel and I have to obey and do it.  Free will and all...  Not think about it and figure out if He's right (oh man, I feel silly even typing that OF COURSE He's right even if it doesn't feel like it).  The more I read His Word and the more I talk to Him the more I can discern whether or not it's God or me speaking.  Or the world.  Or commercials.  Or well meaning people who love me (and sorry guys your voice isn't the one I need to hear).  Or even, GASP, my Pastor.  


We had a bible study at Celebration when we first started going where someone (probably me) asked how you can really know that the "voice" you are hearing is God's when you don't hear a voice at all.   I figured Pastor Steve would kind of hem haw around the subject and tell us we should just know, but he didn't!  He told us the more we read HIS WORD (yep, the INSPIRED WORD OF GOD...makes sense) the more we would know what He sounds like.  The more we talked with him daily, hourly, minute by minute the more we would know...uh huh, WHAT HE SOUNDS LIKE.  

BOOM!

Revelation people!  That made so much sense to me that I still laugh about it.  Of course!  Just get to know his voice and you'll know what it sounds like.  I know Isaac's voice so well that I don't ever have to question whether it's him speaking or not, yee-haw, even from 'cross the Wal Mart!  In fact, I was so in love with him so soon and wanted and needed and YEARRRRRRNED to speak with him 24/7 that I got to know his voice and the types of things he would say pretty darn fast.  

Ok, apply that people...

Since I sorta got off topic, I'm going to bring it back around.  LEARN his voice by getting to know Him.  Then...yeah...obey it.  Back to the scripture at the top 

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."  Isaiah 30:21

Don't look to the right or to the left, keep your eyes on your future, your purpose.  Don't know what it is?  Another word from Pastor Steve, MOVE ANYWAY.  Do SOMETHING, anything for the kingdom of God, even if you don't know what to do, just do the right thing.  Clean toilets, change diapers in the nursery, donate clothes, sort said clothes, make phone calls, be nice to people and MOVE THE HECK FORWARD.   You probably won't go wrong and if ya do, God can turn anything around and use everything you did on the wrong path for His good.  AMAZING?  YES!  That's muh God!

"Your ears will hear a voice behind you."  So, get to know that voice, move forward and do good.  And do I even have to tell you?  Come to Celebration Church and do these things with us if you don't have a home church.  We are home.  If you hate church and refuse to come, then just come to our informal Bible study and start to learn.  We want you in the body of Christ, it doesn't have to be in our building. 

The last thing that REALLY, really made me smile about the scripture was:

"this is the way; walk in it."  

It's not "this is the way; let me carry you across the threshold and do it all for you." 

He's all GIRL PLEASE, I've shown you the way now get on with it.  Haha, well not exactly, but he's not going to do it all for us, we have to get on with the VERBing in life and do it.  Being shown the way is most of the battle for me.  Once I know it's from Him, I can do anything and feel confident in it. 
  


It's never too late to start or to get on the right path.  Don't think about the years you haven't done this, just do it now.  

So today, whenever today is that you're reading this, make a promise to yourself to get to know what He sounds like (read ya bible, talk to Him however you feel comfortable) and then listen for His voice.  Then guess what?  Obey it.  I figure you don't need allllllll of those words up there to come to this conclusion, but how a lot of people like to hear their own voice, I like to see my own words.  Apparently.  

Much love,

C

I'm adding this devotional that is REALLY good.  I know some people don't love Rick Warren, but for whatever reason his way of writing and his love and fear of God really speak to me, so if you don't like him in general, throw that away for a minute and read this: 

http://purposedriven.com/blogs/dailyhope/index.html?contentid=4408

Blood, testimony, death

Sunday at church, Leanna Chapman testified about coming through something that has been a struggle for about a year.  She referred to the scripture Revelation 12:11

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

2 things are brought to mind this evening from this Word.  First, I was thinking while she was speaking that the 2nd part of this scripture applies to her situation too.  "they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."  I've always thought that line was so cool.  And when talking about overcoming something hard, let's say anxiety, listen how it applies.  

What's more "loving our lives" than trying to control everything by looking at it so hard that it brings on anxiety?  And what a person overcoming anxiety in Him is saying is that I don't love my life so much as to do that to myself.   I don't love it enough as to be so scared of it.  I won't shrink back because my Heavenly Father doesn't shrink back.  My God, my God who has overcome death, CONQUERED death stands up for me!  Why should I care so much about the details of my life that I shrink from them?  Well, that's what Leanna was saying.  She doesn't anymore, she's not shrinking from death because death has no hold on her!  Hallelujah!

Second, TESTIMONY.  YES!  We need to share them that's for sure or what else are they for?  Not for us, we obviously know them already.  I was in bed tonight and something hit me.  God shows me things in picture form because He knows I like to put things from pictures into words.  He showed me something like this photograph:

See the very tip tip top of that plateau up there?  That's your platform.  And its name is what you've overcome. Fear, depression, anxiety, drugs, alcohol, pornography, anger, abuse, write any of those on the flat top of the plateau.  You stand upon that and SCREAM TO THE WORLD FROM THERE YOUR TESTIMONY.  Let's say you've battled depression.  Every moment that you move forward depressed, every step you take that takes you up the mountain of depression, THAT is your testimony.  It doesn't have to be all the way at the top only, EACH STEP FORWARD is your testimony.  No matter what happens after, no one can take that away from you.  Until you are standing on the platform of depression, your feet planted on top of it and you are FREE.

Each step is hard.  When you're going through the depression, yeah it feels horrible.  How can I give God praise, thank Him for being with me, helping me overcome when I can't even rise out of bed?  Are you breathing?  TESTIMONY.

"I woke up this morning and continued to take breaths."

Maybe it's supposed to be hard so that we can have so many little testimonies that lead up to the big one.  Even though it doesn't feel like it, believe me, it's worth it.  As long as we never stop speaking in faith and never stop proclaiming that He is in control, people will be set free by our testimony.  Do you truly get that?  Not only do our struggles and achievement teach US something, they set OTHER PEOPLE free!!!!!

It feels tough because it is.  Climbing to the top of anything is always a struggle filled with sweat, blood and usually fear.  And now that I think about it, maybe our testimonies are for us, too.  They remind us over and over and over and over that God is not only with us, but withIN us.  He cares about it all.  Every step, every drop of sweat that drops onto the rocks beneath us.

Thinking about this climbing metaphor reminded me of an excerpt from a book I've been reading and I think I'm going to just type it out and let it speak for itself.  There's a lot I could say about it, but it's all muddled in my head.  The "point" is in there, I'm just too excited to try to type it out.  So, this is how I'll end this blog (sorry it's abrupt, I'm just spent tonight, too excited about revelations to keep typing)

From Sailing Between the Stars by Steven James:

Rock climbers have a term for the most difficult part of the climb: the crux.  It usually involves a combination of moves and holds that appear impossible at first. Often, it's the critical point, the crucial moment in the climb.

I'm not by any stretch of the imagination an expert climber, but I love to go climbing with my friends whenever I can.  And whenever I'm on a climb and I come to the crux, I always start thinking, There's no way I can do this!  I can't make it!  I'm gonna peel!  And sometimes I do.  I fall.

But if I make it past the crux, I can look back and finally see the route clearly.  Once you're past the crux, the route up the cliff makes sense at last.

Crux is a Latin word.  It means cross.

Worship

inside the prayer of Courtney Hutchinson:

***

I want to worship You for You.  I want to lift my hands, my voice, my shout and not care who sees.  I want to lift my hands, my voice, my shout and not try to prove my holiness by them.  Trying to make people see how great it is to worship by doing it right.  Worship is for nothing else, NOTHING ELSE, but to give You praise! FROM ME TO YOU.  Forgive me Father for doing it for any other reason! Forgive me for making it a ceremony!  I adore you Lord for no other reason that You are You.  AMEN!!

***

With music, I feel that worship is just gazing at God and giving Him information about Himself that He gave to us...about Himself.  He is holy.  He is great.  He is exalted.  He is soft and sweet and strong and jealous.  Just telling Him.  Probably sometimes that's the only true communication He gets with us during the week (as for me, I talk His holy ear off minute to minute).  But who are we worshipping when we do it in an attempt to look a certain way or be a certain type of person?  Anyone but God.  Ourselves, others, worship leaders..

I was thinking these things today at church because I was just worshiping like crazy and my arms were flying around and I was clapping above my head and Isaac was yelling out next to me and I was thinking "THIS IS IT!"  THIS is worshiping in abandon and I love it!  When I'm most giving to God of myself in praise form, guess what?  It gratifies me, also!  Only God!  Only my sweet, jealous God would care about me so much that he would let my senses get a little thrill from something that is meant for Him!  It's like a dad who lets his child bake a birthday cake for him and then they both eat it!

Our souls yearn to worship, this I know.  I mean, for one... look how we treat athletes.  We can't wait to jump for joy when they succeed and paint our bodies to prove how much we support them.  It's always driven me a little crazy that people behave like that and no one thinks twice but when I do that for my Creator, it's perceived by many as weird (another blog for another day).  Anyway, in Isaiah, the following scripture shows how people loved to worship their own creations.  So yeah, it's just in us to want to worship...something...anything even if we have to make it.

(Isa 2:8)  And their land is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.

Sometimes in worship, I feel like I'm just going to fall apart, but it's an amazing feeling.  You know how things always seem to be backwards from how you think it should be according to God?  High is low, rich is poor, first is last... that's how worship is for me.  The more excruciating it is, the more amazing it feels.  Haha crazy!   I KNOW!  And I'm amped up about it!  

So, I guess this was all just written because 1. I started typing and just didn't stop and 2. if you want this type of worship in the presence of God, it's because you were made to want it.  He made you to give it.  

Come to church with me, worship beside me.  I promise I won't hold back on your account, just come and worship God in whatever way you feel comfortable with.  It may be quiet, it may be loud, it may look like worship, it may not.  I will never judge that of others.  I can only be obedient to what I feel within myself and pray that you will, too.

**I want to acknowledge while worship takes MANY forms (even changing diapers in the nursery!) this blog was specifically about praise and worship that takes place usually to music, usually in church...you get it, right?   Corporate worship?  Hope that made sense, I have no idea how to voice that...

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,

    will enter your house.  I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. 

Psalm 5:7

Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!  

Psalm 100:2

"As John 4:23 says, Its time, as worshipers of God, to give him all we have. For when he is exalted, everything about me is decreased. So many times we stand in the way of really stepping into the secret place of worship with God. Just abandon tradition and the "expected" ways of Praise & Worship and get lost in the holy of holies with the sole intention of blessing the Fathers heart." 

Jessica Leah Springer   

Bitter and Sweet

“Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.” ~ Thomas Watson

There was a time in my life when sin was so sweet. It felt so good to do things some part of me knew was wrong even if I didn't know why.  

Hebrews 11:25  Moses

choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than

 to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

Above, the Word of God says (regarding Moses) that sin can taste sweet for awhile, but there comes a time when we'll recognize that what we are doing is not good for us.  Which feels...just terrible.  Especially if- like me at that point- you aren't living with God in your life already.  I wasn't saved, but I started to feel this uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach that was whispering to me 

"you are mine, you were created for more than this"

  
That alone proves to me that God doesn't always feel like soft flittering butterflies in your stomach.  Sometimes, He's more like a punch to the gut.  


So what did I do when I felt this sound (that's how I describe it...it was a voice that I felt and didn't hear).  I pushed into doing more things that I knew were bad for me.  WHY?????  you are probably asking.  I have no idea.  I think I knew something had to give.  A change had to happen and it would either be for the worse (which I can't imagine) or for the better (which was ANYTHING but where I was and what I was doing to myself).  

“All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s

 paths to follow our own” Isaiah 53:6a 

But it's hard to take a step in the right direction when you can't see what's ahead.  It's so much easier to stay on the path you've always been on, but it's WORTH IT to seek out the path less traveled.  And maybe it's the path less traveled BY YOU.  For me, I had never really had a foot on that path for real.  A few times, I pretended to be but mostly I kept jumping into the jungle, getting torn up by the vines and briars all in a quest to go my own way.  (insert Go Your Own Way lyrics by Fleetwood Mac into your brain here... you're welcome)  

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you

 that you should go and bear fruit, and that  your fruit should

 remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He

 may give you. John 15:16

I CHOSE YOU!  It makes me want to weep. Even when I wasn't choosing Him, He was choosing me.  Even when I wasn't speaking to Him, He was speaking to me.  How completely undeserving.  How completely God.    

Become like a child...Asher says it's "soopah fun"

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:1-4

The other day, I was singing to my children. Asher likes when I sing Adele; Zoe likes when I sing JJ Heller.  I thought how wild it was that I've never been able to sing in front of adults, but in front of my kids (or any kids really) I can.  I don't really care about them hearing me.  In fact, the more out of tune I sound, the better to them.  It just amazed me that I had such freedom around them and I could be more "Courtney" than ever.   


I really have thought often about what it means to be "like a child" as opposed to "childish."  THAT MUCH, I understand.  Being childish consists of the things people think of as negative with kids (I WANT THAT NOW and LIFE ISN'T FAIR and I'M WIPING THIS BOOGER ON YOU CUZ I CAN and I'M GOING TO TAKE WHAT YOU SAID AND TWIST IT ALL AROUND TO BENEFIT MY AGENDA).  


I get how Jesus wants us to be humble and unassuming like a child (child-like).  And...

Playful

Happy

Unblemished

Trusting 

Silly

Innocent

Smiling

Interested
Interesting

Open

Playful

Curious

Expressive 

Quick to cry when they're sad

Quick to laugh when they're happy

Quick to let you know when they are mad

HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD TO FOCUS ON WHAT ANYONE ELSE WOULD THINK SILLY.  Like following a bug around just to see what happens.  

I get all that and WOW, isn't it true?  But, what I was thinking about while singing in front of the kids was something that had never occurred to me.  

When you are child-like, the PEOPLE AROUND you are also affected.  It's not just all about you.  

Think about how adults react to kids.  We get down on their level, and start to have fun in a way we haven't in a LONG time.  Suddenly, playing with cars is fun and their happiness regarding it is contagious.  We start to let go of the world a little bit and get into theirs.  Kids haven't formed judgement on the world yet and we feel safe in their presence.  They haven't learned to be cynical or doubt that what you say is true is really true!  How refreshing! Ok, now apply that to how Jesus wants us to be in Matthew 18.  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Maybe it's not all about what it means for US to be child-like but for what it looks like for OTHERS to SEE us be that way.  When we aren't so cynical and judgmental and hateful, it definitely looks different to the world.  

I think they start to then want that (even if they don't realize it) and thereby come around you more often.  It's sort of an extension of when Pastor Steve talked about "smelling like Jesus" and carrying His fragrance around with you.  People smell it and want it even if they aren't sure WHAT/WHO they want at first.  They just know they want to be around YOU (who happens to talk to Him often, who speak His own words, invites His Holy Spirit into you, who listens and obeys Him).


So today, I challenge you to be child-like.  Take those qualities I mentioned above and incorporate them into your day in as many ways as you can.  Then, look around and see how people react. 

 Do you know who I am thinking about right now?  

Jim Carrey in Yes Man.  Ok, ok, you don't HAVE to take it to that extreme but everyone in his life immediately started coming alive around him and they were curious about the change.  He made people happy.  Plus, it's a biblical story.  JUST kidding.  It's a great movie though, so if you aren't willing to be child-like today, AT LEAST watch Yes Man.  (you get a bonus Zooey Deschanel thrown in, too!)


I'm going to end with mentioning that I feel like I haven't gotten this across in the most effective way but I feel strongly about posting it this morning.  I hope you see that it's important for us to be like children for ourselves as much as for the people around us.  Have a marvelous day, dear readers!


Much love,
C