“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.” – Albert Einstein

....what does this mean?

exactly what i needed..

"Doing countless unnecessary activities will dissipate your energy.
When you spend time with Me, I restore your sense of direction. As you look to Me for guidance, I enable you to do less but accomplish more." -Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

"Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established." -Proverbs 16:3 NKJV

a prayer of vision

Heavenly Father, Great High Priest. Creator and Cultivator of Good, Lovely, Excellent, Honorable, designer of all that is worthwhile. In Your goodness You have lavished on us a grace that is greater than the command. Perfect Provider. All mighty Spirit, living, moving, breathing. Breathing life into me. Heighten, deepen, widen, strengthen, our desires for Your desires. Through the time and space that we call today, permeate our awareness, our conscious minds, our thoughts, perceptions, understandings, interactions and intentions. 

let us not see our earthly tasks as earthly but as channels through which we manifest our spiritual realities, that is the reality of Your Kingdom. the Kingdom here, now, the Kingdom that is to come, the ongoing and ever present story that permeates all realities, the grandness of the story that has been happening and that we are now a part of and will be a part of. make our minds, hearts, spirits to dwell in Your heavenly places as we walk this weary, demanding, luring land.  

{to be continued...}

James 4

Points that stuck out to me in the reading today... 

4:14The problem is what the merchant did not consider: his complete dependence on God (cf.Luke 12:18-20; John 15:5).
“To what extent is your life directed by the knowledge that Christ is coming back? Much of our thinking and behavior is shaped by what we can see of present circumstances or past events. Yet Scripture speaks forcefully of Christ’s return as a fact that should be directing how we live now. Christians are to be motivated by the certainty of this future event.”[193]

This reminds me of a theme this summer... living in the reality of the Kingdom. 

4:15The merchant should have made his planning in conscious dependence on God recognizing His sovereign control over all of life (cf. Acts 18:21; 1 Cor. 4:19; 16:7; Phil. 2:19, 24). The Latin phrase, deo volente (“God willing,” abbreviated D.V.) remains in use even today among some Christians.
“A study of the use of this conditional clause [“If the Lord wills . . .”] in the NT makes it clear that we are not to repeat it mechanically in connection with every statement of future plans. Paul, for example, employs it in Acts 18:21 and 1 Corinthians 4:19, but he does not use it in Acts 19:21; Romans 15:28; or 1 Corinthians 16:5, 8. Yet it is obvious that whether Paul explicitly stated it or not, he always conditioned his plans on the will of God.”[194]

It's not about saying the words - it's about acknowledging Him foremost and knowing (acting out of the certainty) that God is the One who will be sustaining me and making my future and I am to submit Him in all ways for I know that is what's best (and commanded) - if I choose not to, I am willingly walking in sin. 

The person James just pictured was guilty of a sin of omission. He failed to acknowledge the place God occupies in life (cf. John 9:41). In concluding this discussion of conflicts, James reminded his readers to put into practice what they knew. They should avoid presumption and self-confidence, and they should submit themselves humbly to God. Failure to do this is sin.
“They cannot take refuge in the plea that they have done nothing positively wrong; as Scripture makes abundantly clear, sins of omission are as real and serious as sins of commission.”[196]

1 John 1

^"5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; ⁷ but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. "

Thoughts:
to walk in the Light is to confess, restore, reconcile, walk in fellowship with one another, believing the reality of His forgiveness and cleansing power... it's not to BE perfect, but to WALK (set your steps in line with/toward, live out, look to and seek) in/toward/according to/by the power of the Light... 

meet my Mr. Wonderful.

All photos thanks to M. Renee Photography! 

Meet John David Paff. He's my bud, to say the least. While in VB we had a mini-session with a wonderful photographer and dear friend, Megan Didier. Megan was able to capture some of my favorite aspects of our relationship. 

...Laughter, smiles, childish goofiness, caring for each other, walking with each other, talking, building each other up, him looking at me with admiring eyes and making me feel like the most beautiful creature he has ever laid eyes on...