Prayer Wall

This is an interesting link to a virtual prayer wall. Reading through it you can slightly touch on what it must be like for God.

Co-dependent Meme Found on Random Blog

“I wonder if the oil changer guys will get mad at me for having so much snow on my car. After all it is inside, in a heated environment, and some snow might melt, creating a sloppy situation.”

“Yeah, they might get a little upset, but I really don’t feel like cleaning the snow off my roof and trunk, isn’t that a little unnecessary? Won’t people be looking at me weird for doing that? Who cleans the snow off of their entire car anyways?”

“Point well taken self, but how many times have you seen a snow covered car being taken indoors, especially during a mechanical checking or fixing type thing? Never, that’s right, never!”

“Okay, but I’m on my way there and what am I going to do? Stop at a gas station, get out, and scrape the snow off my car? People would think I was absolutely crazy.”

“Hmm, I wonder if I could find a building to pull behind, out of public view.”

Being an approval junkie makes us crazy. It is funny but it is also sad.

(BTW the wikipedia 'def of co-dependence is poor at best and at worst is a collection of ill-informed assumptions.)

Celebrate Recovery: Some Personal Notes

I have narrowed down some direct benefits of the church based recovery program I have been involved with called Celebrate Recovery. While I have studied it's literature and even met it's founder, as all of mankind's programs there are faults, but a critique is for another post. You only have to go once and hear the testimony of a crack addict, prostitute, or alcoholic husaband and father who has been set free to understand.

1) Truth Saying.
• Breaking the system of denial.
• A foundation for real intimacy
• Feeling the pain of ours and other's choices.

2) Relationships
• Peer review
• Equality, Experience, and Empathy.
• Caring relationships where acceptance is not performance driven.
• Support.

3) New Thought.
• Discovery.
• The Wisdom of Crowds.
• It is your system that has failed not everyone else's.
• 12 Step Structure creates life application of spiritual values.

Video: "My Name is Lisa" By Ben Shelton

Every once in awhile media transcends the commercial, the self effacing, the foolish, and the empty pursuit, and connects us to the human experience.

Listen to this song: Colin Hay

'And you said,"Be still, my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in"
Don't you understand?
I already have a plan' more

Quite Van Morrisonish'.

Bethlehem Smackdown

New Christmas Ornaments





While I am not any less human, this is just wrong in so many ways:

"Robed and bearded Greek Orthodox priests and Armenian priests fought for over an hour using fists, brooms and iron rods as weapons."

Favorite quote from blog comments:

"It's too bad there isn't some sort of set of ethics or maybe a book detailing how these type of situations can be handled which these priests can turn to in times of trouble.

Oh, wait..."

Oye vey! We are a people in need of grace.

Quote:

`Facts don't enter a world dominated by our beliefs.'

Marcel Proust

Listen to this song: "Fold" Jose Gonzalez

A short simple song about grace.

"Please hold me back
if I tend to lose it and steer into old tracks.

Please don't let me down this time.
I've come a long way to just fold back into line"

Incredible Story

Jillian B. shares her story of traveling to Africa and her experience of mental anguish.

"..if only I could wake myself out of this unreality in Ghana I could live my real life or that I didn’t even exist at all, I was the creation of someone somewhere using me for entertainment. These thoughts came to me after night after night of no sleep and pacing around under a dark, muggy Ghanan roof: drums beating, sweat pouring off my face.."

Read Here (some adult language)

Thank you Jillian for sharing the story and know that you touch all those that read it. You have me.

The Ten Habits of Emotionally Intelligent People

1. Label their feelings, rather than labeling people or situations.
2. Distinguish between thoughts and feelings.
3. Take responsibility for their feelings.
4. Use their feelings to help them make decisions. (gasp!)
5. Show respect for other people's feelings.
6. Feel energized, not angry.
7. Validate other people's feelings.
8. Practice getting a positive value from their negative emotions.
9. Don't advise, command, control, criticize, judge or lecture to others.
10. Avoid people who invalidate them, or don't respect their feelings.

more

Quote:

To live, man must hold three things as the ruling values of his life: Reason—Purpose—Self-esteem. Reason, as his only tool of knowledge—Purpose, as his choice of the happiness which that tool must proceed to achieve—Self-esteem, as his inviolate certainty that his mind is competent to think and his person is worthy of happiness, which means: worthy of living. These three values imply and require all of man’s virtues…

— Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

Don't Assume

The "Bystander Effect" is documented human behavioral trait that describes the tendency for a group of people to do nothing when someone is being attacked or in need, or in an emergency situation. As opposed to the common action of intervention when only one person happens on the same situation.

We assume someone else is going to or is doing something.

Choices

glumbert - Don't Drink and Drive

Adddiction Destroys Life Ad

Not entirely true but a striking way to make a point.

Eagles Sing About Sobriety

"One Day At A Time" Eagles

Keep Breathing

via fuzzballchronicles
music by Ingrid Michaelson

Stop Drop & Recover

Fireman John of StopDrop&Recover blog reports on about.com article citing the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment panel defining recovery as "a voluntarily maintained lifestyle characterized by sobriety, personal health, and citizenship."

Personal health refers to sobriety and self care, while citizenship refers to "social health".

I think the idea of social health is an excellent perspective on recovery and is why admitting to others our faults, making amends where possible and carrying the message of hope to others is pinnacle to genuine lasting change.

via nu

Bedtime Tunes

I just stumbled across this audio serenity site called "Bedtime Tunes" the songs are updated nightly. It is a nice little browser fed database with nice descriptions and tags. I am listening to one of my favorite female vocalists Anna Nalick "Wreck Of the Day" and it isn't even bedtime.

Desktop Driving Serenity

Trippin' on some road trip? Cue up your instrumental mood music of choice and log on to passingby.net for an alternative to a fishtank or a fireplace or lapping seaside waves. It's like going on a long drive right from the safety of your own computer. I find it truly relaxing. (The best part is you can go left or right!)

Passingby.net is also looking for video submissions.

Depressed?

Some great tools for breaking the cycle of pain are:

1) Take care of your self.
2) Do something.
3) Become aware of your "self talk" and and challenge the distortions.
4) Limit the depressive symptoms. Feel your feelings be aware of what is hurting you, but do not allow yourself to slide into a pit or "over focus" and obsess on the negative.
5) Refocus. Surrender your life, your relationships, your money, your possessions, your job- is a great place to start.
6) Socialize, being around others gives us hope strength and energy.
7) Sing, read psalms, pray seek the living God. (If you have faith-but maybe if you don't you should try it?)


Taken from a good little book by David Stoop PHD.

quote:

"Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning. . ."

C.S. Lewis

LOLcat Bible

Teh Holiez Bibul (The Holy Bible) LOLcat wiki.

LOLcats are Laugh Out Loud captions with poor hacker/text message style grammer attached to photos of cats. This site has used colaborative input to create a humourus adaptation of the Bible.

While many may see this as anathema or sacreligious and be offended. I have to point out that 1) Those who author this have to read it and understand it. 2) For some it may be the only time they actually absorb some of the ideas contained there in.

This quote from the gospel of Matthew chapter 14:

25. OK so iz liek teh nites and Jesus camez out, and he iz srsly wlking ontop teh waterz.

26. Teh dscpls sawed him and ar scured and tehy sayed "OMG haxx!"

27. But Jesus sez "Oh hai! Iz just me. lol."

28. "Hay dood," sez Peter, "I can comez ontop teh waterz plz?"

29. "Yah lol," sez Jesus. Peter comez ontop teh waterz and iz goes to Jesus.

30. But Peter sawed teh windz and he iz scured and he fallz in teh waterz and is liek "Halp!"

31. Jesus halps Peter and sez "U iz stoopid noob becuz u duznt beleev."

I love Jesus, I love the Bible, and I am entertained by the creativity and humor of this.

Quote:

"Everything will be okay in the end. If it is not okay-it is not the end."

~ author unknown

Dog Whisperer

September Is Recovery Month

Jesse Nilo from VineArts informed me via email that this month is national recovery month.

some details from her email about the related art contest here in Boise:

".. (a) cool RECYCLED ART contest that will be shown at a rally to celebrate RECOVERY FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE. Wow... art, recycling, and recovery.

Art entries are due downtown on Sept. 18, next Tuesday. "Join the Voices for Recovery: Saving Lives, Saving Dollars." The human and financial costs of substance abuse are staggering, and the freedom of recovery and treatment are worth every penny invested in people's lives."
Short notice, but hey, look what was done in 7 days?

For more details about the contest contact Jesse or go here.
Or for more about the event go here (Event #563 at bottom of page.) Or here.

Journal Note:

"God if you must cut into me, I will try and stay still."

New Celebrate Recovery Group

Lighthouse Fellowship in Twin Falls, Idaho has started there own Celebrate Recovery group.
I visited recently and had a chance to meet with a few new friendly faces.

Announcement as taken from the website:

"Every Friday @ 6:00pm in the Café Agape (meal included!). Come fellowship with us and celebrate God’s healing power in lives through 12 Steps and Biblical Recovery Principles. Child care through age 11."

If you are struggling with hurts, hang-ups, or habits this may be a group where you can find healing, if you are recovered and you need an outlet for your 12th step work this may be the place for you. Mentors and sponsors are always needed.

Contact Scott Swafford at (208) 737-4667.

Ponderance...

Alcoholism, has a big impact on others. As does drug addiction. Workaholism, eating and sexual addictions sometimes go under the radar, but they do just as much damage, but usually to the person themselves.

While many of the addictive patterns are the same, I would note substance abusers tend to be more aware of the outward struggle , while neurotics tend to be more inwardly aware.

Found Image:

In International News:

10- year investigation concludes the Church of Scientology should be labeled a criminal organization.

Attitude is Part of It.

Via Don Piraro at bizzaro.com

Quote:

"All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force... We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter."

Max Planck

Creating Relational Boundries: Being a whole person.

For those of you who learn visually these are some personal notes I was working out in my own mind. Notice in the third graph the blue is slightly transparent I think that variable represents many relationships. Where we may have some boundaries but they are not very solid or in the wounding process growth was halted. Which graph represents your relationship?
(graph ap via crappygraphs)

Update:
For those of you who don't like my graphs here is a photographic representation of what I am talking about. (photo from gneborg.org)

Talk, Feel and Trust: Calvary Style

Calvary Chapel Pastor from my old hometown Daniel Fusco in Marin County
discusses hi six issues with the church network, denomination, movement,
non-denominational ministry. Good for him for speaking out. Taking some risk and having an opinion. I hope he continues to become self aware.

I also hope he takes a further step out of denial. I think many CC leaders are addicted to money and power and will continue to overtly and covertly manipulate wounded and upright people in the name of Jesus. (I said many not all.)

That said am I against Calvary? Not at all, it is hard to judge one fellowship against another, however, the pattern of those in leadership is clear and yet to be addressed.

I was born again and attended Calvary Chapel for 19 years. While I do not attend Calvary now I am no more 'of' my current fellowship or against it. I am for Christ and his blood. His truth that shames my misdeeds and heals and forgives them.

I do take odd with one of the things Mr. Fusco states: "the word of God is clear" concerning women teaching. I don't find this clearly stated in the scriptures at all sir. I think this out a of all the issues is the most grieving to the Spirit. Calvary has an awful record on how it treats it's women. The voice of women in the body is so important to what Jesus is doing today, yet I believe that in this movement it is by in large being stifled do to a lack of love, transparency, humility, and misuse of scripture. I once was guilty of this attitude and God had to change my heart. Jesus did not teach that women were anything but equal. Any religion, denomination, or creed that teaches that any person is a 'less then' is to be rejected by me. Galatians 3:28



via From The Ashes
| more details at Christianity Today

Dath Vader drawn away from the Dark side?

I love it when the news covers a testimony. Who would have thought sharing there faith with an evil overlord would go national? This story about actor Hayden Christiansen who played young Darth Vader, who survived an 8 hour tow truck ride with one of them 'born agains' is encouraging.

Quote:

“ Although I’m atheist, I defer to Jesus on beggar-related matters. He said, if a man asks for your coat, give him your cloak too... Jesus did not say: First, administer a breathalyzer test to the supplicant, or, first, sit him down for a pep talk on “focus” and “goal-setting.” He said: Give him the damn coat."

Stephen J. Dubner/Freakanomics

The Economics of Street Charity

via jackcanty

Happy Birthday To My Wife!

Quote:

If you're going through hell, keep going.

-Winston Churchill-

Quotes:

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” Albert Einstein

While it may seem simplistic, I find this notion important to recovery. Folks trapped in neurotic and psychotic behaviors often continue to try the same thing over and over, denying that it is failing. To change your mind you have to change your thinking, to change your thinking you have to expose it to new thought.

"I continue to work on my ego. The need to control, conform and to judge are conventions and struggles that I work toward growing beyond. Inches at a time. I continue to use my faith, meditation, awareness and prayer to stomp on these leaches. Through love and faith in God all things are possible." Tom

I admire tom's transparency. I am aware of my control issues, but had not walked through conformity.

Oh No Positive Thinking!

Sam Chan has good words to say about positive thinking. He reminds us that the bible instructs the weak to say 'I am strong'. If you are suffering from compulsive habits don't let it get you down. It proves you are human, and means you are alive. Try to focus on being 'strong' despite your weakness. What strengths do you have?

Linkage..

Info on social phobias. I did the test and it says I do not suffer from social anxiety.

Cheaper Than Therapy?

I snapped this at a local Mexican restaurant the other day. The table tent depicts a decadent dessert as as an alternative to highly priced counseling. (My convictions about the healing power of Mini Molten Chocolate Bunt cakes aside), we are in an era of DIY, where software and hardware allows one to be their own counselor. In some cases this is good. We could all assume responsibility for our well being and stop neglecting the multitude of resources so many others have not. However, we were not meant to do it alone. Christ surrounded himself with others and relied on them and they on He. Isolation and addiction go hand in hand.

Local development iQuestions.com threatens to lower your therapy bill with free video advice. While I think perhaps some of the counseling is slightly underqualifed, hearing many peoples 'takes' on war torn issues is a great way to discover your own truth.

Note: They might want to reconsider the link that says "orgasm: coming soon!"

Quote:

"My way of joking is to tell the truth. It is the funniest joke in the world."

George Bernard Shaw

How To: Man Hug

VideoJug: How To Give A Great Man To Man Hug

Feeling a little OCD?

Or as my brotha' Rich says "CDO..gotta be in the right order" then popping some virtual bubble packing is just for you. All the pleasure, no mess and you never run out.


Start popping here

Moods in Ur Tubes

Chill Master Flex
gives the internets' the gift of serenity. Calming music, tranquil waters, fireplace, or ocean sunset simply to enjoy via your web browser. I find it delightful. Thanks 'flex.

Spoiler:

BUT HE LIVES AGAIN!

Quote:

No matter how calmly you try to referee, parenting will eventually produce bizarre behavior, and I'm not talking about the kids. Their behavior is always normal.
-- Bill Cosby

via Mark O. Wilson

More on the power of hugging...

Via Yahoo news robber has some wine and asks for a hug and then leaves.

See previous hug video post here.

The Virtual God

Ahh I just completed my move back to Boise. It was a trial as I could not get a moving van out of Twin Falls for 5 days! But the 'eagle has landed'. It gave me some time to take my kids to the mountains. It also gave me 5 days away from internet, DVR, cable TV, cell phones, text messages, iPods, sattalite radio, books and magazines. Unwired. Made me consider the human aptitude for creating the virtual god. I feel compelled to check my email almost every day. But do I check God's inbox? He has faithfully provided at least one message for me every days since I started with Him for the last 24 years. I am not one who see's devotions as God's guilt trip relationship. He's not like that. It's about being in love with Him. Yeah discipline, structure, and order can be good, but it can be empty. Imagine telling your wife it is time for her 9:00pm kiss? God does not require a cold robot heart but one of flesh. We all need a natural authentic intimacy.

One thing I learned at last year at Vineyard fellowship was to look for God's daily revelation. If I don't look I miss it. It is there for every person in any situation, I know this to be true. Drudgereport, Foxnews, cannot provide it. Yes, I like the Laodocean Church am guilty of leaving my first love. I raise my hand in shame. I can lead a devotion group faithfully every Tuesday for a year and rely on the Spirit to empower me, I can work on a major national outreach program for the Kingdom, and I can model His love in my relationships with my wife, children, and friends. Yet be internally bankrupt,

as my lifestyle has been cashing checks my heart has not yet deposited.

Like many, when I am with God, I am good, do good, feel good. But when I am away there is a vacuum, healthy hobbies, interests and pursuits do not fill it. Unhealthy sinful behaviors only seem to make the chasm deeper and my solitude more desperate. But when the world is as it is and not as I would have it, He finds time to get me to stop, put down my hammer, and breathe. His Spirit softly reminds me of my youth when we danced on the crust of the earth together. Where our perfect love kept me from consuming fears. When miracles were not events, just what I expected from an all powerful Yahweh. How I was His and He was mine. Spiritual romance. Passion. I have learned that the surrendered life is the only one worth living. I a have learned through loss and an pain to accept the things I cannot change to change the things I can and look to God to help me know the difference. I have learned to "be" and not to "do" as a way of putting off my pains and losses. Relationships are no longer the terror they once were as I learn to know myself and be true. However, there is one relationship I need to improve; that is the one with my Father in Heaven, ('Howard' as Henry Winkler called him in 'Heroes'.), Today I will draw closer to Him by simply making myself available even if I have to "log off" to log on.

Me, Myself, and the Cable Guy

Part of my recovery has been to treat myself to the occasional movie. As a recovering codependent I previously would never go alone. I would have wanted to "enjoy it more" with someone else, or taken a non-believer as outreach. Truth was I had lost my sense of self, and what was real deep, was not good.
Another part of my recovery is to "do life differently". Low brow humor is not normally my forte. Movies like Dumb and Dumber just don't do much for me. I decided I could use a laugh. Remember what those were like? Well I I did get some good laughs. While there was plenty slapstick humor, campyness and lowbrow objectification of women and alcoholism, the premise was truly novel; 3 weekend warriors get activated and shipped off to Iraq, amongst protests of "We only do this on weekends" they are accidentally dropped in Mexico but think they are in Iraq. While the movie could have been much better and seemed to drag in a few spots one line stood out; one of the soldiers went awol to call his wife as "she liked him to check in regularly" and the local drug lord "Carlos Santanta" (no not "The") exclaims much to the agreement of his mob "Man, you need some boundaries."
It did have one of my favorite actors Keith David whom is memorable to me for his role in "Men At Work". Delta Farce also reminded me of our friends, family and fellow citizens known as our troops and their quest for freedom.

While the movie might be rated a C, I had a great time with me.

Happy Father's Day

My Father is genuine and pragmatic. He is also inventive, creative and an entrepreneur. 50% of his blood runs through my body.

Song Quote:

"Take my love, take my land,Take me where I cannot stand... I don't care, I'm still free, You can't take the sky from me... Take me out to the black, Tell them I ain't comin' back... Burn the land and boil the sea, You can't take the sky from me... There's no place I can be
Since I found serenity, But you can't take the sky from me..."

Support

I was talking to a friend earlier about loss, and someone yesterday about reaching out, and it occurred to me that often I think of helping others in terms of direct actions, or words. Yet so much of what the Lord Jesus gives me is simply His presence. Rescuing people doesn't often work; they either resent it or we resent them for not appreciating it enough. Since my experience tells me isolation is part of the despair that the wounded endure; I would posit this: to merely be present with someone in need can do a great good and cost so little. Cost? Why do I assume that the labors of love that are valuable must cost me great sacrifice? When Christ did a physics cut and paste on fishes and loaves, what did it cost him personally?

Sometimes we don't know how to reach out to a wounded soul. I propose the gift of time. Letting another know you are with them cannot remove the pain. But it means they are not alone in it. Time cost you nothing, but is of the most value.

Guided Prayer

ExploreFaith has a nice little devotion area that has a daily MP3 audio clip to accompany a group of ideas and scriptures. (Too bad there isn't an RSS feed.)

You know in today's devotion it has a 'chant'. I don't really chant in my devotions. It associates me with my childhood in a Hindu ashram. I tend to think of it as mindless repetition. However, my wife has seen studies that show certain chants and groups of repeated sounds are healing for people with 'dain bramage and neurosis. I don't like the tendency in myself to be quick to judge another's expression of worship.

At what point did my faith lead me to judge another's?

via Dan Piraro bizarro.com

Quote:

"The people must believe they are not manipulated in order for them to be manipulated effectively."

Winston Smith

The Church Has Left the Broken Behind?

I hear a lot of talk now days from people going 'hey how did we get here?' A sense that the church has left the broken behind.

How did we do it?

• Fear: When ever we let fear pollute our thinking. I am sorry but cultbusting and doctrine debunking is not really the activity of proclaiming the truth. I do not see Christ or his apostles spending much time on apologetics.
• Manipulation: Often times leadership uses the tools of manipulation, fear, obligation, and guilt. (FOG) Persons, healthy enough to recognize, confront, act (sometimes by moving on), or choose to ignore and continue to submit to the head of the Church which is Christ.
• External Values: A focus on appearance. (1stJohn 2:15)
  
• Ignorance: Rigorous opposition to behavioral sciences.
  

What now?
1) Admit, accept, and talk about our fears. Embrace love as our bedrock for the unknown.
I dare any of you who are pastors, study leaders, or teachers to openly talk about what you are really afraid of.

2) If we recognize we have used FOG to manipulate in the church; promptly admit it. Embrace controlling only what we can; ourselves. If we have been under leadership who regularly uses these aggressive methods confront in love, move along, or act. Tolerating abuse is participating in it.

3) Resurrect a passion for brokenness and spirit of openness. When we the church confess our adulteries, sexual immoralities, acts of greed, addictions, and failures, we do not taint the blood of Christ, we define it's power.

4) Anyone in a church who wants to be involved with counseling should take a few behavioral sciences courses and do some reasonable case study and get familiar with terms and facts. The church needs to stop running in fear from phsycology and lead the way with illuminated sciences. Regardless of those who fear the church that is emerging a lesson should be taken by Rick Warren and John Baker who developed Celebrate Recovery and boiled the 12 step into 8 principles. People have hurts habits and hang-ups- and Jesus cares for those people. Come up with 5 reasons. Or the 4 paths, or web 2.0 to help them, just get 'er done. Stop with the pettiness.

The age of compassion is on us.

A vision...

My beloved friend Randy Davis and his friends and family have a vision to start a college. They are needing some angel investors and other people with skills and resources to become involved. If this might be you check out their website for contact info. AlbionChristian.com

Quote:

"Love is the skillful pilot for true public awareness of true public needs."

Beloved friend and child warrior Dennis Mansfield

Credibility

The Reverend Billy Graham tells of a time early in his
career when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon.
Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy for
directions to the post office.

After being told the way by the lad, the Reverend Graham
thanked him, adding: "If you'll come to the Baptist church
this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get
to Heaven."

"I don't think I'll be there," the boy said. "You don't
even know your way to the post office."

Found quote:

“My ‘Poison Free’ tattoo stands for my recovery…my life depends on this tattoo.”

Hug Campaign

Why does embrace hold such power to disarm? Why would police stop public assembly to hug?

via cute chick at nu

quote:

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
--C.S. Lewis

People in churches hurt too

Depression, anxiety and panic attacks, medication, therapy? Wah... in the church? I thought these are the happy shiney people? They must not be trusting Jesus enough with their problems. (sarcasm)


"..There are various emotional diseases people are afflicted by. It may be like me with panic disorder. Quite often it is depression. Maybe it's OCD. Or maybe bi-polar or schizophrenia. I'm sure the list is longer...

There are churches out there that see these issues and their solutions in such a way that I believe further harms the very people the church should be embracing. That is tragic. It needs to stop."

Quote from 'e-runner' at what some may consider a controversy hot spot and what others might consider people talking feeling and trusting- or maybe it is somewhere in between. It is called phoenixpreacher.com a blog where some people dare to speak what they think. (intake of air)


Read the post he(?) has some good things to say.

Update: phoenixpreacher.com has been taken offline. However 'From the Ashes' continues to talk, feel, and trust.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9

Pressed beyond measure; yes, pressed to great length;
Pressed so intensely, beyond my own strength;
Pressed in my body and pressed in my soul,
Pressed in my mind until the dark surges roll.
Pressure from foes, and pressure from dear friends.
Pressure on pressure till life nearly ends.

Pressed into knowing no helper but God;
Pressed into loving His staff and his rod.
Pressed into liberty where nothing clings;
Pressed into faith for impossible things.
Pressed into living my life for the Lord,
Pressed into living a Christ-life outpoured.

A.B. Simpson

intent furthered by Freddy Mercury and David Bowie:

Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you no man ask for
Under pressure
That burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets

Um ba ba bay
Um ba ba bay
Dee day duh
Ee day duh
thats ok

It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming get me out!
Tomorrow takes me higher
Pressure on people
People on streets

Day day day
da da dup bup bup
Okay

Chippin' around
kick my brains round the floor
These are the days
It never rains but it pours
Ee do bay bup
Ee do bay ba bup
Ee do bup
Bay bup
People on streets
Dee da dee da day
People on streets
Dee da dee da dee da dee da

It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming let me out!
Tomorrow takes me high high higher
Pressure on people
People on streets

Turned away from it all
Like the blind man
Sat on a fence but it don't work
Keep coming up with love
But it's so slashed and torn
Why why why?

(Love, love, love, love)

Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking
Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can't we give love that one more chance?
Why can't we give love give love give love?
Give love give love give love give love give love give love?
Cause love's such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care
For the people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way
Of caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
this is our last dance
this is ourselves

This is ourselves
Under Pressure
Under Pressure
Pressure

Listen to the song:

"The Kid" Bruce Willis

This Disney movie about a workaholic executive who's inner child visits him is powerful for those in recovery doing work with their past. I saw only parts of the movie but it brought me to more greatly consider the experiences that I went through as a child and what they meant to me. If you are a workaholic who is out of touch with themselves put this on your considered viewing list.

Great Quotes:

"The Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 P.M. Please use the back door."

Stop Saber Abuse

"..part of recovery is relapse."

You think your recovery is rough? Try media coverage on your slips and slides. While Mr.H isn't to stoked about the video being released he does hope that it will speak to others. I think it will. I am saddened by the fact that his 16 year old daughter had to intervene. Who parents her? (see the video on the jump)

Relational "Bill Of Rights"

"Declaration of Interdependence"

I have the right to:
• Feel respected as a person.
• To be appreciated and not taken for granted.
• Effective communication as partners.
• To have my privacy respected.
• To not battle for control or power.
• Feel good about myself and our relationship.
• To trust validate and support each other.
• To grow within and outside our relationship.
• To my own separate opinions thoughts and choices.
• To choose to stay or leave in this relationship (Commitment is a chosen bond not a chain.)

NEW WEB ADDRESS: 2ndjourney.com

I placed this blog on an actual domain so typing in the whole "dot-blogspot" thang is not needed. New address: 2ndjourney.com.

How is your 2nd journey going? Have you started yet? How far along are you?

12 steps to Recovery in Iraq

After watching a special on Shia and Sunni cival war in Iraq and ruminating over MacArthurs establishement of democracy* in Japan after WW2 it occured to me what needed to be done:

12 steps to Recovery in Iraq

1. We admitted we were powerless over OUR COUNTRY—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore IRAQ to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of Allah as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves, and our country.
5. Admitted to Allah, to ourselves, and to other nations the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have Allah remove all these defects of national character.
7. Humbly asked Allah to remove these national shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with Allah as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for our people and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual national awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other former dictatorships and terrorist strongholds, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

*"Having decided to keep the Japanese national legislature (the Diet), the cabinet and the bureaucracy in place, MacArthur next faced the question of Emperor Hirohito. The Russians and British wanted Hirohito tried and hanged as a war criminal. MacArthur advised Washington against needlessly angering the Japanese by destroying the sacred symbol of their emperor. MacArthur later wrote in his autobiography: "...I would need at least one million reinforcements should such an action be taken ... Military government would have to be instituted throughout all Japan, and guerrilla warfare would probably break out."

To the Pacific basin has come the vista of a new emancipated world. Today, freedom is on the offensive, democracy is on the march.

--Gen. Douglas MacArthur September 2, 1945

Home Box Office Recovery

HBO has a recovery resource page and has been airing a series of 30 minute programs on addiction recovery.

Craig Ferguson Talks About His Stuff

Another one did not bite the dust

Halle Berry admits to considering suicide after depression onset from her first divorce. Kudos to her honesty and it sounds as if she has some solid recovery info. "...had to reprogram myself to see the good in me. Because someone didn't love me didn't mean I was unlovable." Read full article here

Open House

If you are interested in finding out more about New Hope Community Health a faith based corporation which provides training and guidance to those struggling with drug and alcohol issues, they are having an open house on February 27th. It is the latest love child of my friend the lovely adult child Dennis Mansfield please RSVP by calling 208-672-9200.

Drinking and Driving

This story and shocking photo is a reminder of how the choice to drink and drive can harm so many.

Recovery Oriented Radio

As some of you may know I am honored to have the opportunity to produce a 1 hour weekly radio show that started airing at the first of the year called "Friendly Fire" a program dedicated to those wounded in church relationships.

You can log on to the live stream on Mondays at 3:00pm MST and listen to the pilot by going here or download the program in MP3 here.

This download features Dennis Mansfield as a guest. Dennis is a 2 time congressional candidate, a formerly outspoken politico who recently turned over a new leaf by confessing he was too harsh to his political opponents. After having a child in rehab for drug abuse, Mansfield is now putting his money where his mouth is by rolling up his sleeves and working in the jailing systems. I have really come to love Dennis for his transparency, energy, and "Dennisness".

Recovery TV

Speaking of the Dog Whisperer, many have enjoyed the non-violent techniques of Nanny 911. I am always amazed that my first response is "that kid needs a spanking.", and much like the Dog Whisperer, Nanny 911's focus is to retrain the parents and rehabilitate the kids. Both programs show rapid improvement that seems almost unreal. This reminds me that dynamic and sweeping changes can be made when we learn to do life in a healthy way.

I also like to watch Trading Spouses. It is really easy to see how our lack of openess and preconception cloud honest interaction between those who are different.

Other recovery oriented TV programs:

Breaking Bonaduce:

The title of this program is spot on. Our calous will has to surrender in order to recover. This program is surprisingly honest and transparent. His wife Gretchen's faith and love and commitment are inspiring. Groundbreaking. Worth watching. Although I wish there was more of a narrative for the recovery process. I think Bonaduce legitmately wants to recover.

Shooting Sizemore:

Seems like a spin off of Breaking Bonaduce. But I applaud recovery oriented programming. This one is a little dark and profane. It seems to focus more on Sizemore's addictive nature and past as well as his obseession with getting his carreer back.

Kudos to VH1 for producing something with fiber.

We already covered "My Name Is Earl"- but to recap: The risqué and sometimes raunchy humor is worth enduring for the solid recovery oriented message at the core of most but not all of the shows. Not to mention the top notch performance, scripting, and special guests. Have you made a list of all those you have wronged and humbley go about rectifying things yet? Then don't judge me.

Dog Whisperer

When I saw this cable show in the line-up I had negative response, same feelings some men might have about crafting and quilting. But then I watched the program. Cesar Millan is a genius about dog behavior. I am able to glean wisdom about human behavior from this program check it out.