How cool is it that my blog got tagged?
A friend through many friends, Tiasha Stevens from Chicago, who I believe just recently joined the blog community, mentioned my blog in HER blog...how sweet!
...and now, the topic for today:
as i was sitting on the RER A (a commuter train, similar to the Metra in Chicago--taken lots by me and other cool kids who commuted during junior high and high school--shout out Whitney Young Ackies and the track team, FloPitt this is for you) train tonight and feeling a little bit weirded out, I thought to myself, in all my ranting and raving about RANDOM paris stuff, I feel like i've given no real sense of what it's really like to be here
i think that's got a lot to do with my first few weeks having been spent in a slight awed state...then when i was getting settled i was dealing with home drama...prayed on it, gave it to God, let it go...got re-settled and am now kind of used to it
i have a different voice now and can better speak to Paris as i speak to life regularly (for anyone who was around before there was an "Aris of Paris" (shoutout to Rev. Otis Moss III of TUCC...stay strong Trinitarians. Uncle Pops my heart is always with you))
the point?
what is it actually LIKE to be here?
well it's definitely a different country, as evidenced by the whole language barrier (which, by the way, i'll admit to speaking a helluva lot of ENGLISH lately)
it works, sorry, i'm american--BUT, I can conduct conversations in French and do not advocate for stupidity/ignorance when visiting different countries!
tonight i'll say this for "being here"...
in Paris there are a lot of RULES/regles (reg-luhs)
i think i must have gotten it from my Beauty & the Beast love affair I had with the movie and soundtrack, but it always seemed to me that Paris was "provencial" which is another reason why I still often marvel at the size of this city. It's pretty darn big. The metro goes about anywhere. Think NYC train system but not burroughs, just everything in one big blob, though very pretty and gorgeously designed architecture, etc.
But, I go back to "rules"
It's annoying--and it's more a feeling that you know somebody somewhere is trying to control you in some weird way JUST because they're used to things being whatever way they usually are.
For instance, I got a ticket yesterday on the tram, which is like an electric trolley. It's been around for a little while (1 year, though it took 3 years to build supposedly) and the RATP (train) police asked to see my ticket...they do a lot of "control" stuff here, which feels like you're constantly being audited. And I don't mean just certain people--it's EVERYBODY.
So they asked to see it and i showed them the card I use which does not have MY picture on it, but my roommate's picture because the card takes too long to come in the mail and i didn't know it was problem. Turns out it is and I had to pay 40 euro, which if anybody's paying attention to the SINKING DOLLAR is about $60...or it was yesterday.
That they even came up to me, and everybody else on the tram asking to see the tickets signifies somebody all up in my bizness. Maybe I'm over-reacting, but I was also slightly put off when last night I tried to buy wine and was told at the register, after having already selected, with approval from my new friend Michelle (after we spent an amazing 2.5 hours at the Georges Pompidou Center library!), a great bottle of red wine. I think it was a--okay I don't remember, but it wasn't Bordeaux, it was 2005 and it was only 3,02 euro (and no, the comma isn't a mistake. they write it just like that)...and yes you really can get good bottled wine here for the equivalent of $5 (which is one of the few things i don't complain about...what i DO complain about is having to buy wine in glasses at music shows/bars that cost MORE than a good bottle--often 6,50 euro!)
i digress...
I had the wine in hand and what do they tell me at the register? "Oh, sorry, we can't sell you wine after 9pm"
Now, I know there are certain states (CT for instance) that still have blue laws. I do not live in CT, so I have never had to deal with such condemnations of FREEDOM to support economy!
Now granted, my wine disappointment had much to do with the fact that I'd felt robbed from earlier in the day when the stupid RATP idiots made me pay 40 euro, but ultimately i just felt like my day (and the day previous) called for wine. I felt brutally rebuffed (Clueless, circa 199?) and complained for at least 38 minutes. It's some law that they can't sell after 21:00 hours.
UGH!!!
rules, laws, everywhere...
and don't forget to say "merci, au revoir" as you leave each store. Not a bad thing, but a small (polite-ish) adjustment.
But at the end of the day, I suppose it's one of those "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" situations.
And I, for one, am still not convinced that Paris is for me. But I am here now--telling you what it's really like :)
(and yes, i suppose in a way this is--at least for this brief fleeting moment--the return of the long blog by ArinMaya--enjoy!)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
je connais...i know!
it's been forever
and i wish i could stay longer but i gotta go to bed, but know these things:
1-the Lord is in His holy temple (worship and adore His holy name).......give to Him a perfect sacrifice, give to Him a more excellent praise [the last part was just for those who didn't know the rest]
2-I've been not posting because i've been busy taking pics, singing, meeting AMAZING musicians, doing God's thing through me
3-Paris is still great but I do still have plans to rentrer (as in come back)
4-i'm going to Berlin next week!
5-regarding singing, I've been making "regular" (over the course of one week and going up to next monday) appearances at Le Blue Note, Paris; The Area Bar/Restaurant, Paris; Swan Bar, Paris; etc...
AND I've shared the stage with ridiculous saxophonists/pianists/batteurs (drummers) and more...Roy Hargrove made an appearance last week--i'll post pics soon
songs i've sung:
summertime/round midnight/april in paris/from this moment on/god bless the child/one note samba/our love is here to stay...any other ideas? send em my way...
I'm naming myself ArinMaya--Jazz/Soul/Funk/R&B/unclassifiable
and i pray to stay this way
I'm attaching here some inspiration for those of us who value and respect music theory (and i know i have SO long to go to really GET it) and know talent when it's quite blatant like this
all the love in the world from this coast to yours
arinmaya
and i wish i could stay longer but i gotta go to bed, but know these things:
1-the Lord is in His holy temple (worship and adore His holy name).......give to Him a perfect sacrifice, give to Him a more excellent praise [the last part was just for those who didn't know the rest]
2-I've been not posting because i've been busy taking pics, singing, meeting AMAZING musicians, doing God's thing through me
3-Paris is still great but I do still have plans to rentrer (as in come back)
4-i'm going to Berlin next week!
5-regarding singing, I've been making "regular" (over the course of one week and going up to next monday) appearances at Le Blue Note, Paris; The Area Bar/Restaurant, Paris; Swan Bar, Paris; etc...
AND I've shared the stage with ridiculous saxophonists/pianists/batteurs (drummers) and more...Roy Hargrove made an appearance last week--i'll post pics soon
songs i've sung:
summertime/round midnight/april in paris/from this moment on/god bless the child/one note samba/our love is here to stay...any other ideas? send em my way...
I'm naming myself ArinMaya--Jazz/Soul/Funk/R&B/unclassifiable
and i pray to stay this way
I'm attaching here some inspiration for those of us who value and respect music theory (and i know i have SO long to go to really GET it) and know talent when it's quite blatant like this
all the love in the world from this coast to yours
arinmaya
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
regardez-vous, encore!
take a look...actual pics :)
Couch surfing crêperie party--me and yui! eating is tiring :)
tell me you don't agree about the doors--gorgeous, right?
yes, i had my hair braided...and it itched so i'm back to my hair on my head, but that's YANIQUE and the baby piérre...this was before the good food last night--week b4 last (i think)
Palais Royal du Louvre (or something like that...comme ça)--how AMAZING is this? (this may be the ONLY place that I've seen so far that would beat a date incluée Le Buckingham Fountain à Chicago...breathtaking really (the Louvre I mean)
i look so little! this is inside the louvre---sepia toned and happy
Couch surfing crêperie party--me and yui! eating is tiring :)
tell me you don't agree about the doors--gorgeous, right?
yes, i had my hair braided...and it itched so i'm back to my hair on my head, but that's YANIQUE and the baby piérre...this was before the good food last night--week b4 last (i think)
Palais Royal du Louvre (or something like that...comme ça)--how AMAZING is this? (this may be the ONLY place that I've seen so far that would beat a date incluée Le Buckingham Fountain à Chicago...breathtaking really (the Louvre I mean)
i look so little! this is inside the louvre---sepia toned and happy
How I got so HIGH
sans les drogues...(w/o illegal substances)
this is a bit longish, but SO good, so worth it and SUCH a blessing
My linesister and angel-cousin, Candace Bates, sent it to my line and I think it's the kind of piece many of us have seen pieces of before in forwards, but the entire piece is so powerful and a wonderful testament to the power of faith and endurance
I'm sharing it because it meant so much to me...and like musiq said (1st album, aijuswanaseing) on the final track (title bolded):
"people have a tendency to think to themselves/that they're the only ones going through more things than anyone else/but oh i beg to beg to differ/if you would just consider the much bigger picture/cause then you would see that/most people go through the same things that you do in life/but you'll be alright"
soi figured since Somebody's gonna profit from the sharing, there's no harm
no pressure to read more than 250 words for those of you with short attention spans (lol)
sorry...i had to insert at least 1 joke
enjoy--be blessed...
Soaring Like Eagles
by Mary Whelchel
Monday April 19, 2004
Isaiah 40:31: "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles." How often we've quoted and sung this verse, but I wonder, do we really soar on wings like eagles? And what does that mean, after all?
Did you know that 32 times in scripture the eagle is used as an example of the Christian life? That's because eagles are unusual birds who are born to soar higher and faster than any other bird. And as God's eagles, we are made to soar in heavenly realms.
Eagles always build their nests in the highest possible place for three reasons:
1. As protection from their enemies
2. As a perch for surveying the territory
3. As an energy-saving launching pad.
The Word of God is to us like the nest is to the eagle. It is our
protection—our shield—from the enemy of our soul. The written Word gives you a strategic view of the world around you, shows you where to fly and where not to fly; warns you of dangers out in that big world. When your launching pad is God's eternal Word, you're really able to soar like an eagle.
Maybe you've been trying to soar from the ground up. Been flapping your wings a lot lately but going nowhere? You need a better launching pad. Isaiah begins this 40th chapter by reminding us that the Word of our God stands forever.
Jesus is the Word of God incarnate—the Word made flesh that dwelled among us. He stands forever; His love for us will last forever; nothing can separate us from His love; He will never leave us or forsake us. If you're not soaring on wings of eagles these days, check it out. The launching pad is the Word of God. No other take-off will work.
Have you been soaring lately, or have you been more like a canary, in a cage singing a little tune but not accomplishing very much? Or perhaps like a buzzard, sitting on telephone poles, watching everybody else, eating dead things. Or do you look more like a peacock, pruning your feathers?
Tuesday April 20, 2004
When baby eagle is born, her home is a very soft, secure, cozy nest, high up in a secure place. Mamma and Papa are very good parents, and they make the nest as comfortable as possible for their little one. And there the eaglet happily grows until it reaches 80% of its full body size and weight by three months.
While baby eagle is safely tucked in the nest, getting stronger and
growing bigger, Mamma and Papa soar and hover over her, showing her what eagles are meant to do. But with such a comfortable nest, baby eagle is content to be a freeloader and just let mom and dad take care of her.
But one day Mamma and Papa start behaving very strangely. They don't bring any goodies to eat, but instead they start grabbing hunks of the comfortable down in the nest and dropping it over the side. Little by little, they take away all the warm, soft lining until finally the baby eagle is left in that very uncomfortable, sticky, prickly nest. Why do they do this? Because the eaglet will never fly and soar as long as her nest is feathered—and an eagle is born to soar.
Finally, Mamma eagle does something that seems so cruel to baby eagle. She grabs her with her huge talons and she puts that baby on the edge of a precipice. This upsets baby eagle no end. She is scared to death, as she looks down below.
But Mamma and Papa pay no attention to the baby's cries for help, because they know it's time she learns to soar. She was born to soar, but she doesn't know it yet. They've got to show her what her destiny is.
Is your nest being stirred up these days? Did you ever think that maybe your heavenly Father is trying to teach you how to soar? Deuteronomy 32:11: "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions."
Wednesday April 21, 2004
If you've been born from above, you were born to soar like an eagle. As we saw, baby eagle is allowed to stay in her warm, high nest until she is about three months old and has developed her wings. Then Mamma and Papa start to teach that baby what her destiny is—how to soar. First they remove all the soft lining from her nest, then Mamma picks her up and puts her on a precipice, out of her warm, safe nest.
While Mamma is maneuvering baby eagle to the edge, Papa eagle begins circling overhead, watching carefully everything that is happening. Then suddenly, without warning Mamma eagle pushes the baby over the edge. This begins a free-fall and baby eagle is totally helpless. It appears that she is doomed to be dashed on the rocks below, and she is totally bewildered as to why Mamma would do this to her.
Papa, hovering overhead, never takes his eyes off of her, and with perfect timing he swoops down with incredible speed and spreads his huge wings beneath that baby eagle before it is dashed to death below. You see, an eaglet cannot fall faster than her father can fly.
Are you in a free fall? Do you feel as though you're going to be dashed against the rocks and destroyed? I want you to remember that your Heavenly Father is hovering over you, watching you every minute, and I want to absolutely assure you that your heavenly Father can fly faster than you can fall.
This process is repeated time and again until that baby eagle realizes that by spreading her wings and catching the wind current, she can soar like Mamma and Papa.
God wants you to know the joy and freedom of soaring, and once you get the gist of it, you won't ever settle for anything else. It may sometimes seem like a painful flying lesson, but you don't want to miss the joy of soaring. Remember that the eagle rides the air currents while the other birds are flapping their wings. She flies effortlessly, because she learns how to soar on the wind. And as God's eagle, you don't have to flap your wings. If you will, by faith, spread out those eagles' wings, they will carry you on God's Wind, His Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:24: "The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."
Thursday April 22, 2004
Eagles—the Bible tells us in several passages that we are to soar like
eagles. We're not supposed to squawk like chickens, or gobble like
turkeys, or twirp like canaries. We're supposed to soar, so we've been learning how eagles learn to soar.
It can be a painful process, as that young eagle has to be pushed off a high precipice and start a disastrous downfall. But Papa eagle is always hovering over her, and he never allows her to be dashed against the rocks below, because Papa eagle can fly faster than baby eagle can fall.
Doesn't that encourage your heart—to know that your heavenly Father will never allow you to be dashed against the stones, because He can fly faster than you can fall.
There's another eagle fact that is encouraging. Do you know what an eagle does when it is being chased by an enemy? Well, unlike any other bird, the eagle has two sets of eyelids, and one works like sunglasses. Therefore, the eagle can fly directly into the sun when a predator bird is in hot pursuit. As soon as the eagle flies into the sun, using its special sunglass eyelids, then the enemy bird is blinded by the sun and loses the eagle in the blinding light of the sun.
What a beautiful reminder that is to us of how we can escape our enemies. You are aware that you have an enemy of your soul, satan and his demons, who are dedicated to keeping you from soaring. They know you're God's eagle, but they don't want you to soar because when you soar, you are effective for Jesus. So, that enemy will come after you in various ways—through discouragement, through failure, through sin in your life, by convincing you that you'll never be able to soar. Is that where you are?
All you have to do is fly right into the Son of God, get as close to Him as you can, stay in first love with Him, and don't take your eyes off of Him. Your enemy is blinded by the righteousness of the Son of God, and when you stay close to Jesus, you can escape the temptations and the flaming arrows of the evil one.
People will disappoint you; circumstances will go sour; your dreams may crumble and your hopes may be dashed. But I can absolutely, positively guarantee you that Jesus will never fail you. Never, and if you'll fly right straight into the Son, you will have victory over your enemies, and you'll soar on wings of an eagle.
Friday April 23, 2004
Isaiah 40:31: "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." I'm glad to know that God is able to renew my strength, aren't you?
One of the most astonishing characteristics about eagles is the molting process they go through. About mid-life eagles experience this unusual chemical change in their bodies, and the time of molting begins. The eagle will seek out a secluded valley and sit for hours and days there with her head down. One by one she starts to lose her feathers. Her talons become brittle from digging in the dirt. She loses weight; she can no longer soar. Hope is dead; her strength is gone.
Suddenly she hears familiar sounds above her. Slowly she raises her head and sees that her fellow eagles are there flying in formation above her. They begin to drop food all around this lifeless eagle in the valley. When the forlorn eagle starts to eat, she gets stronger. Gradually her feathers grow and eventually she is able to fly and soar again. Her strength is renewed.
And as the eagle's strength is renewable, so is ours. They that wait on and hope in the Lord will renew their strength. And then they will mount up with wings like eagles. This is our promise from the Lord our God.
Notice that when our strength is renewed, first we mount up on wings. Then we run, and then we walk. Before we can walk and run in this everyday world, as ambassadors for Christ, we need to mount up on wings like eagles, and soar right into the Son of God. That's where we find the power and the patience and the perspective we need for walking and running in this world.
I want to encourage you that God can renew your strength so that you can soar like an eagle. No matter how hopeless it looks, God is able to renew you. And if you know some fellow Christian who is in that valley right now, maybe you can be one of those encouragers who drops some meat to them, shows them God's love and helps them to renew their strength.
I hope to see you soaring!
(Mary’s book, Soaring on High, gives more spiritual insights from the life of an eagle. You can order by calling 1-800-292-1218 or online at www.christianworkingwoman.org)
lovelovelove and peace...and flight
this is a bit longish, but SO good, so worth it and SUCH a blessing
My linesister and angel-cousin, Candace Bates, sent it to my line and I think it's the kind of piece many of us have seen pieces of before in forwards, but the entire piece is so powerful and a wonderful testament to the power of faith and endurance
I'm sharing it because it meant so much to me...and like musiq said (1st album, aijuswanaseing) on the final track (title bolded):
"people have a tendency to think to themselves/that they're the only ones going through more things than anyone else/but oh i beg to beg to differ/if you would just consider the much bigger picture/cause then you would see that/most people go through the same things that you do in life/but you'll be alright"
soi figured since Somebody's gonna profit from the sharing, there's no harm
no pressure to read more than 250 words for those of you with short attention spans (lol)
sorry...i had to insert at least 1 joke
enjoy--be blessed...
Soaring Like Eagles
by Mary Whelchel
Monday April 19, 2004
Isaiah 40:31: "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles." How often we've quoted and sung this verse, but I wonder, do we really soar on wings like eagles? And what does that mean, after all?
Did you know that 32 times in scripture the eagle is used as an example of the Christian life? That's because eagles are unusual birds who are born to soar higher and faster than any other bird. And as God's eagles, we are made to soar in heavenly realms.
Eagles always build their nests in the highest possible place for three reasons:
1. As protection from their enemies
2. As a perch for surveying the territory
3. As an energy-saving launching pad.
The Word of God is to us like the nest is to the eagle. It is our
protection—our shield—from the enemy of our soul. The written Word gives you a strategic view of the world around you, shows you where to fly and where not to fly; warns you of dangers out in that big world. When your launching pad is God's eternal Word, you're really able to soar like an eagle.
Maybe you've been trying to soar from the ground up. Been flapping your wings a lot lately but going nowhere? You need a better launching pad. Isaiah begins this 40th chapter by reminding us that the Word of our God stands forever.
Jesus is the Word of God incarnate—the Word made flesh that dwelled among us. He stands forever; His love for us will last forever; nothing can separate us from His love; He will never leave us or forsake us. If you're not soaring on wings of eagles these days, check it out. The launching pad is the Word of God. No other take-off will work.
Have you been soaring lately, or have you been more like a canary, in a cage singing a little tune but not accomplishing very much? Or perhaps like a buzzard, sitting on telephone poles, watching everybody else, eating dead things. Or do you look more like a peacock, pruning your feathers?
Tuesday April 20, 2004
When baby eagle is born, her home is a very soft, secure, cozy nest, high up in a secure place. Mamma and Papa are very good parents, and they make the nest as comfortable as possible for their little one. And there the eaglet happily grows until it reaches 80% of its full body size and weight by three months.
While baby eagle is safely tucked in the nest, getting stronger and
growing bigger, Mamma and Papa soar and hover over her, showing her what eagles are meant to do. But with such a comfortable nest, baby eagle is content to be a freeloader and just let mom and dad take care of her.
But one day Mamma and Papa start behaving very strangely. They don't bring any goodies to eat, but instead they start grabbing hunks of the comfortable down in the nest and dropping it over the side. Little by little, they take away all the warm, soft lining until finally the baby eagle is left in that very uncomfortable, sticky, prickly nest. Why do they do this? Because the eaglet will never fly and soar as long as her nest is feathered—and an eagle is born to soar.
Finally, Mamma eagle does something that seems so cruel to baby eagle. She grabs her with her huge talons and she puts that baby on the edge of a precipice. This upsets baby eagle no end. She is scared to death, as she looks down below.
But Mamma and Papa pay no attention to the baby's cries for help, because they know it's time she learns to soar. She was born to soar, but she doesn't know it yet. They've got to show her what her destiny is.
Is your nest being stirred up these days? Did you ever think that maybe your heavenly Father is trying to teach you how to soar? Deuteronomy 32:11: "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions."
Wednesday April 21, 2004
If you've been born from above, you were born to soar like an eagle. As we saw, baby eagle is allowed to stay in her warm, high nest until she is about three months old and has developed her wings. Then Mamma and Papa start to teach that baby what her destiny is—how to soar. First they remove all the soft lining from her nest, then Mamma picks her up and puts her on a precipice, out of her warm, safe nest.
While Mamma is maneuvering baby eagle to the edge, Papa eagle begins circling overhead, watching carefully everything that is happening. Then suddenly, without warning Mamma eagle pushes the baby over the edge. This begins a free-fall and baby eagle is totally helpless. It appears that she is doomed to be dashed on the rocks below, and she is totally bewildered as to why Mamma would do this to her.
Papa, hovering overhead, never takes his eyes off of her, and with perfect timing he swoops down with incredible speed and spreads his huge wings beneath that baby eagle before it is dashed to death below. You see, an eaglet cannot fall faster than her father can fly.
Are you in a free fall? Do you feel as though you're going to be dashed against the rocks and destroyed? I want you to remember that your Heavenly Father is hovering over you, watching you every minute, and I want to absolutely assure you that your heavenly Father can fly faster than you can fall.
This process is repeated time and again until that baby eagle realizes that by spreading her wings and catching the wind current, she can soar like Mamma and Papa.
God wants you to know the joy and freedom of soaring, and once you get the gist of it, you won't ever settle for anything else. It may sometimes seem like a painful flying lesson, but you don't want to miss the joy of soaring. Remember that the eagle rides the air currents while the other birds are flapping their wings. She flies effortlessly, because she learns how to soar on the wind. And as God's eagle, you don't have to flap your wings. If you will, by faith, spread out those eagles' wings, they will carry you on God's Wind, His Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:24: "The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."
Thursday April 22, 2004
Eagles—the Bible tells us in several passages that we are to soar like
eagles. We're not supposed to squawk like chickens, or gobble like
turkeys, or twirp like canaries. We're supposed to soar, so we've been learning how eagles learn to soar.
It can be a painful process, as that young eagle has to be pushed off a high precipice and start a disastrous downfall. But Papa eagle is always hovering over her, and he never allows her to be dashed against the rocks below, because Papa eagle can fly faster than baby eagle can fall.
Doesn't that encourage your heart—to know that your heavenly Father will never allow you to be dashed against the stones, because He can fly faster than you can fall.
There's another eagle fact that is encouraging. Do you know what an eagle does when it is being chased by an enemy? Well, unlike any other bird, the eagle has two sets of eyelids, and one works like sunglasses. Therefore, the eagle can fly directly into the sun when a predator bird is in hot pursuit. As soon as the eagle flies into the sun, using its special sunglass eyelids, then the enemy bird is blinded by the sun and loses the eagle in the blinding light of the sun.
What a beautiful reminder that is to us of how we can escape our enemies. You are aware that you have an enemy of your soul, satan and his demons, who are dedicated to keeping you from soaring. They know you're God's eagle, but they don't want you to soar because when you soar, you are effective for Jesus. So, that enemy will come after you in various ways—through discouragement, through failure, through sin in your life, by convincing you that you'll never be able to soar. Is that where you are?
All you have to do is fly right into the Son of God, get as close to Him as you can, stay in first love with Him, and don't take your eyes off of Him. Your enemy is blinded by the righteousness of the Son of God, and when you stay close to Jesus, you can escape the temptations and the flaming arrows of the evil one.
People will disappoint you; circumstances will go sour; your dreams may crumble and your hopes may be dashed. But I can absolutely, positively guarantee you that Jesus will never fail you. Never, and if you'll fly right straight into the Son, you will have victory over your enemies, and you'll soar on wings of an eagle.
Friday April 23, 2004
Isaiah 40:31: "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." I'm glad to know that God is able to renew my strength, aren't you?
One of the most astonishing characteristics about eagles is the molting process they go through. About mid-life eagles experience this unusual chemical change in their bodies, and the time of molting begins. The eagle will seek out a secluded valley and sit for hours and days there with her head down. One by one she starts to lose her feathers. Her talons become brittle from digging in the dirt. She loses weight; she can no longer soar. Hope is dead; her strength is gone.
Suddenly she hears familiar sounds above her. Slowly she raises her head and sees that her fellow eagles are there flying in formation above her. They begin to drop food all around this lifeless eagle in the valley. When the forlorn eagle starts to eat, she gets stronger. Gradually her feathers grow and eventually she is able to fly and soar again. Her strength is renewed.
And as the eagle's strength is renewable, so is ours. They that wait on and hope in the Lord will renew their strength. And then they will mount up with wings like eagles. This is our promise from the Lord our God.
Notice that when our strength is renewed, first we mount up on wings. Then we run, and then we walk. Before we can walk and run in this everyday world, as ambassadors for Christ, we need to mount up on wings like eagles, and soar right into the Son of God. That's where we find the power and the patience and the perspective we need for walking and running in this world.
I want to encourage you that God can renew your strength so that you can soar like an eagle. No matter how hopeless it looks, God is able to renew you. And if you know some fellow Christian who is in that valley right now, maybe you can be one of those encouragers who drops some meat to them, shows them God's love and helps them to renew their strength.
I hope to see you soaring!
(Mary’s book, Soaring on High, gives more spiritual insights from the life of an eagle. You can order by calling 1-800-292-1218 or online at www.christianworkingwoman.org)
lovelovelove and peace...and flight
J'ai ecrit
When i listened to that wonderful song last night, i wrote this:
This song
Be real black for me
Even in this moment when I have to squint to write these words
Makes me feel
Good
I remember the first time I heard it
It was with you
I had never heard it before
It just sounds so good
And it feels so good
To be in this place I’m in right now of fullness and love and light that can’t be taken away
It belongs to me
The love and the light
They live in me
Manifesting themselves as the breath I breathe
The smiles I give the space of my teeth through which to shine
Hold me hold me hold me
I’m smiling just to remember the memory of hearing the song the first time
To be held in the presence of a voice and love so undeserved by me
He loved me first
Reliving that time of unrealized goodness is
Real good for me
. . . . . . . . . .
here are the lyrics--i always like seeing the words
regardez-vous (take a look)
Our time is short and precious
Your lips warm and luscious
You don’t have to wear false charms
Cause when I wrap you in my hungry arms
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Your hair is soft and crinkly
Your body’s strong and stately
You don’t have to search and roam
Cause I got your love at home
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
In my head I’m only half together
If I lose you I’ll be ruined forever
Darling, take my hand and hold me
Hold me hold me, Hold me hold me
You know how much I need you
To have you, really feel you
You don’t have to change a thing
No one knows the love you bring
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
This song
Be real black for me
Even in this moment when I have to squint to write these words
Makes me feel
Good
I remember the first time I heard it
It was with you
I had never heard it before
It just sounds so good
And it feels so good
To be in this place I’m in right now of fullness and love and light that can’t be taken away
It belongs to me
The love and the light
They live in me
Manifesting themselves as the breath I breathe
The smiles I give the space of my teeth through which to shine
Hold me hold me hold me
I’m smiling just to remember the memory of hearing the song the first time
To be held in the presence of a voice and love so undeserved by me
He loved me first
Reliving that time of unrealized goodness is
Real good for me
. . . . . . . . . .
here are the lyrics--i always like seeing the words
regardez-vous (take a look)
Our time is short and precious
Your lips warm and luscious
You don’t have to wear false charms
Cause when I wrap you in my hungry arms
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Your hair is soft and crinkly
Your body’s strong and stately
You don’t have to search and roam
Cause I got your love at home
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
In my head I’m only half together
If I lose you I’ll be ruined forever
Darling, take my hand and hold me
Hold me hold me, Hold me hold me
You know how much I need you
To have you, really feel you
You don’t have to change a thing
No one knows the love you bring
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
Be real black for me
okay...d'accord
i admit
that was a pitiful attempt at a short blog
i'm just wordy
je suis desolée!
j'ai beaucoup des choses que je veux te racconter..i got lots to tell you!
right now it's 4:30am here
Obama won WISCONSIN...how WONDERFUL (not that i'm partial or anything...)
ok, cut that crap
I FULLY support Obama and, you know, if you do too that's cool
or if you don't that's cool too
i just wanted to share a couple things that have given me joy over the past few days...that have lifted me high and higher as I try everyday to live the life God wants for me
joy-filled and close and closer to Him and always in His will
this song, shared with me by a good lifetime friend sung by roberta flack and donny hathaway, just makes me feel good
ohhh, i found it on youtube!
enjoy....
that was a pitiful attempt at a short blog
i'm just wordy
je suis desolée!
j'ai beaucoup des choses que je veux te racconter..i got lots to tell you!
right now it's 4:30am here
Obama won WISCONSIN...how WONDERFUL (not that i'm partial or anything...)
ok, cut that crap
I FULLY support Obama and, you know, if you do too that's cool
or if you don't that's cool too
i just wanted to share a couple things that have given me joy over the past few days...that have lifted me high and higher as I try everyday to live the life God wants for me
joy-filled and close and closer to Him and always in His will
this song, shared with me by a good lifetime friend sung by roberta flack and donny hathaway, just makes me feel good
ohhh, i found it on youtube!
enjoy....
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