tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-130528972024-03-07T20:01:07.951-08:00WORSHIPOETRY"All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you." Psalm 38:9Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comBlogger404125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-58158381188225783752015-04-13T07:50:00.000-07:002015-04-27T07:56:21.593-07:00Open Vowels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I look for A...<br />
in the Amber glow of a coy sunset<br />
Altruism hiding behind a grey shadow of pride<br />
I look for E...<br />
in the Everyday moments<br />
Easy-listening for a still, small voice<br />
I look for I...<br />
in the waning Innocence of my little girl<br />
Inches above me, teetering a jaded tightrope<br />
I look for O...<br />
in the Opulence of others<br />
Only to find it hovering in a hal-O above simplicity<br />
I look for U...<br />
in the Understanding uninhibited me<br />
Unbound, untidy, untethered<br />
Help me to look for the Y...<br />
in You so much more than sometimes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>"You'll welcome us with open arms, when we run for cover to you...</i><br />
<div>
<i>You are famous for decking us out in delight." </i></div>
<div>
Psalm 5:11-12 (msg)<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
"While we have been pursuing God,<br />
<div>
He has been rushing toward us with reckless love,</div>
<div>
arms flung wide to hug us home." </div>
<div>
Ken Gire</div>
</div>
Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-29152176247768280602015-03-30T12:06:00.002-07:002015-05-06T06:21:54.238-07:00The Gallery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
When He first touched the brush to my canvas,<br />
He pursed His lips in a smile<br />
Tickling me with vivid greens<br />
playful yellows, baby skin pinks,<br />
lily whites and river blues.<br />
He scribbled my name<br />
"Water Lily Pond"<br />
and I knew who I was,<br />
a love note to the Painter of my painter.<br />
Then they brought me here.<br />
This gallery<br />
so much colder than His backyard.<br />
Some stop to look and smile.<br />
A mother and daughter even paused to marvel,<br />
silently taking me in inch by inch.<br />
I could feel the sunset again.<br />
Many walk by, not noticing.<br />
Some saunter and sniff a smug indifference.<br />
One boy stared at his phone while his Mother asked<br />
"When's lunch?"<br />
I wish I could show them what the Master meant.<br />
He wants them to imagine.<br />
To fill in the blanks with their eyes and minds.<br />
He left room for them in the painting.<br />
To smell the lilies.<br />
To hear the water flowing.<br />
To feel the sunset on their faces,<br />
the wind that swirled around His brushes that day.<br />
He's not photographer. He's a painter.<br />
He's not a dictator. He wants them<br />
to discover.<br />
Then came the critics.<br />
Loud and multiplying. Echoing off these stark walls.<br />
"What a mess. I'm not impressed."<br />
"Who needs impressions when you could have clarity?"<br />
"Too bold. It should be more subtle."<br />
"Too subtle. It should be more bold."<br />
"Too loud. Too soft. Too childish."<br />
"I don't get it."<br />
Their voices trying to peel the paint.<br />
Squinting, wincing, rolling eyes.<br />
I heard them, and it hurt.<br />
But it doesn't take me off this wall.<br />
It doesn't take that satisfied sigh away<br />
when He put up His brushes for the day,<br />
grinning to utter one word,<br />
"Beautiful!"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God’s handwriting — a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing." <br />
~Ralph Waldo Emerson<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #e5e5dd; color: #330000; font-family: georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span class="bible-item-title-wrap" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;"><a class="bible-item-title" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+139%3A13&version=MSG" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b34b2c; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Psalm 139:13</a></span></i><br />
<div class="bible-item-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<i>Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.</i></div>
<br />
<br />
<span class="bqQuoteLink" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif !important; font-size: 20px; line-height: 26px;">"<a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/p/paulocoelh447367.html?src=t_critics" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;" title="view quote">I write from my soul. This is the reason that critics don't hurt me, because it is me. If it was not me, if I was pretending to be someone else, then this could unbalance my world, but I know who I am.</a>"</span><br />
<div class="bq-aut" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 6px;">
<a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/paulo_coelho.html" style="color: #0000aa; text-decoration: none;" title="view author">Paulo Coelho</a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-12943159621079729802015-02-03T12:29:00.003-08:002015-02-03T12:29:37.125-08:00Falling Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>ZigZag</b> questions, seasick<br />
<b>Yoga</b> Zen fallen flat<br />
<b>Xmas</b> once a year<br />
This <b>wrinkle</b> in time<br />
This heroic <b>villain, </b>down to get up<br />
<b>Undermining</b> the minds in the mines<br />
with<b> Trapeze</b> daydreams<br />
To stick to the sky like a <b>Starfish</b><br />
Regeneration in a <b>riddle</b><br />
The <b>quiver</b> of a <b>promise</b><br />
<b>Order nailed</b> down deep in the chaos<br />
The <b>murmurs</b> of a muddy hope<br />
A <b>lamp</b> for the lost<br />
A<b> kayak </b>skimming surfaces<br />
A <b>jet</b> that zooms above it all<br />
Or just an <b>inch</b> above ground<br />
To <b>howl</b> or hush here<br />
This quicksand <b>gravity </b>of change<br />
To build a <b>fence</b> and hide, outside<br />
Until my <b>echo </b>and I become extinct<br />
A piece of <b>driftwood </b>tossed aside<br />
A dancer asked to<b> crawl</b> off into the wings<br />
Losing her <b>balance </b><br />
In this dizzying <b>About-face</b><br />
This <b>Z to A</b><br />
moment of<br />
falling up.<br />
Perhaps a better stage awaits.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<span class="bqQuoteLink" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif !important; line-height: 26px;">"A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are.<b> Embrace the change, no matter what it is</b>; once you do, you can learn about the new world you're in and take advantage of it."</span><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/nikki_giovanni.html" style="text-decoration: none;" title="view author"><span style="color: black;">Nikki Giovanni</span></a><br />
<br /><div>
<i>"Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you <b>wherever you go</b>.” Joshua 1:9 (msg)</i></div>
Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-73061986327602141042015-01-13T11:27:00.000-08:002015-02-12T18:42:41.280-08:00So Close<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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memories perch<br />
in the palm of my hand<br />
a snowflake on mittens<br />
barbie sunglasses looming above<br />
plastic bodies preaching ideals<br />
that nightmare of a spider<br />
I woke up; it creeped up and bit my thumb<br />
dandelion fluff ashes of wishes<br />
a rebel crayon looking for front lines to cross<br />
a glass shard reflecting mom's first cuss word<br />
a bumble bee by the slide, "just stand still", sting, teachers lie<br />
wax worm tickling before dad's hooks pierced<br />
communion cup, upturned, suctioned, tap-dancing a pew<br />
milk dud trios in tiny boxes under a Lucy mask<br />
a deflated balloon after a party I wasn't invited to<br />
a golf ball when dad couldn't teach me to swing anymore<br />
popcorn kernels on the stove, mom's oil, timing<br />
erasers in raised hands, rolling eyes, prank calls<br />
a key to the dorm room, old carpet, a kiss under a blossom tree<br />
stamps on letters from Frankfort, palm to chest to quiet the pounding<br />
a diamond ring, a question<br />
an eggshell, arguments, payments<br />
mini-rubber ducky, tiny palms around our pinkies, bath time<br />
a red pen cap, stories in rows of desks and eyes<br />
a grape and a walnut, a temple of why<br />
a raindrop on a run, or a teardrop, the same<br />
a paper clip removed, a manuscript tossed to heaven<br />
empty, cupped, two creases<br />
You with scars in yours<br />
and me the line below<br />
so close<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>"See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..." Isaiah 49:16</i><br />
<br />
“To see a world in a grain of sand<br />
And heaven in a wild flower <br />
Hold infinity in the palms of your hand <br />
And eternity in an hour.”<br />
William BlakeKristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-71940899994012148022014-12-12T07:50:00.000-08:002015-02-12T18:43:21.869-08:00More Than Meets the I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
a star could sizzle like kettle kernels<br />
a howl could taste like blood and the chase<br />
a circle could waft like pumpkin pie and relatives round tables<br />
a baby's cry splashes pink on the walls and cheeks<br />
white could move in slow motion, a sheer blown by a window breeze<br />
a whisper could tango like incense, curling seductively to the eardrum<br />
mischief could smell like a black rubber mask and a grin<br />
turquoise could tickle your toes with a peacock feather<br />
a new idea could be that first breath above the surface<br />
after diving deep and catching a glimpse<br />
of an underwater Mermaid kingdom<br />
a stranger could be a walking life lesson<br />
listen, look, taste, inhale, and see<br />
more than meets the I<br />
<br />
<br />
"We are lonesome animals. We spend all of our life trying to be less lonesome. One of our ancient methods is to tell a story begging the listener to say-and to feel- ‘Yes, that is the way it is, or at least that is the way I feel it.’ You’re not as alone as you thought."<br />
<div>
—John Steinbeck<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>"With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots."</i></div>
<div>
<i>Mark 4:33 (MSG)</i><br />
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Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-79852988108323799302014-11-06T11:11:00.000-08:002014-11-06T11:12:09.124-08:00A Date with Mr. Idiom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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smirky reptilian pickup line<br />
"<i>Penny for your thoughts</i>?"<br />
a rebuttal in his native tongue<br />
"Let's not <i>beat around the bush</i>.<br />
You're <i>barking up the wrong tree</i>, buddy."<br />
Monocle falls <i>at the drop of a hat</i><br />
<i>"</i>My dear, why not <i>give me the benefit of the doubt?</i><br />
<i>Don't judge a book by it's cover.</i><br />
<i>Every cloud has a silver lining."</i><br />
<i>Nails on a chalkboard.</i><br />
I t<i>urn on a dime</i> so we can<i> see eye to eye.</i><br />
<i>"To make a long story short</i><br />
and <i>kill two birds with one stone,</i><br />
Time with me would <i>cost you an arm an a leg.</i><br />
I'll <i>burn the midnight oil </i>to<i> avoid you like the plague.</i><br />
<i>You're a wolf in sheep's clothing.</i><br />
There's<i> a method to my madness.</i><br />
I wore plaid pants to say "I do" to Mr. Unorthodox<br />
And he carries a loaded hot glue gun<br />
that helps me piece together something viscid<br />
and burgeoning<br />
and pulchritudinous<br />
So go <i>take the bull by the horns</i><br />
<i>Don't give up your day job.</i><br />
<i>Go cut corners </i>with someone else.<br />
Here's a <i>taste of your own medicine.</i><br />
Curiosity resurrected this cat."<br />
<br />
<div>
<br />
"Artists of all disciplines must be willing to go into the dark, let go control, be surprised." - Madeleine L' Engle</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"It’s true that moral guidance and counsel need to be given,<br />
<div>
but <i>how</i> you say it and to whom you say it are as important as what you say."</div>
<div>
1 Timothy 1:8 MSG</div>
</div>
Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-2980873932368611612014-10-07T11:40:00.000-07:002014-10-21T08:35:38.096-07:00Rhythm in Blues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My blue flits about-playful, frantic<br />
then rests on the trampoline of a daisy's sway<br />
masquerading drab moth exterior, hiding hues<br />
My blue was born under a wide open Texas sky<br />
in his Ocean eyes in two blue lines on a white stick<br />
Blue relishes attention midday<br />
relinquishes the spotlight to rosy morning and amber dusk<br />
sandwiched in the grand entrance and the grand finale<br />
the steady wallpaper of a lazy afternoon<br />
My blue admonishes her bluejays,<br />
"Stop the bullying and just be beautiful!"<br />
She speaks a bold silence<br />
the blueberry on the vine<br />
waiting to gush and delight<br />
the curl of the wave<br />
waiting to crash into white<br />
the cotton candy bagged<br />
waiting to sticky your fingers<br />
My blue lacks the caution of yellow<br />
rolls her eyes at the ego of red<br />
charmed by her impish purple cousin<br />
My blue hides in a box of clouds<br />
where shapes are freed to flirt with imagination<br />
She sings a song of peaceful longing<br />
a familiar melody that curves up the mouth with hope<br />
She hangs out with teal when she's up for a good dare<br />
vacations with green on tropical isles<br />
My blue is not sad<br />
Her sighs are like stretches<br />
She's just flexing her wings.<br />
<br />
<br />
"Color is the place where our brain and the universe meet." Paul Klee<br />
<br />
<i>"The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts." </i><br />
<div>
<i>2 Corinthians 8:2-3</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
"When you're feeling a little broken, that's just a chance for your inner beauty to peek through."<br />
(-A whisper from God when this butterfly landed on my finger)<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-11178841430858804222014-09-25T08:02:00.001-07:002014-10-06T09:25:52.108-07:00Life of the Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rpNuJ330sDT6s6b7g_35hOBWhP5TrGJLvJA10E0VMdh9DIZOxFeGU78G8U_dPldVyG-gEZlpmhyksSVr1G8jYTEsISAFatMgEcpg9CRA9oYPHOCHHI7EGEzrXQ5Nnx4qrY4nMw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-25+at+11.01.07+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rpNuJ330sDT6s6b7g_35hOBWhP5TrGJLvJA10E0VMdh9DIZOxFeGU78G8U_dPldVyG-gEZlpmhyksSVr1G8jYTEsISAFatMgEcpg9CRA9oYPHOCHHI7EGEzrXQ5Nnx4qrY4nMw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-25+at+11.01.07+AM.png" height="320" width="231" /></a></div>
Confetti days floor<br />
forgotten delight, awaiting the broom<br />
<br />
Wallflower days hide in a corner<br />
clutching a cake-crumbed paper plate<br />
<br />
Donkey days rear end<br />
butt of the joke without a tail<br />
<br />
Piñata days swing high<br />
sticking around to take a beating<br />
then spill my guts<br />
greedy grabbing for gossip<br />
hoard, unwrap, savor<br />
<br />
Balloon days float then deflate slowly<br />
rise and fall,<br />
tied down by puppet string<br />
<br />
Streamer days twist and hang<br />
Disposable, wrinkled, easily torn<br />
<br />
Wrapping paper days rip open<br />
crumpled then throw away<br />
<br />
Oh to be that trick candle again<br />
surprise delight<br />
the child in all of us<br />
as we gasp fully<br />
exhale passionately<br />
this life of breaths<br />
unsnuffable<br />
<br />
Re-light this spark within.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4379.Sylvia_Plath" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Sylvia Plath</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1385044" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;">The Bell Jar</a></i><br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<i>"Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Genesis 2:7</i><br />
<br />
<br />Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-975067751805134512014-09-18T09:57:00.003-07:002014-10-13T07:16:09.997-07:00ReTURNing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QnA3NnlDQANXDtXO5al6_VblxQoqFr2-l5qRDo_mPvfWnALvYicLDJoc58ueizdVdaH24H10fJGiKbD_pS27vbAhW2XOnuTOdeFBrdiwLq8N0047X_j4M38qCw4uLKbpzL-rJg/s1600/play.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QnA3NnlDQANXDtXO5al6_VblxQoqFr2-l5qRDo_mPvfWnALvYicLDJoc58ueizdVdaH24H10fJGiKbD_pS27vbAhW2XOnuTOdeFBrdiwLq8N0047X_j4M38qCw4uLKbpzL-rJg/s1600/play.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I skipped through the ABC's today<br />
and this is what I found<br />
Ageless adventure abracadabra<br />
Blueberry blossoms bold unbound<br />
Curious clear-headed creative<br />
Delicate daring dame<br />
Exploring enchanted exploits<br />
Faithful fluency unframed<br />
Genuine giddy glow again<br />
Hopeful happy hopping here<br />
Inspired to invent imagine<br />
Joyful jokes jests un-jeered<br />
Kindness Keepsakes Kisses<br />
Love<br />
Motherhood minus minding the mess<br />
Noble natural nurturing<br />
Onward original openness<br />
Playful pin-striped passion<br />
Queen's quest for quaint quote quips<br />
Rapturous radiant renewal<br />
Succulent smiles set strawberry sips<br />
Trusting truth to tender touches<br />
Uplift understand unite<br />
Vim Vigor Vitality<br />
Wholehearted wonder clouds of white<br />
XOXO X marks the spot<br />
Yes yearning Your yesterday<br />
Zany ZigZag Zealot<br />
the ABC's of reTURNing to play.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><br /><br />"If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play." <div>
~John Cleese<br /><br />
"Fear pushes us around like Nelson bullies Bart Simpson and Milhouse, and it holds a Keep Out sign over the adventure, wonder and even simple every day confidence God has called us to experience... If you keep handing the bully your lunch money, don't act surprised when he keeps taking it."<br />
Steven Furtick, <i>Crash the Chatterbox</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"There is no fear in love [dread does not exits], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror." 1 John 4:18 (AMP)</i><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-50928067702830667802014-09-17T09:23:00.000-07:002014-09-22T07:23:04.172-07:00M-m-m-mistake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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a Miserly letter at Most<br />
Me, My, Mine<br />
Multiple Mountains to March<br />
Mmm Makes lips Meet<br />
savoring Mangos in the Mouth<br />
Manna from our Maker<br />
Mindless Misapprehension<br />
Marring the marks of Your Magnificence<br />
with Malarky Manipulations<br />
from Marquee Matinees<br />
to Midnight Masquerades<br />
the Mania of the Mask<br />
Majority Maintains<br />
Motivation Minimized<br />
Mission Maimed<br />
Mad, Melancholy,<br />
May-daying for More<br />
to Make Melodic Music<br />
to Melt into Mercy<br />
a Meal, a Manual, a Memory<br />
or Maybe<br />
a Maze of Marigolds Marking the Map<br />
Moving Me back<br />
From Mishap to Meaning<br />
From Mistake to Mistaken<br />
Measuring Your Megalithic Majesty<br />
against Measly, Miniature, Mousy me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Ancient Chinese artists always included a deliberate
flaw in their work:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
human creation is never perfect." </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Madeleine L'Engle<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>"I take limitations in stride, with good cheer, </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>these
limitations that cut me down to size-</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>the weaker I get, the stronger I
become."</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>2 Corinthians 12:10 (Msg)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-9416587698309360962014-09-15T07:31:00.000-07:002014-09-17T08:47:28.133-07:00Stone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27UpE2AVIs3hokqCJqkL4akpaRU_OGeI-xXXMKnPIcAqjEMTxR03Tl1noehKUijfs-VsYQ6uqQvz9nDO0bPmUsz4spt64JYNsayqcqexHZgG-EZLarQOXJOD-l-Y_Q0k0UcfrHA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-15+at+10.12.05+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27UpE2AVIs3hokqCJqkL4akpaRU_OGeI-xXXMKnPIcAqjEMTxR03Tl1noehKUijfs-VsYQ6uqQvz9nDO0bPmUsz4spt64JYNsayqcqexHZgG-EZLarQOXJOD-l-Y_Q0k0UcfrHA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-15+at+10.12.05+AM.png" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Defying this black and white-wigged judge of a world</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
I skip across the surface a defiant and playful gray</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
I timber giants, flying from a shepherd boy's sling</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
Perch at the bottom of the river, going with the flow,</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
When heavy, I stub toes or cornerstone skyscrapers</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
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When light, I <i>clink</i> upstairs windows of pretty girls</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
Humanity stomped me to rubble with feet and machines</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
From mountains, to gravel, to castles again</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
Broken pieces holding hands until citadels tower</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
On sticks, I slaughter in battle</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
On grass, I provide the path to peace</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
Sticks and I can break your bones and words on me will kill you</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
Live wildly that solid dash between the dates</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
So I can be your monument</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
-<i>clink</i>-</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“When a stone is dropped into a pond, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">the water continues quivering </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">even after the stone has sunk to the bottom.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/614.Arthur_Golden" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Arthur Golden</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1558965" style="text-decoration: none;">Memoirs of a Geisha</a></i><br />
<div class="poetry top-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding-left: 2.6em; position: relative;">
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<i><span class="text Isa-28-16-Isa-28-17" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">“Watch closely. I’m laying a foundation...</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-28-16-Isa-28-17" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">a solid granite foundation, squared and true.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text Isa-28-16-Isa-28-17" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">And this is the meaning of the stone:</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-28-16-Isa-28-17" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant: small-caps;">a trusting life won’t topple.</span><span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">"</span></span></span></i></div>
<h1 class="passage-display" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="passage-display-bcv" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-right: 10px;">Isaiah 28:16</span><span class="passage-display-version" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline;"> (MSG)</span></span></h1>
</div>
Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-86169483741039445392014-09-10T09:12:00.001-07:002014-10-06T09:34:31.443-07:00She, Tree, Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEIi36uXR0CSNvDkmh35-J1kO1609-WT0uC9s4hzqoRkzy-43g6AyMcjbOpDbIn5pC8Pn7WbN28r75fiEyhsbiresS_PxUt-bEUbKkvTfLfSdePTRybw5udbzy74iZ9P2770x9Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-10+at+11.37.01+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEIi36uXR0CSNvDkmh35-J1kO1609-WT0uC9s4hzqoRkzy-43g6AyMcjbOpDbIn5pC8Pn7WbN28r75fiEyhsbiresS_PxUt-bEUbKkvTfLfSdePTRybw5udbzy74iZ9P2770x9Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-10+at+11.37.01+AM.png" height="320" width="286" /></a></div>
<br />
she buds her fashion in shy spring<br />
feather boa chlorophyll in showy summer<br />
flirty fall strip tease in a whistling breeze<br />
then shivers naked, cracking in weary winter<br />
waiting to be born again<br />
she cries when spring returns<br />
such a sap<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<i><br />"There is a time for everything,<br /> and a season for every activity under the heavens:<br />a time to be born and a time to die,<br /> a time to plant and a time to uproot,<br />a time to kill and a time to heal,<br /> a time to tear down and a time to build,<br />a time to weep and a time to laugh,<br /> a time to mourn and a time to dance."<br />Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 (MSG)</i><br /><br /><br /> “Strong women need not declare they can carry all the burdens in life. <br />They just quietly do it and survive with a smile.”<br />― <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8201329.Princess_Maleiha_Bajunaid_Candao">Princess Maleiha Bajunaid Candao</a><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-48421462407701114982014-08-12T19:36:00.001-07:002014-10-06T09:33:16.057-07:00The Caged Bird's Wings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcklkP3bkUBfUZ4xQz4r62yjei5uDjsMGidoPxSEHKyLzSInJ5K9usQs2ADBFu8Uwo8_5CapplUbaqIlmucSRW3VxxzGD2ywCHCNOea-fIrfhypIydCiXPCkYeeCQQMhpJl-9SA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-08-12+at+10.35.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcklkP3bkUBfUZ4xQz4r62yjei5uDjsMGidoPxSEHKyLzSInJ5K9usQs2ADBFu8Uwo8_5CapplUbaqIlmucSRW3VxxzGD2ywCHCNOea-fIrfhypIydCiXPCkYeeCQQMhpJl-9SA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-08-12+at+10.35.22+PM.png" height="232" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
I remember the little bird trembling back when<br />
"All the World's a Cage"<br />
countless cold bars of steal fears<br />
brother words locking the cage with a clink<br />
I didn't even know I had wings<br />
<br />
Then I picked the lock with my silent beak<br />
and found "All the World's a Stage"<br />
trying on characters like elaborate costumes<br />
to find little pieces of me, little glimpses of tethered flight,<br />
feathers stretching, wings flexing<br />
<br />
Then you opened the cage for good when I found<br />
"All the World's a Page"<br />
a story to write, a song to sing<br />
of cages, stages, pages, and things<br />
And this is when I found my wings.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><br /><i>"He was like an eagle hovering over its nest, overshadowing its young, Then spreading its wings, lifting them into the air, teaching them to fly." Deuteronomy 32:11 (msg)</i><br /><br />"Sometimes you fell caged when really you are only cupped. Take the difficult and thrum thanks again and again. This is how a sparrow flies." Ann Voskamp<br />
<br />
<br />Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-80133586182710059122014-07-16T06:44:00.000-07:002014-07-16T06:44:49.825-07:00Revoke the Curse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiloZb1Eq2EsXcj1d2ZQEzrmhHzA8NgvWKbo4-UvKiI4IC8kvmTi1NSWKODSn_JF5LdBi258WMn0h1ZLZNTM4l6wZ446o8B3qRlfh83i_K2TZ5j8lAvrOgPFTHMXLK06H8AzT7-aA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-16+at+9.16.32+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiloZb1Eq2EsXcj1d2ZQEzrmhHzA8NgvWKbo4-UvKiI4IC8kvmTi1NSWKODSn_JF5LdBi258WMn0h1ZLZNTM4l6wZ446o8B3qRlfh83i_K2TZ5j8lAvrOgPFTHMXLK06H8AzT7-aA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-16+at+9.16.32+AM.png" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
American women bit into the apple of a lie<br />
This Eat, Pray, Love, Crap that echoes at Twilight<br />
and turns us Fifty Shades of Green with Envy<br />
This fantasy that princes and vampires and werewolves<br />
should battle for our precious hands<br />
and worship the common pavement we walk on<br />
That every look, kiss, and touch from faithful husbands<br />
only pales in comparison to those Nicholas Sparks that turn into fireworks<br />
Dreaming of a world scribbled in crayon<br />
and missing the technicolor love right above the page<br />
Meanwhile, our husbands secretly slay dragons<br />
by showing up to work each day<br />
Valiant rescues hidden in taking out the trash<br />
Romantic soliloquies cloaked in whispers to our children<br />
Passionate embraces shrouded in a look across the room<br />
Maybe the riding mower is the most noble steed of all<br />
We have not lost our heroes<br />
They have lost our vain, fickle attention<br />
the clock is striking midnight<br />
It's time<br />
Jesus was true love's kiss<br />
let us wake from this sleep-like death<br />
and take our daughters with us into the light<br />
embracing the real picture of our happily ever after<br />
who may not always stop to ask for directions<br />
but will take us to places closer and better<br />
than anything wished upon a distant star.<br />
<br />
<div class="poetry top-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding-left: 2.6em; position: relative;">
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<i><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">"Love never gives up.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Love cares more for others than for self.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Love doesn’t strut,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Doesn’t have a swelled head,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Doesn’t force itself on others,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Isn’t always “me first,”</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Doesn’t fly off the handle,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Doesn’t revel when others grovel,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Puts up with anything,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Trusts God always,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Always looks for the best,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Never looks back,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text 1Cor-13-3-1Cor-13-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">But keeps going to the end.</span></i></div>
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<i>Love never dies."</i></div>
<div class="line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<i>1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (msg)</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: news-gothic-std, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 33px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">“I no longer believed in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. But I was beginning to believe that a very few times in your life, if you were lucky, you might meet someone who was exactly right for you. Not because he was perfect, or because you were, but because your combined flaws were arranged in a way that allowed two separate beings to hinge together.” ―Lisa Kleypas</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: news-gothic-std, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 33px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f0ffda; color: #1b703a; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">"Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches, we found that we were one tree and not two."Henry David Thoreau</span></div>
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<br />Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-4332669015963358772014-06-12T06:07:00.000-07:002014-10-15T08:04:12.843-07:00Man's Best...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrEU2_kSFHCW4dbVQBJXEhB02oZ_i334_CQR8AT55dvmmqdQ_tl6g49dZ5cA344Gs4yfYeE469nQ9eAEdlcCrPaLUMTgwRpHXntGdGHOLyoPhe6M2VqoICJqEcVpAA8eOGEXrhA/s1600/samson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrEU2_kSFHCW4dbVQBJXEhB02oZ_i334_CQR8AT55dvmmqdQ_tl6g49dZ5cA344Gs4yfYeE469nQ9eAEdlcCrPaLUMTgwRpHXntGdGHOLyoPhe6M2VqoICJqEcVpAA8eOGEXrhA/s1600/samson.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
lethal happiness in that whip of that tail<br />
wondering what adventure awaits that first step out of bed<br />
play bow growls that wrestle holes in Daddy's T-shirt<br />
the top of his nose, my favorite fuzzy spot to kiss<br />
those heavy paws that beg, scrape, and crush bare feet<br />
so he can get some attention and a scratch behind the ears<br />
deer-like prances in deep snow<br />
summer shakes fresh out of the river after a run<br />
those eyes<br />
that panting smile that somehow begs us to match it<br />
a snore that soothes like river waves lap the shore<br />
those twitchy dreams of chasing squirrels or Golden girls<br />
That faithful greeting at the door<br />
May we hear his daily lessons<br />
and love like Samson loves us<br />
a reminder from man's best friend<br />
that simply loving is man at our best.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" />
<div class="bible-item-text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Jesus said, “‘<span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Love</span> <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">the</span> <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lord</span> <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">your</span> <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">God</span> with all <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">your</span> passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">the</span> most important, <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">the</span> first on any list. But <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">the</span>re is a second to set alongside it: ‘<span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Love</span> others as well as you <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">love</span> <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">your</span>self.’ <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">The</span>se two commands are pegs; everything in <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">God</span>’s Law and <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">the</span> Prophets hangs from <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">the</span>m.” <a class="bible-item-title" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2022:37&version=MSG" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b34b2c; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Matthew 22:37</a><span style="line-height: 20px;"> </span></i></span></div>
<div class="bible-item-text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div class="bible-item-text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: #e5e5dd; color: #330000; font-family: georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: normal;">"Man is a dog's idea of what God should be." ~Holbrook Jackson</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-81816527989763689352014-05-19T05:42:00.000-07:002014-07-16T05:42:54.356-07:00Runrise in the Rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSlAeUsYGJHut7Kl8isL7_KqgM7Ub_cLRoitxbN78eUiOpDokWYbg3LHLkQPshWv2b6IccgtaXW1qEEws42DIU8HZ5W2RVR1eoty3CzTdM37Hq2BR2y7tgDgqdMvM3NtS1ktaQw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-16+at+8.41.40+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSlAeUsYGJHut7Kl8isL7_KqgM7Ub_cLRoitxbN78eUiOpDokWYbg3LHLkQPshWv2b6IccgtaXW1qEEws42DIU8HZ5W2RVR1eoty3CzTdM37Hq2BR2y7tgDgqdMvM3NtS1ktaQw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-16+at+8.41.40+AM.png" height="199" width="320" /></a></div>
Whoo whoo<br />
deep breath<br />
silent stretch<br />
a muddy week<br />
pat pat<br />
pat pat<br />
whoo whoo<br />
rhythm feet<br />
rocking brain back to sleep<br />
rest in motion<br />
click, slam<br />
neighbor screen door<br />
Vroooom<br />
car zooms past<br />
whoosh breeze relief<br />
trees rustle<br />
sharing their breezes with me<br />
tweet tweet<br />
pat pat<br />
Ahhhh...<br />
You.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">"My teaching, let it fall like a gentle </span><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">rain</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">, my words arrive like </span><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">morning</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> dew, Like a sprinkling </span><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">rain</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> on new grass, like spring showers on the garden</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">— respond to the greatness of our God! The Rock: His works are perfect, and the way he works is fair and just; A God you can depend upon, no exceptions, a straight-arrow God. His messed-up, mixed-up children, his non-children, throw mud at him but none of it sticks." </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.1;">Deuteronomy 32:1-5 (msg)</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.1;"><br /></span></i>
<table cellspacing="0" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 5px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="sqtdq" colspan="2" style="background-color: #edf1f7; padding: 5px;"><h1 style="color: #003399; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”</span></h1>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2"><div style="padding-top: 3px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> <a class="sqa" href="http://thinkexist.com/quotes/john_ruskin/" style="color: #003399;">John Ruskin </a></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-45670759283088225942014-04-20T10:10:00.000-07:002014-04-29T06:25:46.812-07:00Overview Effect<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipt1aVBIDOyEVtGy40qM5EiAvmACWr4CTEVStn7uDokBBJTIiB5tR9FZ69x09icYZxz5dZhoWE12_fN_sQ1qpJaQ3FdAN2kHDHIpH5Jqilb_9_TlttrP8UTOyK4xa-FV_uhKePog/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-29+at+9.25.17+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipt1aVBIDOyEVtGy40qM5EiAvmACWr4CTEVStn7uDokBBJTIiB5tR9FZ69x09icYZxz5dZhoWE12_fN_sQ1qpJaQ3FdAN2kHDHIpH5Jqilb_9_TlttrP8UTOyK4xa-FV_uhKePog/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-29+at+9.25.17+AM.png" height="255" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Forty years ago in this season of forty days</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Three men took that first trip </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">to explore the glowing ball in the sky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Three very different men </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">with the same doubts, courage, and curiosity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">They achieved their mission, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">but came back with a revelation </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">no one at NASA had predicted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Not with photos of the moon, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">but when
they turned back toward earth, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">toward this beautiful blue marble we
call home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Science and faith collided, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">both men and boys in an instant. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Caught up in the magic and beauty of this planet </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">floating in an
infinite expanse </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">while knowing the billions of scientific factors </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">ordering it’s systems </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">and holding the very breath of their loved ones so far away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">So small in this vast echo of silent
space. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">the “overview effect.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">To know </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">this is the only planet that has drinkable, life
sustaining water </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">paired with this brilliant painting before them of blue and
turquoise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">To understand </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">the delicate balance of temperatures, climates
and oxygen levels </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">paled in comparison to seeing this faint, fragile line </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">hugging the earth like a thin snow globe glass that could shatter to pieces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">There’s a difference between a mind clouded </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">with the science
of what makes a lightning storm </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">and the clarity of a view above the clouds
themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">These men came home with a peace dressed in a mystery. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">New truths, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">new doubts, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">bonding like the brothers they had
become.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">New answers brought more questions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">They began their descent, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">noting the boundaries
that scarred this shared land of ours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter';">Continents, countries, cities, even families </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter';">divided by walls
of brick and opinions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">But whatever language we speak, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">whatever landscape we say
good morning to, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">whatever views we behold with our eyes </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">or hold onto in our
minds, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">we all look up to share </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">the same sun, moon, and stars. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter';">We push each other away. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter';">We find each other. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter';">We laugh, We
grieve. We strive. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter';">We believe. We doubt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">In the grit and gravel of this day to day world, </span></div>
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these roads leading somewhere, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">how easily <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we lose site </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">of the overview effect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">why this planet? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Why this
tiny blue marble in a vast array of planets </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">and galaxies in the universe? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Perhaps</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">You are giving us space, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">giving us all this room, to doubt. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Calling us to push away for a few
moments </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">to rediscover what we’re all really chasing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">You.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="bqQuoteLink" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 26px;">"<a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/bertrandru121392.html" style="color: rgb(0, 51, 153) !important; text-decoration: none;" title="view quote">The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.</a>"</span></div>
<div class="bq-aut" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 6px;">
<a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/bertrand_russell.html" style="color: rgb(0, 51, 153) !important; text-decoration: none;" title="view author">Bertrand Russell</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="bq-aut" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” </span><a class="bibleref" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+20%3A27&version=ESV" style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal;">John 20:27</a><span style="color: #625529; font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
<div class="bq-aut" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="color: #625529; font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="bq-aut" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;">"It is unexpected, but extraordinarily convincing, that the one absolutely unequivocal statement, in the whole Gospel, of the Divinity of Jesus should come from Doubting Thomas. It is the only place where the word 'God' is used of him without qualification of any kind, and in the most unambiguous form of words. And this must be said, not ecstatically, or with a cry of astonishment, but with flat conviction, as of one acknowledging irrefragable evidence: '2 + 2 = 4', 'That is the sun in the sky,' 'You are my Lord and my God.'" Dorothy Sayers</span></div>
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Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-45882386197110350602014-03-28T05:23:00.001-07:002014-04-30T15:44:08.957-07:00If I could...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPpinEOhRm7Rzi4Ti1IwnOK_poKbEHS4KQwa4SZbXfNsaaJInfS54NcdmjhI6c7leQb8aR81q_TL3qlf6_zIKccZy1Izb4N0rPPuDBzEgcxj2jUavrgUUI483AkOt4nrF7aWUgA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-28+at+8.01.28+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPpinEOhRm7Rzi4Ti1IwnOK_poKbEHS4KQwa4SZbXfNsaaJInfS54NcdmjhI6c7leQb8aR81q_TL3qlf6_zIKccZy1Izb4N0rPPuDBzEgcxj2jUavrgUUI483AkOt4nrF7aWUgA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-28+at+8.01.28+AM.png" height="254" width="320" /></a></div>
If I could do anything<br />
I'd grow wings<br />
that transform into healing hands<br />
I'd circle the globe, landing softly<br />
touch the forehead of a sick child<br />
brush a tumor away to give life<br />
shoo away radiation that kills<br />
erase hate like a spelling mishap<br />
toss the letters like an alley dice game<br />
scrambled into heat for those left out in the cold<br />
Feathers that tickle giggles from the elderly<br />
and stir up wisdom in the young<br />
Wings that stretch to scoop in the lonely<br />
until they find each other and belong<br />
Wingtips that curve perfectly under chins<br />
lifting heads to see my flight pattern in the sky<br />
two white words scribbled in the blue "You're awesome."<br />
Then I'd make my wings contagious<br />
hand them out like loaves and fish<br />
so we could all flock together<br />
to the cross and empty tomb<br />
and make our own firework party in the sky<br />
others below would look up with smiles that ache<br />
we'd swoop down to hand them their wings<br />
watch their bruises and scars dance<br />
from their bodies and hearts<br />
up to their wings to make bold patterns<br />
that tell a flickering story<br />
as we flit about<br />
no more fits<br />
just flits<br />
of You.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“I don't want to live in the kind of world where we don't look out for each other. Not just the people that are close to us, but anybody who needs a helping hand. I cant change the way anybody else thinks, or what they choose to do, but I can do my bit.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8456.Charles_de_Lint" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Charles de Lint</a><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<i>But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to <b>tell</b> others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.</i></div>
<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter+2:9&version=MSG" style="color: #b37162; text-decoration: none;"><i>1 Peter 2:9-10</i></a></strong><br />
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<br />Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-53386722747291827332014-03-06T09:07:00.000-08:002014-03-06T09:07:20.836-08:00Mind the Tide<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhXybHYhc86vc4Qcv687uTB_-UxIW6oO5Hs14lfty06mc8BZZ-XNaNqThkiq8BukBACHdfxST2SEjsnAjhY2G12SbRadcTPDgyQsO9eLzfHVUeneN6le1rCp_R7Sm9N1oVtni3A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-06+at+12.04.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhXybHYhc86vc4Qcv687uTB_-UxIW6oO5Hs14lfty06mc8BZZ-XNaNqThkiq8BukBACHdfxST2SEjsnAjhY2G12SbRadcTPDgyQsO9eLzfHVUeneN6le1rCp_R7Sm9N1oVtni3A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-06+at+12.04.18+PM.png" height="264" width="320" /></a><br />
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Quiet summer home smile<br />
blizzards rage in a roofless mind<br />
Bouncing echo Tuesdays into Mondays<br />
Held breath in the present<br />
Gas chamber clouded with fears<br />
Tuckered heart longing for green to grasp<br />
fresh air to inhale<br />
keep up the sleepy dance<br />
frozen river imagination<br />
trusting in the unseen underflow<br />
mother pats on the back<br />
giving up on the front lines<br />
the flag waves bold crimson lies<br />
hiding white on the other side<br />
revealed when winds shift wild<br />
desperate pleas to the gusts<br />
lost in her whispered screams<br />
arms waving for rescue<br />
but they see glee, a greeting<br />
and blow past<br />
she whistles into a crashing wave<br />
conducting her orchestra in a straight jacket<br />
absent violins reverb behind her eyes<br />
flickering invisible<br />
blinding light<br />
blinding dark<br />
holding You<br />
in both.<br />
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38;">"Thoughts are like an open ocean, they can either move you forward within its waves, or sink you under deep into its abyss."Anthony Liccione</span></h5>
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38;"><ul class="uiList mbs uiStream uiStreamHomepage translateParent uiStreamRedesign uiStreamLargeHeadline fbTimelinePlatformStory _4kg _4ks" style="color: #37404e; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;">
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38;">"How long must I wrestle with my thoughts?Look on me & answer, Lord. Give light to my eyes...I trust in your unfailing love."Psalm 13:2-5 (msg)</span></h5>
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">"You call me out upon the waters. The great unknown where feet may fail. And there I find You in the mystery. In </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;">oceans</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"> deep. My faith will stand." Oceans, HIllsong united</span></span></div>
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<br />Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-11751983484441637122014-03-03T13:24:00.002-08:002014-03-03T13:24:27.311-08:00Name Calling<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="196" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/88077703?portrait=0&color=93c246" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/88077703">Don’t Call Me a Christian Trailer</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/gccwired">Granger Community Church</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Listen, listen,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Don’t call me a Christian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">All we hear in that word is
division.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">So heads can be held… a
little higher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Us vs. them, we haw an we
hem,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">We judge and condemn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">And tie our Sunday ties…. a
little tighter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Your label is choking me, Provoking
me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">You’ve got to be joking me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">If you think that’s all I am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Evangelistics tallied up in
statistics<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Analytical, hypocritical, too
political,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">And you think this is my
scam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Like I see you as a project, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">SO I can inspect, dissect,
and inject,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">My smug truth into your
reality,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">That I’m some teacher’s pet,
hoping to get, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Some extra credit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">If I can just make you- like
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">You think it’s all just one
day, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Go on Sunday, back to Monday<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">With a checkmark and a grade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Regulations set, Obligations
met, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">So we have accusations and
threats,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">From this monster in the
shade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">But let me tell you about the Son.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">How it all began with a plan,
one man<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The root word of this label.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">This privilege turned insult<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Who made it all difficult<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">When he said All can come to
the table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">That one word ALL, the proud
fall, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Hit face first the wailing
wall<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">That looks a lot like a
mirror,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">How’d we get so confused,
history misused,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">His name abused<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">His image blurred as we claim
it’s clearer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The twisting of His grand
design, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">As we stand in line with our
pickets signs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Red-faced in our anger not
our shame.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">What if we could erase,
retrace, embrace<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">In one unified about-face<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">To answer anew “What’s in
this name?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">So yes, I confess, I’m a
broken mess, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">A work in progress, done
trying to impress, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Just trying my best, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">To… rearrange.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">So, don’t call me a
Christian,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Just let <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">me</i> shut up and listen,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">To <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> for a change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">‘cause all this
weapon-hauling, is just shame-stalling, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">No more name-calling <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Just His name <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">with a calling<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">to love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span>
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5810891.Mahatma_Gandhi" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Mahatma Gandhi</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">calling</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">people by</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">name</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. After he called them by </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">name</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun."</span><o:p> </o:p></i></span></div>
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<i style="font-size: small;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8:29&version=MSG" style="color: #b37162; text-decoration: none;">Romans 8:29-30</a></strong></i></div>
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Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-29655434150371386432014-02-20T11:17:00.000-08:002014-11-03T09:40:22.516-08:00TiRed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEjkoPgZutT33qWqgDAd-rYXUm4W0XugXZnUhpiZQDUTkrh0nG00H33TEDASmr9XgEUVL7xA2KX_RU1K4nkN0gmThKwtfagCI72MgH_1Ag2ZwcTWjTEd0q3DtL7T7IaV7yOcBcQ/s1600/r.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEjkoPgZutT33qWqgDAd-rYXUm4W0XugXZnUhpiZQDUTkrh0nG00H33TEDASmr9XgEUVL7xA2KX_RU1K4nkN0gmThKwtfagCI72MgH_1Ag2ZwcTWjTEd0q3DtL7T7IaV7yOcBcQ/s1600/r.png" height="221" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My dea<b>r</b> little "<b>r</b>", tell me, please,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wherefo<b>r</b>e a<b>r</b>t thou f<b>r</b>om?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Did you shyly w<b>r</b>iggle from the ea<b>r</b>th</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Or <b>r</b>oll in snazzy on a d<b>r</b>um?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You play ha<b>r</b>d to get on lips and mouths</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">of both the old and the young,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">demanding a ce<b>r</b>tain skillful cu<b>r</b>ve,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">you, tiny diva of the tongue.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You give the job it's beating hea<b>r</b>t</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When teach becomes teache<b>r</b>,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Docto<b>r</b>, lawye<b>r</b>, mothe<b>r</b>, fathe<b>r</b>, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">task and pe<b>r</b>son, double featu<b>r</b>e.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You a<b>r</b>ch like a diving boa<b>r</b>d</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">about to sp<b>r</b>ing and let me fly</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">upside down hook, stealing fish</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">from <b>r</b>ive<b>r</b> homes to wonde<b>r</b> why.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You<b>r</b> big b<b>R</b>othe<b>r</b> bullies you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Staking claim to be fi<b>r</b>st and big.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You just hang you<b>r</b> sad little head</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But stand fi<b>r</b>m, you one-legged kid.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You a<b>r</b>e the one who calls us all </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">to <b>r</b>efresh, <b>r</b>estore, <b>r</b>enew</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But I smile when I see you<b>r</b> d<b>r</b>ooping head</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Saying "Sometimes I get ti<b>r</b>ed too."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You'<b>r</b>e ti<b>r</b>ed but you cannot sleep</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Can't fall back or just lay a<b>r</b>ound</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They might think you'<b>r</b>e a lazy L</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Who got stomped into the ground.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pe<b>r</b>k up, little <b>r</b>, we'll make it th<b>r</b>u,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fo<b>r</b> you can be my cane</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Keeping me f<b>r</b>om falling ove<b>r</b> too</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And hitting my head when I complain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="small-caps">"</span><span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">God</span> doesn’t come and go. God <i>lasts.</i> He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get <b>tired</b> out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath. And he knows <i>everything,</i> inside and out. He energizes those who get <b>tired</b>, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">God</span> get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get <b>tired</b>, they walk and don’t lag behind."</span><strong><span style="color: #b37162; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+40:27&version=MSG" style="color: #b37162; text-decoration: none;">Isaiah 40:27-31</a></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #b37162;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">"Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can't be right. I need a change, or something.” </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/656983.J_R_R_Tolkien" style="color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">J.R.R. Tolkien</a><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">, </span><i style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3462456" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;">The Lord of the Rings</a></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">“How small life is here</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">and how big nothingness.</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">The sky, tired of light,</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">has given everything to the snow.</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">The two trees bow</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">their heads to each other.</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Clouds cross the world’s</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">silence in a circle dance.” </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16073.Robert_Walser" style="color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Robert Walser</a><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">, </span><i style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/17879501" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;">Oppressive Light: Selected Poems by Robert Walser</a></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Are you <b>tired</b>? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”</span><strong><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11:28&version=MSG" style="color: #b37162; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Matthew 11:28-30</span></a></strong>Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-51388726059147208632014-01-31T08:38:00.003-08:002014-01-31T08:48:39.649-08:00Stonewashed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJoj4r6k9jiXRH9gx-cEX5PCwXA_erGnkxjZwAiT651qH9SGm-jqt_-kiLYxnckTpSHKqVaQa49MD_DticujBP19apYjQCWfRYqMFrOcQfri76iNyJAgDnN8kb6uNl7u7EgZBPQ/s1600/cody.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJoj4r6k9jiXRH9gx-cEX5PCwXA_erGnkxjZwAiT651qH9SGm-jqt_-kiLYxnckTpSHKqVaQa49MD_DticujBP19apYjQCWfRYqMFrOcQfri76iNyJAgDnN8kb6uNl7u7EgZBPQ/s1600/cody.jpeg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
husky jean coonskin cap kid<br />
shuffling through the woods<br />
stone-washed pockets filled with dreams<br />
front right pocket holds a memory<br />
dad pouring out a case of beer and starting over<br />
back left pocket holds a tiny model of the planet Uranus<br />
the name makes him giggle<br />
his buddy Matt's pocketknife clipped to a belt loop<br />
handy, prepared, faithful like his friend<br />
a tattered tag labeled "Made in Frankfort, IN"<br />
hangs by a thick invincible thread<br />
he fiddles with it when he's bored, homesick,<br />
or just hungry for a hot dog<br />
his Levi's smell of campfire and coondogs<br />
backyards and bike rides<br />
licorice and laundromats<br />
They whistle like Andy Griffith<br />
paint like Bobby Ross<br />
and daydream like little Stevie Spielberg.<br />
this little boy I never met<br />
this man I always loved<br />
who softens and stretches<br />
sees beauty when I'm worn out<br />
my rock who keeps me<br />
stonewashed<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="bqQuoteLink" style="line-height: 26px;">"<a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jamescdob106593.html" style="text-decoration: none;" title="view quote">Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without.</a>"</span><br style="line-height: 20px;" /><span class="bodybold" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/james_c_dobson.html" style="text-decoration: none;" title="view author">James C. Dobson</a></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"> </span></span><br />
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<ol class="keyword-result-list text-html" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>Marriage is not a place to “stand up for your rights.” Marriage is a decision to serve the other. 1 Cor 7:9 (msg)</i></ol>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="bqQuoteLink" style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">"<a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mignonmcla106607.html" style="text-decoration: none;" title="view quote">A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.</a>"</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;" /><span class="bodybold" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mignon_mclaughlin.html" style="text-decoration: none;" title="view author">Mignon McLaughlin</a></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-10925733770646404782014-01-30T14:13:00.001-08:002014-01-31T06:04:04.220-08:00Honey, Be<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhlT0m9_cxYbbJBPwi5Odv-FuLDmlxLDehs8xvyFny00uoXu7EMAGaNTfEt0nBx-7SAVh2VxU4NasRPuTqL1PZYQD8U0wRzbCy8ltR0QNL_c697bQ1EGlN7HVYU21i09dRLnecA/s1600/honeybee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhlT0m9_cxYbbJBPwi5Odv-FuLDmlxLDehs8xvyFny00uoXu7EMAGaNTfEt0nBx-7SAVh2VxU4NasRPuTqL1PZYQD8U0wRzbCy8ltR0QNL_c697bQ1EGlN7HVYU21i09dRLnecA/s1600/honeybee.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
this mind a beehive to behave<br />
eyes dart like anxious wings<br />
thoughts collide like bumble cars<br />
my voice an annoying buzz<br />
like a Saturday morning alarm<br />
this hexa-comb home doesn't close on weekends<br />
they think I work hard to hoard honey<br />
my heart lost its stinger years ago<br />
all I want to do is share You<br />
lip smacking sweet<br />
freedom fly<br />
honey, be<br />
me<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“The bee is domesticated but not tamed.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/253876.William_Longgood" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">William Longgood</a><br />
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<i>"Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body." </i></div>
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<i>Proverbs 16:24 ESV</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“The bee's life is like a magic well: the more you draw from it, the more it fills with water” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/217160.Karl_Von_Frisch" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Karl Von Frisch</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1452270" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;">Bees: Their Vision, Chemical Senses and Language</a></i><br />
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<br />Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-18505129596130589142014-01-26T07:10:00.000-08:002014-01-26T07:13:25.604-08:00sNOw worries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16TWnugu2OujyT7bPpe3sVYvsQp_eZr5qYBlKvaKDPFOGSRI8h82jYCnPYCcvg2bKrd1-1LNcuqk0G2QI5wMPf63tVL8hgmEadWK_ehkdWpA8ew4nW7IDSJGLCsB1NwUSQW157w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-26+at+9.34.59+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16TWnugu2OujyT7bPpe3sVYvsQp_eZr5qYBlKvaKDPFOGSRI8h82jYCnPYCcvg2bKrd1-1LNcuqk0G2QI5wMPf63tVL8hgmEadWK_ehkdWpA8ew4nW7IDSJGLCsB1NwUSQW157w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-26+at+9.34.59+AM.png" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
snow<br />
icy feathers stinging grace<br />
descending slow<br />
sky to Earth incarnation<br />
no sound, no rules, no worries<br />
<br />
snowflakes<br />
white blanket covering ugly<br />
beauty bundling up<br />
melting to offer life water growth<br />
like You did, like You do, like You will.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Whenever this happens, my heart stops— I’m stunned, I can’t catch my breath. .. His mighty acts staggering our understanding. He orders the <b>snow</b>, ‘Blanket the earth!’...No one can escape the weather—it’s there. And no one can escape from God...Whether for discipline or grace or extravagant love, he makes sure they make their mark."<strong><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+37:1&version=MSG" style="color: #b37162; text-decoration: none;">Job 37:1-13</a></strong></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">"Snow was falling,</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">so much like stars</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">filling the dark trees</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">that one could easily imagine</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">its reason for being was nothing more</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">than prettiness.” </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23988.Mary_Oliver" style="color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Mary Oliver</a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a <b>snow</b>-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don’t look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails!" <strong><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+51:7&version=MSG" style="color: #b37162; text-decoration: none;">Psalm 51:7-15</a></strong></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">“I have been talking of the past (your past and mine) only in order that you may turn from it forever. One wrench and the tooth will be out. You can begin as if nothing had ever gone wrong. White as snow.” </span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1069006.C_S_Lewis" style="color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">C.S. Lewis</a></span></div>
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Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052897.post-25341729061514688292014-01-22T10:59:00.000-08:002014-11-03T09:44:39.819-08:004 Letter WORDs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7n1dgAAYMkUukllBW6G9KBxS_ElVwjOWcFWslA5DJv70JdtItMx42A795KV8Yin0NwGhZqmN2Utn4nEDS5ko6zdBRfXRUNVVbRxaR2UvfBRgswsuRKU2nDokyE9xRCqjeRx6dA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-03+at+12.43.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7n1dgAAYMkUukllBW6G9KBxS_ElVwjOWcFWslA5DJv70JdtItMx42A795KV8Yin0NwGhZqmN2Utn4nEDS5ko6zdBRfXRUNVVbRxaR2UvfBRgswsuRKU2nDokyE9xRCqjeRx6dA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-03+at+12.43.30+PM.png" height="320" width="290" /></a></div>
<br />
There comes a TIME<br />
for a FOUR letter WORD<br />
that doesn't BURN a HOLE<br />
or SNAP at ones you LOVE<br />
but leaves a DOOR OPEN<br />
lets a BELL RING<br />
gives a LAKE its MIST<br />
a TREE its LEAF<br />
a WIND its GUST<br />
a WAVE its TIDE<br />
a SIGH its KISS<br />
a HAND its GRIP<br />
A FIRE its GLOW<br />
<br />
but when RAIN turns to SNOW<br />
Every HOUR is RUSH<br />
you're a FISH on a HOOK<br />
your BATH grows COLD<br />
your LACE RIPS<br />
your EYES LEAK<br />
your MIND RUNS<br />
<br />
and you want to HOWL at the MOON<br />
JUMP off a ROOF<br />
CLAW your EYES and<br />
BOOK a ROOM where you can<br />
YELL at yourSELF<br />
<br />
At the end of your ROPE your BOOK your MILE<br />
At the end of your LIFE your POEM the LINE<br />
You FALL off into the ARMS<br />
of ABBA HOLY<br />
And LAND in<br />
HOPE<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Martin Luther King Jr.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>"God’s the one who rebuilds.He heals the heartbroken and bandages their wounds...God puts the fallen on their feet again"Psalm 147:2-5</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Choose to be okay with not being okay. God's main purpose for you is not what you do. It's who you become." Pete Wilson </span><a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23LetHopeIn&src=hash" style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #0084b4; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #66b5d2;">#</span>LetHopeIn</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>"Why are you down in the dumps,dear soul? Why are you crying the blues?Fix my eyes on God—soon I’ll be praising again."Psalm 43:5</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">"The best life artists practice the discipline of gratitude-which makes their life art.True masterpieces are painted in the dark."AnnVoskamp</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>Kristin Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209942803120309485noreply@blogger.com