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Journal — June, 2006 |
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AN ONGOING
SPIRITUAL WEBLOG
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June 28, 2006
Everyday is a day when we should carry the vision of God's will into our
lives. But just how do we know what God's will is for us on a daily basis?
The answer, like most profound things, is simple, but not easy. God's will
for all of us is to become more like Him. We are to love unconditionally
and to connect with each other and all of life. The only way to progress
towards this ideal is to nurture our spiritual condition. We must continually
grow and that means learning, letting go of old ideas, becoming less concerned
with our self interests and willing instruments of the Divine.
Maybe we should focus less on our abilities and dis-abilities.
It's not all about us - despite what our egos tell us. Avail-ability
is good. God keeps teaching me the importance of willingness. If my desire
is to be available to God's work then I'm at a good starting place.
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June 26, 2006
The latest issue of our email newsletter went out on Friday. I thank all
of you who subscribe to our free mailings and I hope you are getting encouragement,
inspiration and some thought provoking information. You can subscribe to
receive it by email here, but we also post each
issue online.
We use Topica to manage our mailings and our member list.
This is to make sure we protect your information (no release of information
to third parties and no spam mail to you!), plus they provide a good system
to handle the delivery. You can always update your information or unsubscribe
(if need be) by clicking the appropriate links included on every email
issue we send out.
By the way, when you subscribe we send an email asking you to confirm your
subscription which prevents someone else from signing you up without your
knowledge or permission. We take this extra step to protect your privacy
and to make sure you want to receive our ezine. So, if you do sign up watch
for the confirmation email. Sometimes people don't take the extra step
and then miss out on our mailings.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
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June 19, 2006
As you can see, I have not written here in over a week. I was only back
from San Diego a few days when the call came to go be with my dying mother
in Kansas City. So, we packed up the car and my wife and two children accompanied
me on the long drive to the Midwest.
I have much to say and write about the experience which will come at a
later time. What I want to relate to you now is that if you ever have the
opportunity to be with someone, especially a parent or loved one, in their
final days then you must go. It was both sad and joyous. My mother passed
away on Thursday, June 15th and we were all by her side. Grace abounds.
Her death from cancer was surely painful, but her release from the bonds
of her earthly life into the everlasting life and love of Jesus was amazing.
Tom Gilbert
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June 8, 2006
I've been away on a family vacation, our first since 2001. Sometimes work
and lack of money makes it difficult to get away. But the lesson learned
when we do take time off is that there is much more to life than our daily
routines. We must get outside of our sometimes narrow living to discover
that God is hoping to awaken us to branching out to other interests and
to take care of ourselves and our relationships.
This is especially true for family. I have a wife of 21 years and two children
(17 and 12) that need to experience recreation together. Re-creation is
part of God's work and ongoing joy. The Creator re-creates in us (when
we let Him) a life of abundance.
We drove from Albuquerque to San Diego and enjoyed many activities in "America's
Finest City". We lived there 13 years ago, and it was nice to go back.
There was Sea World (the new Shamu performance is titled, "Believe" -
a God thing?), the beaches, a nice dinner with my cousin Tim and his wife
Paula (I hadn't seen them in sixteen years) and some nice family time together.
I was also there for another reason. For the past several months I've been
training for a half-marathon. San Diego hosts one of the great running
celebrations, the rock n' roll marathon. There were nearly 20,000 runners
and walkers, lots of live bands playing along the route, and a festive
atmosphere. I trained and ran with a group from Albuquerque that are part
of Team
in Training, the largest endurance event training organization
in the world. They exist as an extension of the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society and to date have raised hundreds of millions of dollars
for research to find cures, better treatment and patient aid for those
afflicted with blood cancers.
It was overwhelming to see the large number of participants from around
the United States and Canada who also ran because of Team in Training.
We all had special purple race shirts and there were many coaches, mentors
and past participants cheering us along the route. Plus, the group hosted
pre and post race activities and it was not just great fun - it was God
working through these people! I lost a brother-in-law to Leukemia in 1989.
I know others who have cancer, some who are in remission, some who've passed
on, and others in the midst of their disease (like my Mom, soon to pass
from pancreatic cancer). To know that I helped with fundraising and also
to run 13.1 miles in support of them, on the feast of Pentecost (June 4)
no less, was truly a joy. Yes, a joy despite the miles and the soreness.
It was my first attempt at running a distance like this, yet I finished
strong and I'm even considering running a full marathon in January with
Team in Training. Not bad for a fifty-year old, but the credit goes to
all those who supported me, doing God's work.
You can find out more about the San Diego rock n' roll marathon here,
and about Team in training here.
And if you are curious about how I did find Tom Gilbert on the list here.
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Scripture taken from the
Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved
throughout the world. Used by permission of International
Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of
International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for the offering of
goods or services requires the prior written consent of International Bible
Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living
Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All rights reserved.
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PSALM 118:24
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"This
is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad
in it."
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(NIV)
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