118.01 according to what God our Lord will move one's will to choose

It’s not what you do, it’s what you are.

Starting with Charles Stanley again, I realize I am always doing Lectio Divina with everything I see, hear or read. I really can find and see Jesus in everything. I mean, consider for a moment, if you were God and created something to share and grow into yourself, wouldn’t you be sure that everything would reflect you and bring you back to you . . . Yes the default Purpose from the very Start!

Yes, it's really obvious that all Creation will reflect the Creator. The challenge then becomes seeing and understanding where the lessons are and then learning and growing from each lesson. Yes so everything in creation will teach and lead us when we learn and read that God’s Lessons abound in ALL!

Yes, I read all this next SEEL Week 18 before I started writing. As usual the podcast I had going already had the same message for us now. Choosing to BE of Jesus is not about doing anything, rather to BE in alignment with fulfilling God’s Glory in the service of others is the perspective in ALL.

I guess what is really remarkable to me is in making the choice and commitment to be in love and in Jesus really shifts everything else to another level… I see this as the real choice of discipleship, where suddenly everything shifts WITHIN us!

TO LIVE wholeheartedly God's call and choose whatever leads to God's greater glory and the service of others.

And the best part beyond seeing him everywhere, is really the fact that I can share so easily and have that real experience of being joy and peace all the time. I don’t notice or worry about anything, it seems. Yes, I certainly have concerns and challenges all time, but I trust and accept it all as it comes.  It’s kinda interesting how I allow and step into what is very easy directly in front of me in each moment. I try not to question, and really allow and trust. It’s about letting the Holy Spirit lead, and staying in this instead of getting caught in any of  the emotional reactions.

I say it’s the easiest but recognize that not everyone will find “Allowing Spirit” easy. Like my constant conversations with my guardian angels. Sure I speak to God and Jesus, but that’s really because the Angels work as the microphone or speakers always directly connected. It’s almost like the Holy Spirit is the wire connecting everything, or the electricity in there, where Jesus is the wire. . . Lol. Or Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches bringing the fruits of the Holy Spirit to all others.

Day 1 John 21:15-19. And I see in this passage that each time Jesus Called to Peter it seems to get more intense. . . feed lambs, care for sheep, feed sheep. The freedom is in stepping into what Jesus Asks, and to respond to His Invitation is really about "fearlessly" movingn deeper and deeper. 

I mean, feeding lambs, is like caring for the babies, and then caring for all the sheep community, and to get to feeding the sheep, feels more like sharing the Word or the Food from God. So it feels like stepping from something physical and simple, to something a lot deeper and meaningful to the whole community.

My own invitation as described is clearly my own experience now.  I have been led more strongly all the time learning and growing from one step to the next, as each time the invitation is more extreme and the cost and responsibility is equally larger and more extreme. 

Day 2: begins with defining three classes of person and their attitude to possessions.  How have you resembled the three persons: the procrastinator, the compromiser, and the truly free person?

It seems like I’ve experienced them all.  I’ve been the procrastinator on getting possessions, maintaining these gifts, and removing, distributing, or sharing them. I recall last month asking Larry to help me clean out the metal scraps in my yard. The home insurance company had pictures complaining of my collection of “junk”. We filled my truck and I sold it a the scrap yard for a hundred, that set me over the monthly trustee payment. I even had $20 left to fill my growler of beer.

Course this month I found another house coming down on Snell Island and got permission to take all the paver bricks. The last time I did that I got nearly two yards of the standard Belgrade gray rectangle bricks and some classic red clay bricks. I’ve set a pad outside my truck door where I park in front of my house and then set a walk into the left side of the house where I had to fix the fence anyway.  I’ve got all the pieces for the fence from another demolition site, but still need to glue them together and set the hinges in place.  This week I picked up another two yards of Keystone pavers which I’ve set in place between my container and garage.  Yes essentially thousands of dollars of stone added to my property here.

I’m still not paying the regular mortgage, only paying the bankruptcy trustee. The Airbnb case was settled, where they decided to pay me $20,000 to close it. I told the attorney that wouldn’t cover his expenses, and he said he would take the 33% and be done. I’m not sure if the bankruptcy will take the rest or if I could get any of it at all. But I really don’t care, saying the attorneys could take it all for their fees.

So I procrastinate on getting things done with the possessions I’m given. The steal scrap was really all sorts I thought I could build something with. I had procrastinated too long with that, so it all went to scrap. While the stone paver bricks are getting put into place, more just to empty my truck. And in fact the city code enforcement and the insurance renewals pushed me to remove the piles of stone I’d collected. . . One again procrastinating about getting this done.

Of course, I’ve compromised now, as I’ve only got to prepare new courses for January, and promised to spend an hour or two outside a few times a day. Yes, I read and study the Bible in the mornings, like doing SEEL now after Mass. Then do school work and such until my head spins and then I get outside. I feel like I compromised on getting some regular work routines in place. My times at church have shifted a bit. But I feel confident and secure in making a new routine.

Which really brings me to the Truly Free Person where I simply accept what God gives to me. New classes, new resources and possessions and new opportunities to share, teach, learn and grow.  I really feel so blessed now, more than ever in having so much freedom and resources beyond my dreams. I mean the bricks and layout around my home gets better and better everyday. Its clear to me that I will stay in this home, as the resources and possessions to support continue to show up all the time.

I won’t say I’m “indifferent” to these possessions and responsibilities as I know each day I’m given more and more. It’s more important than ever to recognize my place and what is best for me to move forward. . . As keep it or reject it solely according to what God our Lord will move one's will to choose, and also according to what the person himself or herself will judge to be better for the service and praise of the Divine Majesty. . . Which seems to come and go with the wind, so I’m very patient to move slowly in consideration of all that’s before me. . . 

Wow, I feel so blessed again, read SEEL and knowing how it really describes my immediate experiences. . . Staying in my place, doing whatever God asks and opens up for me. It’s always a blessing, and always filled with the Fruit of the Spirit. Yes, it seems no matter what happens, I’m always in Joy and Peace, loving my moment and all the opportunities that come before me. Again and again!

Day 3: Mark 10:17-31 And as I read this verse what jumped out at me was only two small phrases; “all things are possible with God” and “receive a hundred times as much“ . . . As I know all things are possible, just as I know I continue to receive so much. Like I’ve been totally perplexed by my experience in this new home. Not only was the furniture left for more exactly what I needed and completely complimented everything that I had. But to find so much art and trinkets from my childhood and so many things that I never knew I had. 

I know all things are possible, but the symbols and collections of possessions that I’ve found are simply remarkable.  I mean, not really things of value, but things of meaning. Like the Hurricane cleanup I did this last month to renew my homeowners insurance policy. Sure I cleared out a lot of junk, but then stashed and stored countless others where I could be spending years cleaning out and sorting my garage and container. Now I can barely even get inside either of them. But what was important was cleaning the space outside to get good photographs to renew my policy.

All of this seems like “disordered attachments,” but clearly I’ve been gifted 100x anything that I’ve lost! And continue to be gift 100s and 1000s over and over again.

I’m sorta perplexed sometimes, like I felt so lucky and gifted to be in this house and then tried to share it with AirBnB and then also share the space for church events. I never really had much luck with either option. So now I grow and prepare food here to share. Not sure how well that works, but also see how I’m coming to teach again and feel that might be my best option. Essentially putting me back into the place where I started. Seems like nothing has gotten in my way to serve Jesus! 

Day 4: Mark 12:41-44 speaks about a poor widow. I’ve never been one to give much cash at church. I know I seem to get just enough to service most of the time, and never seem to have very much extra. So I’ve always felt blessed, by Jesus giving me enough to survive. However, I’ve alway been able to share all my time and talents.

I’ve always found the time and opportunity to share all I know and have with the church, parish, community and my God. I really never hesitate to step up into things to help and love others. Day 5 is about repeating something above. 

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