7 “Ask and it will be given to you;(B) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds;(C) and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts(D) to those who ask him!12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,(E) for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.(F)
I asked God about hidden orange flowers and was lead to this one
Hello to you today. How are you? I’m feeling a bit rough after last night. I had a wonderful visit with my family here to celebrate the 4th and then Link and I came home…..ugh! For several hours we endured the sounds of fireworks all around us. They don’t seem to have any rules here about where and for how long you can detonate them. It sounded like a war zone to me. I could feel the explosions in my heart center. It sounded like this to me:
A lot of people, and I used to be one of those people, enjoy the experience of fireworks. It’s after having a dog and seeing what the experience did to them…. which lead to an expanded empathy and consciousness of what the experience does to all those not human, I stopped wanting the experience. Last night I couldn’t get away from it. With the decibel range of many of the things people were setting off, not much could block it. Some shook the house. People sharing with each other what they think freedom looks and sounds like at the expense of those who aren’t on the same page. Fireworks are dangerous, loud, harm wildlife, disturb the animals we live with and harm the environment – pollute the air we breathe. My “freedom” and that of many living around me collided last night. The world I grew up in and the one I am living in now are drastically different. There weren’t mass shootings on city streets, public events and schools. I didn’t know that the fireworks I enjoyed as a kid sounded like rapid gunfire you hear in a war zone.
My cousin, who served in the Navy and continues to serve in a different capacity, gave me this coin yesterday to commemorate the 2 year anniversary of him and his wife helping me leave Texas and come to Idaho. I served my country for 16 years in the United States Air Force. I have fired a gun once – the M-16 to qualify at Basic Training. Firing a gun in that way made sense to me. This kind of firepower in civilian hands does not. How many police stations in our country being put in really awful positions – outgunned by those they are sworn to protect? It’s Insanity.
https://youtu.be/wcnQJd_XRQQ – We haven’t got the country we had when I was raised – 100 year old veteran worried about America
One person got me through last night, representing very well the God I love. They kept me from doing what I wanted to do – go out to people and yell. I was in dark places last night:
There are “churches” like this all over the earth We were not prepared for the environmental cost of a global pandemic – how many masks , gloves and wet wipes?
Something I enjoy is spending time in quiet and prayer near waterways. So much is going on – so much life happening. Such a variety of lives thriving in little pathways of water. Sometimes I think the lives we share earth with are taken for granted until they are gone.
There is only ever one of any kind. Take good care of them while they still remain. You can try to replicate….clone….mimic or copy but you only get one. Even bees, looking and behaving so much alike, are having a unique experience while here on earth. There was one Jesus Christ, Elvis Presley, Chris Cornell, David Bowie, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou……so many I can’t even list them all and that’s just humans that have come to us with all that they were and now they are just little fragments….memories. People try to re-enact…re-create what they were but can never be what the original was. Even a clone or robot will still be a unique individual…not an exact copy. How many animals, insects, plants in all the habitats….vessels God has dwelled within? Each one a unique perspective on existence. They each left a legacy that either is cherished or has been lost in time….forgotten.
A question I ask a lot is “why am I here?” The conclusion is to be an observatory vessel for God. To try my best to see the world with a loving, caring mind, body and soul. I’m not just here for myself even though I do spend a lot of time alone. I am here to give all that I am to the God of my understanding. As I get older it’s tougher to do all the things I want to….that I should do but I’m trying. I’m still here so God must still need me here.
Why are you here? That was a question recently in the headlines and other headlines I’m seeing:
https://youtu.be/bDbOCI0s_VU – “why are you here?” Senator Murphy Begs Colleagues to Compromise on Gun Legislation
The study found that Flint water was “very corrosive” and “causing lead contamination in homes”. It concluded in its report that “Flint River water leaches more lead from plumbing than does Detroit water. This is creating a public health threat in some Flint homes that have lead pipe or lead solder.”
https://www.abc12.com/news/business/flint-plastics-recycler-expanding-adding-24-new-jobs/article_38e458cc-f96c-11ec-958c-cf53a4dfd54f.amp.html – 24 jobs?! Reminds me of what they said would happen with more gas pipelines. What was that like 30 jobs and not even permanent. Do the people of Flint want this? Their water is already messed up – is this company going to make a positive or negative environmental impact on this community? Seems predatory to me. Hope I’m wrong. I read that plastics is where fossil fuel investments are headed. Is that the best they can do ? Make more crap and we can’t even manage what we’ve already made! Why are these people, making these choices that affect us all, here?
What’s your individual power? How you spend your money. You can say “No!” If we don’t buy it, they don’t make money. Until such a day money is no longer currency, that’s what we have to do. Figuring out why you are here involves taking personal responsibility for the choices you make. I am trying to do this myself and it can be really tough! It’s so easy to succumb to the allure and ease of convenience.
There is one earth. All of those trying to build ships to leave need to remember that if you abandon earth without having done all you can to save her your just going to do it all again someplace else. Where you go – there you are. Even if you proclaim it will be different it won’t be because YOU are still the same. Look at how it is here at all levels. We run and take ourselves with us where we run to. The other thing to consider is whether or not God and the rest of the Universe is going to actually welcome us beyond earth? We are not alone – as time goes on I feel pretty certain it’s going to be made abundantly clear what God and the rest of creation thinks of us and what is happening to this planet. You get one.
Hello to you today. How are you? I hope you are well and if your not, believe me your not alone.
What’s up there? Crab apples growing all over and they don’t taste too bad! Part of the litter problem comes after trash day – getting out of the garbage trucks I think this is a Yucca plant – Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of the Americas and the Caribbean. Wikipedia
This morning I got to thinking about a phrase I hear a lot, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you.” If so many thoughts and prayers are happening why does it seem like so little meaningful change has occurred? What came to me is if there is no conviction and intent on action behind the thoughts…the prayers…. so nothing changes. A lot of us say we care but are still firmly entrenched in our own way of things. Our thoughts remaining true to our own perception and desires and prayers empty rhetoric we are “expected” to say when tragedy befalls us, no matter what it is. Many sorry something bad is happening but unless it directly affects them – no intention of taking action to change. I’m not innocent in this but I am aware of my character defects and trying to follow up thoughts and prayers…words, with action. God provides but will not do it all for us – that’s in part why WE are here! Even doing just one small thing, starting today, can change the world. Open the eyes God placed in our hearts not just the ones in your head.
Matthew 5:8New International Version
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,(A) for they will see God.(B)
As I look back over my journey thus far and look at the landscape of the world, one of the biggest obstacles seems to be money. For what we need to happen and as fast as it needs to happen, what seems to be in the way is funds. I keep reading and hearing, “it costs too much.” An idea that came to mind was “blank check.” What would happen if we collaborated via teams of our best representing all the different crisis areas and said, all accountabilities in place, “do whatever it takes to fix this, we’ll get you whatever you need.” How fast could people like Boyan Slat from Ocean Cleanup get things done if the obstacle of financing was removed?
“(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love And Understanding”
As I walk on through this wicked world Searching for light in the darkness of insanity I ask myself, “Is all hope lost?” Is there only pain, and hatred, and misery?
And each time I feel like this inside There’s one thing I wanna know What’s so funny ’bout peace, love, and understanding? What’s so funny ’bout peace, love, and understanding?
And as I walked on through troubled times My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes So where are the strong? And who are the trusted? And where is the harmony? Sweet harmony
‘Cause each time I feel it slipping away, just makes me wanna cry What’s so funny ’bout peace, love, and understanding? What’s so funny ’bout peace, love, and understanding?
So where are the strong? And who are the trusted? And where is the harmony? Sweet harmony
‘Cause each time I feel it slipping away, just makes me wanna cry What’s so funny ’bout peace, love, and understanding? What’s so funny ’bout peace, love, and understanding? What’s so funny ’bout peace, love, and understanding?
Hello to you today. How are you? I’m doing better – got some sleep. This morning was grocery shopping at Ridley’s here in town. Didn’t want to go but when your down to one bottle of water you gotta go. One word was on my mind – packaging. I found everything I needed and plenty of the wanted I kept out of the cart. I looked at things closely and the amount of packaging for everything appearing before me was overwhelming. A lot of packaging that can’t be recycled. It’s those little individual packages I find when I’m out on my walks. Accidentally and intentionally thrown wherever the person is done with it even if there is a garbage can nearby.
For all that stuff we buy in grocery and other types of stores, places we eat out at or experience entertainment at there is a process that takes a lot of energy to include the human kind. A lot of processing and “handling” going into the near and sometimes very far of us being able to buy and experience what we do. This is reflected in the types of packaging having to happen for something to get from one place to another and ultimately to us. Those “cheap” Dollar Store things you can buy go through a lot to get to those shelves….contrary to pricing, NOTHING is without a price probably much higher than you actually pay. The mentality of getting so much for so little is reflected in landfill contents. How many “one-use” convenience items end up in the trash or on a city street….National park or recreation area?
I looked at the life cycle of plastic bottles today – a lot of resources for even one plastic bottle. If that bottle ends up in a landfill, it can take thousands of years to break down. Gotta love micro-plastics in the water, air….blood. I just bought water today and not happy about it. Even if I got a filter system installed there would still be some kind of waste. We used to buy those you attach to the faucet with filters inside. Those filters had to be replaced and were not recyclable. What are options for consumers that are environmentally responsible? Who actually drinks water straight from the tap these days?
A thought came to me today of wondering if the people behind what we buy actually take responsibility for the life cycle of their products? I imagined a CEO of one of these companies actually going to a store like Ridley’s and seeing for themselves what is going on. What is my company doing about persuing packaging alternatives? What is the environmental impact of my company? What companies are successfully on tract to reducing their carbon footprint? May be talking to them? Collaborating efforts? I heard Coca Cola is working with Ocean Cleanup – what are they doing to try and reduce what has to be cleaned up?
Message from A Woman’s Spirit today:
If what we are doing with our anger is not achieving the desired result, it would seem logical to try something different. – Harriet Lerner
How productive is anger? There is more than one school of thought. Some say we addicts can’t afford to be angry. Others warn against repressing it. Learning simply to recognize anger is a big step for many of us. One thing we all agree on is that anger is a powerful feeling that affects us in many ways. If it goes unacknowledged, our relations with others are damaged.
Anger is uncomfortable for many of us. We feel it often enough, but it makes us nervous anyway. Frequently we think we must be doing something wrong or we wouldn’t be angry. Sometimes that’s true. However, anger always signals that it’s time to assess what we are projecting onto the situations or the people in our midst. Anger doesn’t just happen. It’s sown and cultivated by us.
If I get angry today I will look for the reason within myself. I can’t change others, but I can change myself.
I spent some time yesterday with plants considered Superweeds. As you can see, they have a defense mechanism against predators – thorns. Plants, like us and all living things will do what it takes to survive. That’s why it’s taking stronger and stronger poisons to eliminate weeds like this. I used to pick them out by hand but they still came back. When you remove them they leave seed behind in the hole you plucked them from. When I was in Texas I took a sample of some of these and ate them. Do you know some tasted like a bunch of different herbs mixed together? Some “weeds” are actually edible and quite tasty. I wonder if with our help we could cultivate “softer” versions for consumption? Many are drought resistant.
I’m only human, I’m just a woman. Help me believe in what I could be And all that I am. Show me the stairway, I have to climb. Lord for my sake, teach me to take One day at a time.
One day at a time sweet Jesus That’s all I’m asking from you. Just give me the strength To do everyday what I have to do. Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus And tomorrow may never be mine. Lord help me today, show me the way One day at a time.
Do you remember, when you walked among men? Well Jesus you know if you’re looking below It’s worse now, than then. Cheating and stealing, violence and crime So for my sake, teach me to take One day at a time.
One day at a time sweet Jesus That’s all I’m asking from you. Just give me the strength To do everyday what I have to do. Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus And tomorrow may never be mine. Lord help me today, show me the way One day at a time.
Flowers, plants, trees and gardens require a lot of water, like us, to stay alive.
Hello to you today. How are you? I’m tired. Didn’t have a very restful sleep last night. I know I’m not alone about that! I’ve had water on my mind a lot more than usual lately. The headlines coming in around the globe about our freshwater drinking supplies is grim. I have been looking at my own life and personal habits with regards to water usage…..on my walks watching water running from sprinklers, down the street and into the drains. Stand by the canals we have here and watching how many lives other than humans depend on a narrow strip of flowing water. I grew up in a time when we drank water directly from the tap. Now I go to our local grocery store and sometimes the shelves are pretty bare of bottled drinking water….so I end up buying Gatorade or flavored water that really isn’t good for me and my wanting to lose weight.
This morning after watching John Oliver’s piece on water, I found an article that I had been looking for. It talks about how much of our water resources is going towards things we buy like smartphones for example. We are coming to a wake up call, collectively, many will deny needs to happen. Much of what drives the livelihoods of many businesses and workers is the buying and selling of goods, services and luxuries for entertainment like water parks for example. People, myself included, have lived with the now romantic notion of the seeming plentiful nature of water on this earth. We, those paying attention, are seeing harsh realities. Trees, that contribute to our shared oxygen supply, need water. The womb, where a baby takes the 9 month journey in humans is in water. Water is life….quite literally so. No water….no babies.
Hidden water is an important part of water use. It may not be visible, but millions of gallons of virtual water go into making the consumer goods Americans buy, use and throw away. Manufacturing everyday materials like paper, plastic, metal and fabric takes water – a lot of it. Knowing how much water it takes to make the raw materials and products we all use and consume is an important first step towards water conservation and using water more productively.
Hidden Water: How the Water Footprints of Consumer Goods are Calculated
Hidden water is water that is not felt or seen and it is required for almost every step in the production processes for many raw materials and finished products. The water footprint of a product is calculated by adding up all of the water required for each step of the production process. Table 1 lists a sampling of water footprints for the manufacturing of some common consumer goods.
Table 1. Water Footprint of Common Consumer Items.
The Water Footprint Network (whose research provides some of the data used in the WFC) defines these components as:
Blue Water Footprint: The amount of surface water and groundwater required (evaporated or used directly) to produce an item.
Green Water Footprint: The amount of rainwater required (evaporated or used directly) to make an item.
Grey Water Footprint: The amount of freshwater required to dilute the wastewater generated in manufacturing, in order to maintain water quality, as determined by state and local standards.
How Much Virtual Water is in a Smart Phone?
Take smart phones, for example. Their water footprint comes from the virtual water associated with their manufacturing – what’s known as the “grey water footprint.”
Phones are composed of many pieces created in multiple steps, and each step consumes water. Numerous resources, materials and parts go into smartphone manufacturing, including rare earth metals (e.g., lithium), tin, glass and plastics. The supply chains for these materials stretch around the world to places like Indonesia, the Philippines and China. Production might include steps like mining for precious metals, creating synthetic chemicals for glue and plastic and assembling and packaging. Collectively, the water associated with each step adds up to the blue water footprint.
In addition, manufacturing the parts creates wastewater that is released into surrounding waterways. Those waterways often have pollution limits that manufacturers must meet before they can send their wastewater down the pipe and into the waterway. The water used to clean and dilute the wastewater adds up to the grey water footprint, and in the case of the smart phone, makes up the largest portion of its total water footprint.
When the water required for all the steps to make a smart phone is added up, the water footprint of the production of a single phone is an estimated 3,190 gallons.
The Water Footprint of Everyday Paper, Plastic and Cotton
To meet all of these needs, industrial facilities in the US withdraw over 15.9 billion gallons of water per day. Fortunately, due to increasingly efficient manufacturing practices, most factories have reduced water use by 12 percent since 2005, and 33 percent since 1970.
All told, the water that keeps America afloat on a sea of consumer goods is enormous. As some of the biggest shoppers on the planet, the average American’s water footprint for buying, using and throwing away consumer goods (excluding food) is 583 gallons of water per day.
Save Water With the Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
The adage “reduce, reuse, recycle” becomes even more relevant given all the water and other resources that go into making all the products consumed in America. Many consumer goods are made to be thrown away, so they pile up in landfills, wash into the ocean or litter the landscape.
Buying fewer products in the first place reduces the overall number of products that are made, and, in turn, reduces the amount of water needed by the factories that make these products. Additionally, recycling consumer goods can have a positive effect. In 2012, for example, the US threw out over 24 million tons of paper and almost 29 million tons of plastic – both of which are water-intensive materials that can be re-used and/or recycled. Recycling a pound of paper – the same amount found in a typical daily newspaper – saves 3.5 gallons of water.
Small actions like recycling at home, reusing items when possible and using fewer plastic bags and paper towels can make a small but cumulative difference in water consumption. Reducing the need for new products in the first place – ending overconsumption – is the strategy that saves the most water. Avoiding purchases of disposable, low-quality goods that are made to go in the trash makes a big difference. Buying used items and thrifting – especially for clothing – or buying products that are of higher quality, reusable and, if need be, recyclable, are the best options when new purchases are necessary.
The Hidden Water in Energy
The average American today uses about five times more electricity than they did 50 years ago. This increase is significant because it takes a substantial amount of water to create energy. Water is used to cool steam electric power plants – fueled by coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power – and is required to generate hydropower. Water is also used in great quantities during fuel extraction, refining and production. So, wasted energy is, in effect, wasted water.
Nobody will have a water footprint of zero because it takes water to make just about everything we choose to buy, eat, use and throw away. Individual daily decisions might seem small, but cumulatively they can have a great impact.
My prayers for the souls and families of this story from San Antonio Texas….. those considered disposable, replaceable, desperate people and the consequences:
As the snow flies On a cold and gray Chicago mornin’ A poor little baby child is born In the ghetto (In the ghetto)
And his mama cries ‘Cause if there’s one thing that she don’t need It is another hungry mouth to feed In the ghetto (In the ghetto)
People, don’t you understand The child needs a helping hand Or he’ll grow to be an angry young man some day Take a look at you and me Are we too blind to see? Do we simply turn our heads And look the other way
Well, the world turns And a hungry little boy with a runny nose Plays in the street as the cold wind blows In the ghetto (In the ghetto)
And his hunger burns So he starts to roam the streets at night And he learns how to steal And he learns how to fight In the ghetto (In the ghetto)
Then one night in desperation The young man breaks away He buys a gun, steals a car Tries to run, but he don’t get far And his mama cries
As a crowd gathers ’round an angry young man Face down on the street with a gun in his hand In the ghetto (In the ghetto)
And as her young man dies (In the ghetto) On a cold and gray Chicago mornin’ Another little baby child is born In the ghetto (In the ghetto)
And his mama cries (In the ghetto) (In the ghetto) (Ah)
A voice in all of this that comforts me and great to sing along with….no words just the healing sound energy of music. Thank you Mei-lan! So glad I found you:
More and more science proves something extraordinary happened for us to have this today. They can’t replicate what it took to make this dimensional image appear on cloth
Hello to you. How are you? Lots going on everywhere these days. Lots of people expressing themselves, myself included, in a lot of words and feelings but little actual action. My Grandpa Becker was a man of God when he was here serving as a pastor and actively worked, along with my Grandma for civil rights….human rights. This morning I am remembering a little thing he used to say to me all the time, “put your money where your mouth is.” There are many who want to save unborn babies but when it comes to being willing to help take care of the children and adults they eventually become they aren’t as concerned. ALOT of charities all over the world trying to do things – lots of money changing hands and yet conditions are still horrible for many of our worlds people. I would like to see more collaboration of efforts – trying to decide which charity, how many charities is overwhelming. What I see coming for the United States, if states actually are serious about caring for life…quality of life in all aspects….there going to have to raise taxes. The money to raise the children you are demanding to be brought here has to come from somewhere. Are you prepared for what more life means? More mouths to feed, educate, clothe, shelter, provide proper healthcare, trash, clean drinkable water, food resources, safety, infrastructure like roads and energy suppliers, clean air….are you prepared to pay? Nothing is free. Nothing ultimately “cheap.” Look back and how well have we done so far? Are you ALL prepared? You want to protect life – prove it by your actions not just rhetoric and empty promises.
You can do your own research but what I see is fragmentation of a world with the same issues. A lot of redundancy in effort…finances going on. More “life”…more responsibility. We have the same basic needs the world over. For example water and food. Gotta have water to get the food. So many separate agencies trying to do the same missions – some trustworthy and some not making it a risky thing sometimes to try and donate money to help.
These links here are just a fraction of information available to help you see the big picture I’m trying to show you:
This from actor Jonathan Roumie, Jesus in The Chosen series, is some living water for these times. Like I asked you yesterday, what would Jesus do faced with the world of our times? I’m pretty certain he’d be praying about it all. It’s beautiful to hear Aramaic, Jesus’s primary language;
14 The Lord will fight(A) for you; you need only to be still.”(B). — is Jesus just a name? Is God just a word?
Last night before bed my thoughts and tear filled prayers went out to Jesus. Longing to hear him tell me what he thought of our times. Of course there were no words but I felt his presence and my tears dried…..I got a little sleep. This morning I found this article in answer to my question if Jesus was a feminist. In his time and stories of the Bible certainly suggest he might have been or he at least treated women as equals:
“Jesus had a radical approach for the times in which he lived 2,000 years ago. The culture of the Middle East then was male-dominated. Women were second-class citizens with very few rights. Jesus might not be seen as a feminist by some modern standards, but his attitude to women was revolutionary. He challenged the patriarchy repeatedly. He saw women as equal to men and treated them with equal respect. The Bible books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John document a range of encounters Jesus had with various women, which illustrate how he challenged the norms of the time and treated women with compassion and care.”
I like to think if he ever does come back home that what he might think, say and do might disappoint some. He didn’t have statistics to look at in his time…..evidence of the crimes of humanity against themselves, each other and the world often committed in his name or some other man-made God. Thinking of Mammon:
Matthew 6:24New International Version
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.(A)
The selective mind-set of being “pro-life” in this country and world. Read the other day capital punishment is still alive and well…prisoners requesting death by firing squads. We want the babies but discard the adults. How many neglected and abused children and adults? How many discarded pets? Forgotten elderly? You are either for all life or your not pro-life. It’s really hypocrisy how we pick and choose which life has more value or meaning. The Jesus I know didn’t do what we do and so many using his name to justify their hate of gays and minorities. Who made these babies that become targets of hate? With regards to gay people….straight people made them so that must mean , according to the logic I’ve been hearing especially right now with women’s reproductive rights under attack, that God wants them here. Contrary to what many want to comfort their hate with – being gay is not a choice. Can you just stop being heterosexual?
According to Bruce Bagemihl, same-sex behavior (comprising courtship, sexual, pair-bonding, and parental activities) has been documented in over 450 species of animals worldwide.
The purpose of this post is to try and be a voice of reason from a Christian perspective not to piss anybody off or insult you. Your going to think , feel and do what you want no matter what anybody tells you. I’m encouraging you to get out of the box you might be stuck… programmed to be in. It’s the only path to peace for you personally and this world.
Some good songs I found yesterday, the one by Blue October in the middle of the night:
To be 