Sunday, April 10, 2016

Come Out of Your Inner World



Good morning Charles I love you! that was a great ride wasn't it? Cold, beautiful. I know you want to be more connected to me every time you ride. I'm so glad you learned to do appreciation for the world around you and within you, so that your mind can turn to me more and more. I know your rides are lonely without your friend Mark, but I am with you. When you turn your mind to me, you know that you are not alone, and the pain subsides. 

 Let my love teach you to take the risk of coming out of your inner world and meeting with other people right where they are. You woke this morning desiring to pay more attention to your boys, not because they need it, but because it is your father's heart to do so. Don't try to enjoy them, instead notice that you are enjoying them with me. Let the same be true for Dawn. Let your breathing be your guide as you listen to her. Release the fear and arrogance of being solipsistic and come out of your inner world to enter the joyful worlds of others. This is how it is between you and I as we learn and grow together.

 Charles you heard yesterday that if you want to feel special in someone's eyes, as an adult, you learn to let my life flow through you and into their lives. This is the source of your true specialness, and it is a glory to behold. You have a beautiful part to play in my kingdom and I have been teaching you to play it for a long time.

 Listen with fascinated attention as other people put their lives on display before you. You do not need to put your life before them, because you live your life in my presence always beholding my adoration and being beheld by me in all your richness.

 Let your heart sing quietly on the inside as you discover with great joy each person right in front of you. This is my spirit of power and love and a sound mind!


Friday, April 8, 2016

Thrive and Connexus Training

As part of our continued learning process, Dawn and I recently attended Thrive Training with the Life Model Works in Austin Texas and we had an incredible experience of joy and transformation. We needed to attend as bonded partners because so much of the work involved non-verbal, eye to eye communication and building joy. This is training for the right brain, the emotional control center. While most instruction is primarily left brained information and language focused, this work is done with the right brain where emotions, sensations, and our sense of our own identity are processed. These are so important to the work that I do as a counselor and trainer, and crucial to our marriage and family life as well. We had an incredible time of bonding that felt like a second honeymoon to us. Our kids were able to enjoy a week with their friends Gwennan and Will Rothnie, as Mark and Donna Marie we generous enough to care for them so that we could do the training. We are so grateful for this opportunity! If you’d like to learn more about Joy and the brain studies, this video of Jim Wilder is a good place to start. If you want a more bite sized peek into the subject, this is Jim telling about his own encounter with Jesus in a short interview.

The training is focused on teaching brain skills and learning to “turn on” the part of our mind that allows us to connect with God, with our own spirit, and with other people in loving bonds. “When the best of our brain and spirit are in shalom (peace) we are open, interested, flexible, self-reflective and use all our senses. We work to have the other person collaborate with us to reach understanding. We receive, process, respond, explore, understand and join. When we lose shalom our brain suspends the best brain and relational functions: self-reflection, attunement and mind sight. We feel alone, disconnected, and purposeless, we lose our sense of possibility and our role in the current situation, group or activity.”

I have found that this teaching builds wonderfully upon the foundation of grace I learned here at Grace Ministries International, and helps people who are suffering in low joy, to find themselves and connect with God again.The understanding of walking in the spirit, or walking after the flesh, is directly related to how well our brain is functioning and whether or not we are attuned to what God sees in His Love, or our own fear based view of things when we are triggered or shut down. The ability to calm ourselves and appreciate what God sees has a way of turning us on to His love and helping us to act and think more like ourselves. It’s a wonderful process to experience. I get to see the lights come on in my office every day!

His design of our mind, body and spirit is miraculous and He wants us to learn and grow in our ability to see as He sees, with the eyes or our heart, so that we can love as He loves!

I am already seeing incredible transformation in my family and in the people I work with as a result of this training. I see what God sees more readily; I attune to what people are feeling. I am aware when I can’t attune that I need to turn to Jesus for help.  It’s amazing, and I still have so much to learn!

I can feel God’s joy welling up in me as He sees His peoples’ hearts restored. Marriages are healing; children are being seen and known and loved well; friendships are being restored; people are realizing their dreams and desires and finding the energy and discipline to pursue them.

 Jesus makes His love known through His spirit in each of his beloved children. This verse sums up what I have been feeling as I do this work with Jesus.

In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! (Romans 5:5 MSG)

In short, my joy bucket is filled to overflowing! I am so glad that your heart can share in the generous outpouring of the Father’s love even as you read these words!