living purposefully

Aging Gracefully No. 3 When Does Life Begin?

by Maddy Banks

Supernatural

In the process of aging gracefully, I am continually searching for new ideas and new ways to look at life and how it’s affecting me and I am affecting it. This prompted me to reevaluate my days, thereby giving myself permission to begin each day anew, similar to the concept of being born again. This idea has the flavor of a supernatural phenomenon. A new birth bursting with the aura of freedom; the freedom to begin again and to do it well! When Does Life Begin? Today!

WHEN DOES LIFE BEGINCapture the Essence of Life Beginning Again

The possibilities are endless and are limitless, as we are transformed in the afterbirth of our existence and free to conquer what was impossible the day before. How can this happen? As we are favored and graced with the privilege of the dawning of a new day, we are invited to capture the essence of life beginning again! How mind blowing is that!

All That and More!Celebrate New Birth

Living again—only this time with a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and foresight to live joyfully with purpose, vision, and thoughtfulness. Last night’s birthing process provided for a readiness to step forward to be the light that shines brightly, hopefully illuminating a righteous and moral path for others worth following.

Live Joyfully

I absolutely love beginning life! It’s fun, rewarding, dynamic, heartbreaking, difficult, sad, compassionate, forgiving, sacrificial, and empowering. Yes! All that and more. When does life begin? Thankfully, it begins with you and me as we are aging gracefully.

Love: The Good Drug

by Maddy Banks

It’s needful I hold on a bit longer

Until I’m ready to say goodbye

Whether it’s good for me or not

Ween myself from his love?

But if I quit cold turkey

There’s no detox for broken love

So, I need to love less in miniature increments of time

And then maybe one day I’ll be strong enough to say

Goodbye without remiss; without a tear

But with gladness and good riddance

But right now, I’m hooked on his drug

And today I cannot say

No, I don’t want it this way

Will I always want some

Every now and then to keep me satisfied?

Just a quick hit and that’s it…until next time

Eventually….

I’ll detangle and break free

Some Times Eye

by Maddy Banks

 

I (eye) can be introverted and extroverted

Compassionate or unfeeling

Influential and yet powerless

Self-centered yet thinking of others more than myself, realizing it’s not about me

 

Crowd

I can be very approachable or very reserved

I can appreciate a crowd, yet cherish being with myself

 

Chameleon

I can be all things to all people (once describe as a chameleon)

Yet I can be happily “just me”

My diversity seems to be my undoing

My inconsistencies seem to work against me rather than for me

It’s difficult to find and maintain meaningful relationships

Sometimes – I (eye) find myself …….

                            ….. HUNGRY….

Thankfully – G.I.M.R.A.

God Is My Refuge…Always

A Few More Days To Go

by Maddy Banks

Hillary Lost?!! 

So, she didn’t win? Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it) votes are being recounted.

What I had to do about this election and the chaos that has followed it, was to step back and take ownership of who is actually in control, because somebody greater than I, is. I needed to be calm and realize nothing is going to happen that isn’t supposed to.

And?!!

We are not going to die before it’s our time, and eggs aren’t going to stop being hatched, and the earth will revolve as long as He says so. Since I can’t control the outcome of a lot of things, including people, a deep look into me was necessary. Therefore, I’ve decided to spend the last few days of 2016 seeing how I can look towards a better 2017. More to follow.

OLD WOUNDS: Forgetfulness A Blessing in Disguise

by Maddy Banks

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Healed Scars of the Past

There are some wounds so deep, if you were to remove the harden scabs they’d begin bleeding so profusely you’d be unable to recover from them again. This is why sometimes atrocities of the past are purposely forgotten and deeply buried. One must seek God’s wisdom and his will before reopening such wounds.

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Open: Only if Need Be

These heartaches and burdens should only be reopened or explored if truly beneficial, never to satisfy personal or professional curiosity. Even God, once we are forgiven and accept His saving grace, remembers our sin no more. I advocate leaving some wounds closed so that one may be healed. Let the wound be so healed that it does not leave a scar.

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Proceed with Caution

However, if wounds of the past remain open and bleeding, and impacting every area of your life today, then by all means begin the opening process, so that going forward you can begin to apply the healing balm of Jesus Christ and be free!

 

Flower-Flicker; Scott Robinson-Flicker; Jelle Oostrom-Flicker

 

Self-Cleaning: Getting Ready for 2016

by Maddy Banks

WasherCleaning Last Year’s Debris

Washing machines have several wash cycles, from normal to gentle, and from delicate to self-cleaning. I recently put a large area rug in my washer; I wasn’t sure I should have, but I did it anyway. The result, it left a good deal of debris in my washer. It was quite a mess, but at least my rug was clean.

As the year comes to an end I’d like to share two observations; usually washing machines clean other things, but one Thanksgiving I set mine to clean itself. As the machine was self-cleaning, I begin to think about the upcoming holidays, and maybe our self-cleaning is part of releasing stuff taken on last year.

God is allowing us to take debris from the old year, cleaning out the internal trash and garbage collected in our minds and spirits in 2015 and putting it all behind us. Like the washing machine, we need to clean out our interior, so we can have room to accept the new bundles for 2016. By self-cleaning, we are getting ready for the supernatural coming our way.

Whatchalookingfor?

The second thing pertains to the upcoming new year, and how Thanksgiving and Christmas is a time God has set aside to prepare or introduced us our upcoming future. Beginning with Thanksgiving preparations, God knows we need time to reflect on things which occurred last year, perhaps a new job or career, perhaps a move, perhaps a divorce, perhaps a new love or a new life.

Many things were introduced and experienced in 2015, and our wise and gracious Father gives us a moment to introduce us or get us ready for 2016. I feel some of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve are about looking forward.

Purposeful Visions Creating Life

by Maddy Banks

Without a vision, the people perish Prov. 29:18

BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR VISION

It gives life. Participate in your vision every day.

For me, visions are how we see ourselves in the future. It addresses goals, aspirations, great ideas and amazing possibilities. Your visions are never ordinary. The size of a vision is only measured by you; try not to limit it.

Yes, you can have more than one vision; you can even have add-ons. Sometimes on the journey to realized visions the scope changes…it is enlarged.

It often takes time for visions to manifest or be realized. Keep your vision in the forefront; never lose focus. Work towards it frequently even if the steps are miniature ones. Research, reevaluate, revitalize, compile, recreate, renew, and do whatever you can to keep moving towards it.

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DO NOT BE DAUNTED IF PERCHANCE YOU ARE WAYLAID

Start again. Living presents the ever present opportunity to try again. Visions may require adjusting as you journey through the changes that life presents; nevertheless, refuse to perish. Your dream may be the catalyst for someone else’s vision. Your dream may drive another’s aspirations.

6776270554_6e64178b62_n16255176372_ab221a5c52_nStaff Sgt. Samira Abdullahmuhammad with a female engagement team, 40th Engineer Battalion, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, gives a high-five to a child during a mission to deliver medical supplies to a clinic in Deh Dadi, Afghanistan, June 1.8445499572_bae1764732_b

Visions are a breath of fresh air and cannot be limited by age, race or gender. I rather be a visionary always looking towards possibilities, than to dry up and wither “like a raisin in the sun.”1 I challenge you to attack your vision with vigor and to reject the naysayers. As long as you can see yourself within the vision move forward and change the world today and for generations to come.

(1) A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes

Alternative Meeting Places For Christians

by Maddy Banks

Hebrews 10:25 instructs believers in the importance of gathering or assembling together with other believers. One of the reasons for doing so is to create an atmosphere of encouragement. But, there may be more than one way to gather together with the saints.

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Fellowship Defined

Most common, is the traditional definition used by most that assembly means to physically come to the church house. An alternative idea is being in the presence of others through Christian devotionals, Christian focused self-help books, and fellowship with favorite pastors via television, e-mail and social media. This type of meeting is effective because it promotes inner reflection and often the voice of God is clearly heard and does not need to compete with other distractions.

Assembly:To Gather Together With Others

Certainly, no one is advocating eliminating traditional fellowship, but if the goal is encouragement, then it’s beneficial to come by it as you see fit.  So, if you are gathering together with other saints by reading, meditating, learning or listening by all means continue…even if they can’t hear you when you say “Amen.”

It is well.