I Corinthians 13:1-3(NLT)
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Everyone wants to love and be loved. Acceptance, approval and affirmation are all qualities desired by people. God has placed this desire in our heart in affiliation with Eternity. The primary purpose of forever is that people can live in the Presence of God which is the Light of His Amazing Love. The truest test of our love for God is the ability to love others including everyone without exception. If only God knew the people that I know, would He beg to differ or change His Mind? No, because when Jesus Christ died on the Cross He was looking at their face as much as mine. God’s Love is inclusive and never exclusive. “Whoever will come” is the invitation. God loves people – all people. There is no one exempt from His Unfailing Love and Greatest Affection – Jesus Christ. The test of love determines whether or not we as believers we have fully accepted the Love of God and given Jesus His Place in our heart and life. There is nothing to gain in the Kingdom of God unless it is motivated and supported by love. What we need today is less religion and more love!

I John 4:7-9 (NLT)
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

God is love. He is foundational in the discovery of true love that is His Motivation concerning all people. God’s Love is Eternal. (I Corinthians 13:13) If we could just wrap our heart and head around God’s Divine Character that is love maybe we could learn to love others, too. Anyone who loves is a Child of God and anyone who does not love does not know God. God demonstrated His Great Love by sacrificing His Son for the sins of all people so you and I could find the Eternity that He planted in our heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and thrive in it. (Psalm 52:7-9) Trouble is we call on the Name of the Lord but never really get to know Him. We say that we love Jesus but do not desire intimacy with the One who loved us first and loves us the most. Without the Love of God manifested and thriving in our heart, it is impossible to love others because we do not know love. God is love.

Matthew 10:37-38 (NLT)
“If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.”

It is not who we love that is the problem, but how we love. God’s Love is unconditional. Human love is based on conditions. Jesus was not telling this man not to love his father, mother, son or daughter. God created us to live in His Love and love others because of His Love. However, somewhere along the way people decided to love the world more than God and everyone in it more than His Son. Believers are to take up their Cross and follow Jesus. He is our example of all things including love. The problem stems from our inability to love the Lord first. It is a lack of priority that causes the division. To follow man means turning from the Lord. “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son…” (John 3:16) But when “God’s Light came into this world, people loved the darkness more than the Light…” (John 3:19) Following Jesus Christ allows us to love others with His Love because we allow His Love to fill us to overflowing. It means loving our family, friends and even enemies in proper order. When the Love of Jesus meets our expectations in life by faith, we are able to accept what people can give rather than placing our hopes, dreams and desires into incapable beings. Jesus meets our expectation and satisfies our soul so we are free to love others expecting nothing in return. This is real love. This is God’s Love. It can only be found when we follow Jesus.

Romans 13:8-10 (NLT)
Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments —are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.

All of God’s Commandments are centered on His Love. If we obey God’s Word, we will always remain in the parameters of His Love as Children of God. The Commandments are summed up as this – “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If people would simple learn to love others as they would like to be loved, we would live in righteous obedience effortlessly. Our sinful nature will not allow for such a commitment. The acts of disobedience are generally perpetrated against another. When we do not love, we fall out of fellowship in our relationship with the Lord. You cannot live in hatred, jealousy and the like and remain firmly established in God’s Kingdom. It is contradictory to His Nature, Character and Being making it a violation in Heaven. We our obligated by our allegiance to Jesus Christ to love others. Jesus Christ’s entire life on earth was defined by His Compassion Love for others. (Luke 6:34-36) To say that we know God but not keep His Commandments makes us a liar. (I John 2:4-6) To call ourselves Christians means to be filled with compassionate love. Compassionate love cannot leave hearts unturned. Compassion is to be aware of the suffering of others and strive to alleviate it. It drives believers to live in the Light of His Love and draw others there as well. We cannot see the suffering of sin and death plight of humanity and not do something about it. We are obligated to love others. It is not optional. God requires it of those who love Him.

I John 4:16-18 (NLT)
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

There is a difference between knowing how much God loves us and putting our trust in His Love. God is love. If we live in His Love, it shows that God lives in us. His Spirit allows us to love others unconditionally because in Jesus we are complete lacking no good thing. If you have it all, you will be content. Love grows perfect in our faith in God. As it fulfill our life, then we are no longer searching and dissatisfied but filled with more love and overflowing joy. We literally thrive on His Love even though it is unseen. The Spirit of Christ makes His Home in our heart as we learn to trust Him. We cannot love the Lord yet not trust Him and expect love to come supernaturally into our life. Faith is required. It is the Spirit that allows us to experience the depths of God’s Love and draw from it to love others as we have been instructed. (Ephesians 3:17-19) The more comfortable and confident that we become in the Love of God the more easily and freely we can love other people – all people. We have nothing to lose. When we love God first and love Jesus most, we are never in danger of wandering from the height, depth or width that marks the boundaries of God. We become limitless in our love because we are content in Christ. Confidence expels fear. We no longer fear love lost because of the well within our soul. Christ is our source of love, not other people.

Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What can separate us from the Love of Christ? (Verse 35) Can anything? The answer is a resounding “no” as it reaches mankind from Heaven but that was never the problem. God is love and loves all people. I believe the question is asked of us as people. What can separate you from the Love of God? Is it a person, place or thing that draws you from the Light of His Love back to the darkness of this world? Can anything? Faith allows confident hope built on trusting the Lord with your life beginning with all your love until we are full convinced that nothing can or will ever separate us from His Amazing Love. By making our love for the Lord a priority, our faith is secure. Such a commitment fills every expectation in our life so we are complete in Christ. We love Jesus simply because He loved us first. (I John 4:19) This is the starting place of genuine love for the Lord that will become passionate love for all others. Knowledge and understanding of who God is will give you a new perspective of what His Love is all about and its proper place in your heart and life. His Spirit cultivates love in our life. (Colossians 1:8) It will cause love to overflow in abundance for no other reason than He loves us. (Philippians 1:9-10) It is all that matters. Love is Eternal. Faith, hope AND love are the only three things that will last forever. These three things are solely dependent on one another to manifest all three in our life. (I Corinthians 13:13)

I Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT)
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

The world would have us think that love is many things. But God in His Usual Fashion simplifies love making it easy to know and understand. So many times in life the enemy complicates things to deceive God’s People and keep them from His Very Best. I break the lie of the enemy on your life today and ask the Lord to reveal His Amazing Love to you all over again. Jesus Christ gave His Life as an act of love. We must give our life away too. Love is not lust. It is not selfish or ruthless but patient and kind. God’s Love brings fulfillment, it does not leave you empty or dry. Love never gives up. That’s why God hates divorce so very much. Love never loses faith for it is the very foundation where love is rooted and grounded. Love is hopeful because the love we cannot see is far greater than any manmade concoction. It endures every circumstance. How far are you willing to go to love others? It begins by following Jesus. Make loving the Lord the priority in your life and you will overflow with love from the inside out for the rest of your time here on earth. Perfect love casts out all fear making it trustworthy and true. No man or woman can do that for you so why not let them off the hook and put your expectation in Christ alone. You can love like God but only as a Child of God. You must know and understand the Lord to become intimate with His Love and give it to others in full supply. You will have more love if you give it all away as it is our obligation. The provider always gives seed to the sower. For God so loved the world He gave His Only Son…I love the Lord so much I must give Him more love!

Romans 12:9-12 (NLT)
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

Finally, love is active. It is not passive. Passive love is just words that form a lie. If you love others as God’s Children, then you must really love them. It is no coincidence that loving others comes before hating what is wrong and holding tightly to good as every commandment of God is based on His Love. Take delight in each other…no that is not what it says. There are unlovable people in this world who are not going to love you back or reciprocate the kindness and compassion we give them. But the Lord says, “Take delight in honoring each other!” When we do we honor God and He makes our joy full. Work hard and enthusiastically for God, not man. When you love God first, you can love others the best. Confident hope allows us to rejoice because love is fulfilled in our life whether another human being loves us or not. Be patient. We are all just sinners saved by grace. Keep praying sometimes it is the only thing that helps. And above all in ever circumstance decide to love more!

I Thessalonians 3:12-13 (NLT)
And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.

Companies love it because it allows them to manage contact volumes, have agents handling more than one customer query at one time, and offer agents jobs that involve more than speaking on the phone all day every day.

Yet, there are inherent risks in webchat for those companies. Very often, the only way that agents can handle multiple conversations and manage contact volumes is through the use of automated messages along the lines of “Please wait while I look this up for you” or “I’ll be with you right away” or “Thanks for your patience – we will come back to you very soon”.

These automated messages have their place but contact centres need to be careful. No one likes to feel they are talking to a machine, especially when they believe it is a person. If these automated responses become repetitive or fail to make sense in the context of the broader conversation the customer will soon cotton on and will be left feeling duped and aggrieved.

So, these automated messages need to be used sparingly and their content needs to be considered carefully. Above all else, they should avoid appearing robotic.

• They should use the language that people not organisations use.
• They should be friendly and direct, not formal and aloof.
• Most importantly they should not be perfect.

Which is not to say that automated answers cannot be useful. The key is to ensure they provide the information which is up to date and relevant to the customer. This is where knowledge bases come in. Contact centres can use text identification to figure out the nature of the query; a dynamic knowledge base populates the answer field with information based on the latest news and the most popular queries. Crucially, the agent can then edit or add to this text.

Robots are perfect; humans aren’t. Robots never make typos, but humans do. So, when our agents make minor typos in conversations with customers we shouldn’t correct them. Even when they are speaking to an agent, many customers will worry that they are speaking to a machine and, so, the occasional typo reassures them that their correspondent is a living, breathing, fallible person.

Hard though it may be for a customer service function that has, for decades, strived for ever greater perfection, when it comes to webchat we need to positively welcome errors.

Nadeem Hussain, Conatct Centre Practice, mplsystems,

The KPI’s and metrics in marketing

In marketing, as in any other field in which we hope to achieve a particular goal, if we measure our efforts, we can see differences and understand the reason for the variations, and thus act to improve our results based on what you learned in the observation of our actions. That which at first may seem distant or new, is only applied to business the scientific method, based on: observation, measurement and experimentation, to draw conclusions and to validate the hypotheses.

Getting back to business, we have a clear marketing objective ultimately and always sell more, or rather, increase our profits, but it is reached in various ways or strategies: product branding, loyalty, satisfaction, offers prices.

If we talk about an online store or a physical store, it is clear what we mean to sell more, but there are less obvious models. If we talk about a publishing business, whether a magazine, a newspaper, television, blog or network of blogs, the “sell more” will usually get more advertising revenue, and therefore if we sell by impressions, increase our page views and traffic . If you are a television or radio, increase our audience. If we are a paper magazine or newspaper, increase our circulation, etc.. For service firms, revenue generated by the delivery of these services, so you have to grow or the number of service requests, or increase the number of higher cost services. And for that, we need to modify the number of leads (potential customers interested).

In any of these cases, and any other that is yours, we can define paths since the client has nothing to related to us until our client ends up “buying”, is the way it is in which you do through visits to our content, contracting out services, and acquire products.

In this way, from point A to point B, there are a number of key points to vary them data, thus we change the end result, and that is where the metrics and KPI’s are valid.

If we look at any business can draw a lot of data, even overwhelm us with too many of them. The data resulting from a measurement of our metrics and business would help us to take the pulse of what happens daily, sometimes what happens is that some metrics only provide anecdotal information. But when some of these metrics are combined and to look at them and their variation allow us to make decisions that affect the performance of our business, is currently no longer be just a metric, in addition to also become a KPI.

The KPI’s are the Key Performance Indicator, and if detected, have it under control and work on continuous improvement, we will notice the results in our business.

It is advisable therefore to establish our control panel of key performance indicators in order to define the most appropriate strategy, and continuously review these KPI’s to be aware of the changes and to adjust to always get the maximum benefit, regardless of the circumstances we are.

Another day I will make examples of metrics and KPI’s by type of business, sure to be useful to share here.

Do you already use your own control panel with your KPI’s? What more did it cost? What positive experience can extract and share with me?

Alice Cooper attends the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Hall in Cleveland, Ohio on April 14, 2012 (Photo Credit: CBS Radio)

Tomorrow Alice Cooper rocks the stage at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica where he’s teaming up (for better or worse) with Marilyn Manson.

Apparently Alice got into town a bit early and decided to stop by the Rock Hall to experience the new Rolling Stones Exhibit 50 Years Of Satisfaction.

Alice himself is a class of 2011 Rock Hall inductee and has multiple objects on display in the museum.

RELATED: 50 YEARS OF SATISFACTION EXHIBIT PHOTOS

Alice tweeted a picture from inside the entrance to the exhibit, and it seems like he was “satisfied” with his experience.

Dropped into the @Rock_Hall to see the @RollingStones exhibit! Show tomorrow in #cleveland!! #RockHallSatisfaction http://t.co/bnFDUQUgDQ—
Alice Cooper (@RealAliceCooper) June 12, 2013

We last saw Alice in Cleveland just a few blocks from the Rock Hall in 2012 when he hit the red carpet and rocked the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

RELATED: 2012 ROCK HALL INDUCTION RED CARPET

Wonder what else Alice will do while he’s in town – maybe hit up the restaurants on East 4th?

Tickets to see Alice at Jacobs Pavilion are still available from Live Nation here.

But little do we all know and realize, is that comfort, could also be our worst enemy.

Princess Ekaterina Dmitrievna Golitsyna is a fine example.

When we often hear the word comfort, we affiliate it with wonderful, cozy, niceties. Such as sitting in front of a roaring fireplace, with our legs perched on a leather ottoman, leaning back in an arm chair with some cute little dog curled up in your lap.

What could be so bad about that? It sounds harmless, scenic and ideal even.  I mean, don’t we all strive for comfort?

What we often fail to realize, is comfort is actually the enemy. Comfort creates stagnant individuals. It births boredom, it births justification for laziness. Comfort, like a too hot cup of coffee, can burn you. It can be the snake in the grass that we’re just too ‘chilled’ out to recognize. While we’re completely captivated by the soughing trees in the summer breeze, and the clouds that play hide n’ seek with the sun, we’re right in the snake’s line of vision.

I’ll strike when you least expect it.

That Garden Snake is in fact, a Python in disguise and when we least expect it – it’ll wrap itself around us, binding us in its hold until we’re too tired to fight.

 See, unfortunately, some of us are hard wired to quit, we just give up too easily.

“It’s too hard.”

 “I can’t.”

“I’m too tired.”

“I’ve had a long day.” 

All of these… 

Are…

And get ready for this one, I’m sure it’ll floor you…

Are excuses.

One. Big. Giant. Fucking. Excuse. After. The. Other. 

Excuses that even I’ve used. The hilarity  in it, is that as we’re saying the words, we convince ourselves that this is a logical, sound, justification, and just like that, we clamber back to our arm chair, we let our tiny, furry, companion jump right back into our life, and so the cycle continues.

Now, I’m not a slave driver – we all  need relaxation, and rest, but at what point is too much, too much? At what point do we separate mental tiredness from physical tiredness, and is this ‘tiredness’ really just a result of a lack of stimulation?

See, this is something I’ve been battling for four months. In fact, I’ll be the first to preach that it is immensely difficult to work a corporate job for 8.5 hours a day, and then come home to work all over again. Nobody wants to do that, I sure as hell don’t. I want to kick back, goof off, and do a whole lot of nothing.

The reality, though?

Is that I can’t. I cannot afford to jeopardize risking my dreams and ambitions in order for some temporary personal satisfaction. Those hours that we waste being ‘lazy’? 

We don’t get them back.

Now that, that’s the bitter pill to swallow.

Father Time really isn’t on our side.

I’m forced to take a step back and evaluate my life, the lives of my family, friends, co-workers: are we all fighting the same dilemma? Are we all at our wits end with the lives we’re leading? Have we all just decided to settle for less? 

Take a good look at yourself in the mirror when you’re washing up for bed tonight, and ask yourself the question: How happy are you? Right now…how happy are you with the way your life is going? 

Are you settling, and accepting? Or, have you decided that there has to be more to life than this? 

I implore you all to take a step back from your present situations, think about all your aspirations, wants and desires: think about what you’re willing to sacrifice in order to make them a reality.

As I recently said to one of my best friends, and my publicist : “(Upon working on November Rain last night and noting what I don’t want.) (It) Made me start thinking about comfort. Comfort created out of repetition. Going to the same job, every day. Working with the same people, knowing exactly what my day will be like. Every. Single. Day. I never realized it before, but writing gives me the luxury to disappear and immerse myself into something different every time my fingers touch the keyboard.”

Somewhere down the road, we lost sight of how badly we want things sometimes because we get caught up on being just like everyone else. While that’s okay if that’s what you truly want….but if it’s not, you’re only hurting yourself and stunting your growth as a free spirited individual.

Life is scary. What’s scarier, though? Growing old and realizing you didn’t live your life the way you wanted, or growing old and grinning that you made life your bitch and led it exactly as you wanted?

Choice, as that’s what it boils down to, falls back in our hands – we have a choice to make life what it is. 

So, which choice are you going to make, and what sacrifices are you willing to make in order to make it happen?

Nothing works out easy for me

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I have a problem regarding my items like beads bracelet, fengshui charms, stones like aquamarine etc. I want to sell but I can’t find a buyer, also I want satisfied for the price.

Naran

Chant “CHICORY, GENTIAN, FIND COUNT DIVINE BUYER GIVE NOW”

Explanation

CHICORY and GENTIAN are Bach Flower Remedies, while FIND, COUNT, DIVINE, GIVE and NOW are Switch words. Buyer is the objective.

CHICORY and GENTIAN: not to get disappointed at the end of the day, if there is no sale. The previous day disappointment (mental state) will affect the next day sales. To cut the link between the two these remedies are prescribed.

GIVE: anything to sell.

FIND, COUNT, NOW: to find the find the money (count) now

As mentioned before, we are following Hal Higdon’s Advanced 1 Marathon plan. Due to my ongoing battle to heal my right leg and foot, I was told by my physical therapist that I may have to adjust my training in these first few weeks to avoid exacerbating my problematic tendons. Fine. I’ll continue to accommodate my injuries, as long as they don’t keep me from training.

During my second physical therapy session yesterday, I got to talking with my physical therapist about marathoning; she did one marathon 11 years ago, and hasn’t had a strong desire to do another one since. Simply put, she didn’t like the training. She got a great sense of accomplishment from completing the race, and that was that. Now, I’ve heard this same sentiment from a number of people, and I have to say, I feel differently.

Lina and I LOVED training for our first marathon. My actual race experience was certainly crazy and memorable, and I definitely feel immense pride for having completed it, but it wasn’t the marathon itself that left me wanting more – it was the training. In fact, when I think about my experiences in track and cross country in high school, I realize that my fondness for those memories comes not from remembering races, but from remembering the training.

It’s during those daily workouts that you bond with your teammates and that you slowly, but surely, see yourself get stronger.Those two things, bonding with people and watching myself get stronger, are enough for me to get satisfaction from this sport. The fact that I value the process more than the result is a truly non-competitive thing to feel, and running is a sport in which it is possible to be content this way. With team sports, the whole point is to beat your opponent. For the sake of your team, you need to be competitive. I like the fact that while I do run races with other people, I never feel the need beat them. I only ever feel the need to beat myself, and even then, I rarely feel distraught over not meeting my goals.

Photo credit: http://spacestl.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/horse.jpg

That last part, however, is something I had to train myself to do. When I first started running, I was destroyed each time I didn’t PR. The problem with putting this sort of pressure on yourself is that races in which you PR simply don’t happen as frequently as races in which you don’t. By only caring about the time on the clock, I wasn’t enjoying the majority of my races. Considering we raced every week, that was a lot of time spent feeling negatively about myself and about running.

The same thing was true with my schoolwork. When I was younger, my grades were the ultimate measure of my individual worth. I didn’t care that I had learned a ton in AP Chemistry when I got a B on a test. I didn’t care if I got a B and most of the class did worse. I felt crushing disappointment every time I didn’t get an ‘A’. Putting this amount of pressure on myself, both in running and in school, took the fun and beauty out of the experience of growing as a person. Somehow, I had taught myself that my best wasn’t good enough.

At some point in college, my perfectionism eased up and the words of my parents finally sank in: All you can do is your best, and as long as you do your best, you can be proud. I had to stop trying to be perfect when it became very clear that I was going to fall, sometimes miserably, short of that mark. Math has a way of humbling even the most talented minds, and I am not even one of  those. I work hard so I am able to keep going, but often I studied my butt off in college just to get low B’s on tests. In graduate school, I’ve studied even harder and managed to get only 50% of the problems on certain tests. The point is, I realized that ‘perfect’ was, for the most part, unattainable. By taking ‘perfect’ off the table, I was able to continue to try my hardest, but I wasn’t upset with the outcome. I was set free.

Photo credit: http://hillaryrubin.com

I was able to extend this realization to running, and as a result my race times have become a much lower priority. For whatever reason, I couldn’t run a great race at Providence last month, but I’m proud for finishing because that was the best I could do, and I did it. I won’t pretend that I don’t feel any disappointment when I don’t meet my goals in races, but I make a concerted effort to look at the big picture and see how far I’ve come. When thoughts of inadequacy creep in, I consciously push them out until they no longer visit. Like I said, I had to train myself to have a more supportive inner voice.

All of this isn’t to say that being competitive is a bad thing. I love watching sports and for the sake of wanting to know what the human body can do, I’m GLAD that there are people out there that step up to the starting line and think only of crushing the competition. I also love it when Lina (who is admittedly more competitively than I am) obsessively tells me about other peoples’ recent race times and explains to me why they aren’t out of reach for us. (Those envious sighs are also pretty great .) I know that that sort of information motivates Lina, and I like having a running buddy that is motivated.

I am excited for this second marathon training cycle because I’m looking forward to getting stronger, and because I CAN’T WAIT to resume my therapy sessions long runs with Lina. Seriously. I know Lina feels the same way because we’ve been talking about this week since before we even ran Providence. We are doing our first hill workout together today and I must say, I’ve never looked so forward to a hill workout before. Let round two begin!

-Run Monster

    That’s how I know.

A sense of calm anticipation
No more lows. No more highs.
A warm sip of creative coffee
and my entire body sighs.
    That’s how I know.

    How I know…
In the zone, a perfect place.
    How I know…
I can feel the smile on my face.
    That’s how I know.

Started out with some Melon
Took the stress from my neck
Allmans and some Humble Pie
Feelin’ All Right on deck.

Something to bring with me
An inspiration, a texture, a word
The taste of thoughtful food
and the last note I heard.
    That’s how I know.

    How I know…
I’m ready and on my way
    How I know…
I feel the moment as I play.

Nothing quite compares
to this feeling that I know.
It echoes all around me
It satisfies my soul.

It resonates inside of me
And the creative juices flow
Mind and body harmonize
    That is how I know.

Happily Married

And some very small things in life remind you time and again that its beautiful to be in love! Like a movie you two see together, or just a song you hear on the radio, when someone comes to pick you up after office or simply when you share a meal together.

Its awesome to be in love and be loved back equally and more!
You are missing out if you haven’t fallen in love – a must before you say Goodbye!

I feel some internal peace, having struggled and finally got what I waited for so long.
There will always be something amiss, something more you want from life. But right now I’m in a Happy Space. Enjoying just what life has gifted me!

Touchwood!

FREE ONLINE WEBINAR

Ar-Rajaa The Hope Counseling Service & i1Legacy Pakistan

Present

UNSPOKEN DESIRES 

When: Saturday, 29th June, 2013, 3 PM GMT [In sha ALLAH]
Where: ONLINE (Login link will be emailed out to registered attendees)
Who: Dr. Kanwal Kaisser

REGISTER HERE ->http://unspokendesires.eventbrite.com/

About the Webinar:

Take a look back and you will find those innocent years, life was so simple and easy!

How time flew like an arrow taking you to the world of temptations and desires.

You were made to believe that its ‘love at the the first sight, which only matters’.

How smartly were you tricked into believing that lust or infatuation is actually the purest love.

Those derogatory remarks on Hijaab, Jilbaab, Khimaar, the materialistic standards and expectations and the social pressures did no good except adding more doubts to your confused mind.

Friends, magazines, TV, internet, sources which exposed you to the obscenity weakened your will power & built the temptations stronger than ever.

Loneliness ripped your heart , your cravings took you on a gratification hunt.

Love affairs, porn addictions, you got into Haraam but the joy was ephemeral culminating in severe depression.

Restlessness, burden, sins and resentment is all that you carried while the devil danced with joy, as his biggest mission was accomplished!

Your soul felt that excruciating pain, your eyes swelled up from crying, life constricted around you..and you asked yourself HOW???

How did you end up in this miserable state???

Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala) says: ” Have you seen him who takes his own lust (vain desires) as his ilah (god), and Allah knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight. Who then will guide him after Allah? Will you not then remember?”
[Surah Al-Jaathiyah: Ayah #39]

Join us in the upcoming webinar ‘Unspoken Desires’ where we will help you in fixing the deep rooted soul problems, about the harmful desires and how you should fight back.

We will discuss on how to discipline the nafs and get back to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), a transition from complicated life to an easy one.

We will help you towards finding back your lost haya, the haya which was a part of you once. Bi-idnillaah!

About the Speaker:

She is a Medical doctor by profession and works for humanity on various fronts. She’s a dynamic orator and a preacher, who appears on a Pakistani TV show “Morning With Farah “on a weekly basis and on various other TV channels as a guest and panel member. She has been representing Islam for almost six years now. Her famous debate with Dr. Pervaiz Hoodbouy on “French Veil Ban”, for defending Islamic perspective earned her a great repute.  She`s currently affiliated with Al Huda International, Pakistan. Her main focus in on teaching parents to effectively groom their children, to make them better humans, and Muslims. For this very reason, she has authored several books which are being taught in many schools. She has also conducted several Workshops on Upbringing kids which are not just confined to kids, but directionless Muslim Youth across the globe. She conducts regular workshops in medical colleges, for medical students about clinical implications, and situations, under the guidelines of Qur’an and authentic sayings of Prophet Muhammad (sal Allaahu ‘alaihi wasallam). She also conducts workshops on Time Management, Anger Management, Discovering oneself, Adopting the Veil, Marriage ,etc. and She is Senior Adviser at Ar-Rajaa The Hope Counseling Service.

REGISTER HERE ->http://unspokendesires.eventbrite.com/

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This is event is for Sisters of all Faiths.
Online webcast with audio and visual presentation
For maximum benefit, try your best to attend this event live.
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UK Time: 4 PM
India Time: 8:30 PM
Pakistan Time: 8 PM
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FREE ONLINE WEBINAR

REGISTER HERE ->http://unspokendesires.eventbrite.com/

Spread The Word!

With a giant Roman warthog. I don’t really have a reason.

I have been feeling a little bit of a mess this week, and it started with a freckle.

No, it started because I am waiting for work to appear (hey, anyone want to pay me to write?) and without it end up feeling like I’m on enforced vacation: dithery, and lazy, and undirected. Then I got a new freckle on my nose that was large and dark enough to look like I’d spilled dinner on myself, and one thing led to another until I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking everything I’d ever written had been a hack-job.

I seem to be in a running-errands-buying-crib-sheets-trying-to-bend-over phase this month. The sort of phase where I’m sat in the evening eating a bagful, a giant BAGFUL of crushed ice because it’s all I want, and eating it till I feel sick. Did you even know you can eat crushed ice till it makes you sick? Was that something I needed to discover for the rest of us?

At slow times like this, I realise that there are ideas about myself that I hold on to, that are precious to me, and that it hurts to be without them. Like, for example, I Am A Person Who Thinks and Writes. It is embarrassing to say it, but I feel vulnerable without it. I feel less of a person.

Then I realise that perhaps there are times when I’m stripped of those things so that I can work out how to be myself without them. They don’t have to define me, after all; or not all the time. I am about to go back to a point where the definition of a productive day is getting dressed and making sure everyone is fed. And sometimes not even getting dressed. It was hard, last time, accepting that simplicity. It was difficult to feel valuable when my own markers of value were all beyond me. I had to find other ways of being complete. I think it’s time to practice it again.

Yesterday I folded laundry and watched a documentary about William Tyndale. Now, there was a man in the grip of an idea that wrung his life out, but burned on far beyond him. He was the first man to translate the Bible in English, and he spent most of his life in exile before being betrayed and executed. He is one of my heroes, and the other players in that grand saga of the English Reformation are endlessly fascinating to me: More, Cromwell and Wolsey, and that great hulking King bearing down over all of them.

‘Henry’, I kept saying, ‘Henry, this is wonderful‘. It was wonderful. I was elbow-deep in knickers, getting excited about the Reformation, and it felt like being myself.

Today we skipped out to Oxford for the afternoon – we last ate Chinese food and took stupid photos in the Ashmolean Museum when I was expecting Henry, and we promised ourselves we’d pass on the tradition once he was old enough. We made faces at the Greek and Roman statues, then went upstairs to see the paintings. There was a single, luminous portrait by Edward Burne-Jones that made me catch my breath. ‘Oh, look’, I said, ‘it’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s just beautiful’.

‘BOAT!’ said Henry. I think he was looking at the painting next door. But that one was beautiful too. I was hand-in-hand with my sticky toddler, getting ready to head off the squealy protest that was coming when he had to go back into the pushchair and feeling too huge to be allowed out, frankly; yet there were Pre-Raphaelites on the walls, and I could see that they were lovely.

I am still me, regardless. There are all sorts of ways of feeling complete.

Mary Burne-Jones. Isn’t she a beauty? 

Photo courtesy Martin Beek, here. 

What I would like to know is: what ideas about yourself are most important to you? Do they do you good? And what do you do when you don’t have them for a while?

Yes please serve me
Every desire
Every need
Every lustful deed

Please fill me
Let me overflow
With all the desires of the earth
Let the fleshly me reign

Let the fleshly me be king!
If you will not submit
If you will not surrender
You will see the end of sin

The prize it receives
Dear child the flesh and its desires kills
It is not wise to be a friend of theirs
Please take My hand you see

Let me lead you out of their dark pit
To a place where light forever reigns
To a place where joy is full
To a place where you will be with Me

Amen.

God’s Message to me: (My interpretation of what God is saying in these verses)

Jesus was asked by a sect what was the most important peg to hang your world-view from.    He responded with two.  The most important He said is to “Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.”  This is the most important peg in determining your world-view.  Then He went on to say that there is a second peg set right along the first.  “Love others as well as you love yourself.”

To ignore these two pegs is grasping a world-view devoted to pleasing self.  It all sounds so innocent “watching out for number one,” or “I won’t become a door-mat.”  But when this is the world-view and My two pegs are left unused—the end result is disaster.  When selfishness rules the world and everyone is out for self and self alone, nothing is safe.  My pegs are the only way to happiness on this earth.  Why do I have the right to say that?  Because I created you and know you even better than you know yourself.  I gave these pegs to give your life peace and safety and order.

Whatever pegs you choose for your world-view determines how you live your life.  Choose carefully or others will choose for you.  To make no choice is really a choice—to please self.  The problem of living to please self is there is never a point of satisfaction. Those who advertise their services know this and aim their advertising at whetting your appetite for more, more, more. True satisfaction comes to the one that sets self aside and chooses My two pegs to hang their world-view from.  Setting your sights looking up to Me and out to others ends up in deep inner satisfaction and joy in this life—and in the life to come.

God’s Question: How long since you examined the pegs of your life?

God’s Promise: Choose your world-view based on the creator of the world and you will enjoy deeply satisfying lives.

My Prayer to God

I praise You for these pegs to hang my world-view on.

I am sorry I am not a better example of true happiness.

Thank You for creating the world and giving us life.

Help me keep my world-view focused on Your pegs.

To be honest im completely stumped with this one! Al tho I have experience heart ache n pain I do have so many moments were I felt complete and udder joy or satisfaction as you put it. Becoming a mom hits the top 10 moments 3 times in at number one. Seeing your childrens face for the first time, takes your breath away that’s for sure. But also the scariest thing on the planet to realize that lil face is a part of you and knowing that if anything were ever to happen to them would cause you complete and udder torment and pain for the rest of your life!

Glass Half Full?

Despite the crisis, the level of happiness in Poland remains high. It sounds strange but an incredible 37% of Poles declare that they feel fulfilled, content and happy. Since 1988, when a similar study was conducted for the first time, the level of Polish optimism has not been higher. Poles are in high spirits as opposed to everyone and everything around them. Unemployment may exceed 15% by the end of 2013 and will be at its highest level for years. There is no chance of any increase in salaries. What is more, most are seeing their wages slashed. The only rises which Polish people can expect are in the shops and stores as prices are continually on the increase. The state budget is in such a poor condition that the government is trying to find money in the pockets of the average Jan Kowalski. Tax offices are overzealously checking not only large companies, but also ordinary people. Problems with health services are not out of the ordinary. Therefore, on paper the average Kowalski should be depressed. However, the opposite is true. “Complaining is no longer trendy. Being happy is. The whole world is OK now and Poles want to be a part of this,” said Jacek Santorski, a business psychologist. The market research institution CBOS found that almost two-fifths of Poles (the aforementioned 37%) claim to be happy and feel fulfilled in their lives. There are three times fewer people who state that their life is tainted with bad luck (12%). Compared with 1988, the number of people who consider themselves happy has doubled. The reasons for this happiness seem to be quite trivial. There is almost universal (92%) satisfaction with children, while the vast majority of spouses (82%) are happy with their relationships. The majority of people who feel positive about their marriage are people between the ages of 25 and 34. For 77% of Poles, the source of the most satisfaction in life are relationships with friends and colleagues. Almost eight out of ten respondents (78%) are satisfied with where they live, and would not like to move. 59% of Poles are happy with their health, despite popular opinion.
Interia.pl

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2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NLT)
Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:
“I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”

One of the most embarrassing but common mistake people make on a daily basis is to “push” instead of “pull” or vice versa. We do it all the time approaching a door instinctively pulling or pushing when the opposite is needed to gain access to where we are going. Then quickly looking away most assuredly we read allowed the instructions on the door. But what if there was a tremendous sale in my favorite department store so I rushed over to get some good deals, but when I went to push the door it didn’t budge. So I look in the windows and see others enjoying the drastic discounts and free giveaways so I begin to beat on the door in a jealous rage that I want in too. Frustrated and about to leave another patron arrives and gives the door a quick tug entering easily without any obstruction. How silly would I feel? Righteousness is the secret to accessing God’s Presence and all that He has for you. There is one way in and one way out contrary to the false teachings of today. However, too many times we want God’s Best and the world’s finest as well. This would be like traveling in two distinctly different directs. You will only reach one destination or the other because as human beings we cannot be two places at once. How can righteousness partner with wickedness? It cannot. So why are there so many Christians sitting just outside of the Presence of God mad that they cannot make it in when all along if they had just chosen to do right – the door to His Courts would have flown wide open? Are you frustrated today? Are you a Christian who cannot seem to open doors? Are you experiencing the reward of God’s Favor in your life? Do you want to? God has chosen to live in you and walk with you through life into Eternity. Jesus Christ has made this possible but each individual must choose the pathway of their life. His Spirit will guide you opening doors and closing them in your life.

Deuteronomy 6:17-18 (NLT)
You must diligently obey the commands of the LORD your God—all the laws and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so all will go well with you. Then you will enter and occupy the good land that the LORD swore to give your ancestors.

The Word of God never goes out of style and outdated. His Word leaves a ripple in Eternity that carries it until that time which it comes to pass. The Word of God is alive. However, someone has convinced fellow believers that none of it matters thanks to Jesus Christ. This is a lie. The Grace of God demonstrated in Jesus Christ did not make His Law exempt but satisfied the penalty of sin. We are still called to do what is right and good in the Lord’s Sight. The Word of God is available to instruct and teach us. (2 Timothy 3:15-17) Thanks to Jesus Christ it can no longer condemn anyone but guide us to every promise that it holds. By choosing righteousness and goodness as a platform for life, all will go well for you. Don’t believe me. It says it in God’s Word with many other precious promises. We want God’s Favor and His Reward but seldom take the time to read the instructions some as simple as “push” and “pull” so access is denied because they chose not to know and understand God’s Word, Will and Way.

Galatians 2:20-21 (NLT)
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

The problem began when mankind chose evil over good. We decided that we wanted it our way rather than God’s Plan. This immediately put humanity in opposition with God. By choosing to live in righteousness, the law does not offend people. However, when we choose disobedience the Law of God convicts us just as it does in the natural realm. We have no problem with authority until we break the law. Jesus Christ was God’s Provision for the penalty of our disobedience not an excuse to continue sinning. The wages of sin are always death. (Romans 6:19-23) Never ever is sin acceptable to God and grace does not make that provision. Those who choose to live in sin are ignored by the Lord – He literally turns His Head from the sight of them. It is only in righteousness that God’s Eyes remained fixed and His Ears attentive on His People. (Psalm 34:14-16) Grace is useless if it does not result in righteousness for God’s People. That is all that He was ever after to live happily ever after with you! Sin will always separate God and His People. It will keep them from the blessings and promises that are hidden in His Presence. Joy will be elusive for those outside the parameters of grace that hem us in by right standing with God through Jesus Christ. It is clearly impossible for people to keep the mandates of God’s Law. Grace is the only possible way for believers to live in right standing with God. However, those who treat grace as meaningless by using it as an excuse to sin will never be satisfied by the Favor and Reward found in the Presence of God. To live in union with the Spirit of Christ requires a pursuit of righteousness. The choice is made through repentance to turn from evil and do good! Are you living to honor that choice today?

Psalm 15 (NLT)
Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the LORD, and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.

Righteousness opens the door to the Presence of God and allows us to walk in the blessings and prosperity that He has reserved for His People. To enter any other way is that of a robber or thief. Who can live such a life? Those who live blameless lives made possible through the Blood of Jesus Christ and those who choose to do what is right walking in righteousness each day. Righteousness is a choice. In everyday situations, we must choose between good and evil. Just to clear things up, there is no such thing as half-truths, middle of the road and gray areas when it comes to righteousness. You are or you are not. Kind of like you cannot push and pull at the same time, you cannot serve God and the world at the same time. You must make a choice. But as usual, God rewards those who diligently seek Him. By doing what was right, Abraham received His Promise. (Genesis 18:18-19) It was faith that kept Him firmly fixed in righteous obedience to God even when things did not seem to be favorable. There is restoration for those who choose right standing with God. (2 Samuel 22:21-25) Just look at David and how many times he messed up, yet he was a man after God’s Own Heart. Living a righteous life is not manifested in what we do but in what we believe. If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died to save us and set us free, it will change how we live. We live what we believe. If your life is not defined by a consistent and continual turning toward God and walking in His Ways, then maybe it’s time to visit the Cross and start again. It is not how we start but how we finish. Faith fortifies righteousness because we are not worried about the world but just staying in the Presence of God at all cost. The Lord will lead you in right standing with God by His Spirit. (Psalm 25:8-10) It all begins with a commitment. “Oh Lord, I give my life to you! I trust you, My God!” (Psalm 25:1) Then look out because Heaven is about to pour out and fill your life with the goodness and faithfulness of God in both tangible and intangible ways simply because you chose righteousness. (Psalm 84:10) Joy and peace will overflow and abound in every circumstance and situation of your life. (Psalm 85:10-12) Because God desires righteousness over sacrifice. (Proverbs 21:3) Doing right is the difference between “push” and “pull”. It will open the door to God’s Presence each and every time.

Romans 10:2-4 (NLT)
I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

It is imperative that all of God’s People know and understand the significance of righteousness to remain free from slavery to sin. Salvation is about making us right with God again. It has many rewards associated with our proximity to God. It has nothing to do with what we do but who He is. By refusing to do things God’s Way – we limit our own access it is not the Lord withholding anything from us. Righteousness is part of the divine character and nature of God and exemplified in His Children. Righteousness identifies us as God’s Child, but remaining true to sin makes us a child of the devil. (I John 3:7-8) Salvation that is lip-service will never hide the truth that is in our heart. God sees right through us. Christ is righteousness so as a follower of Jesus we must do right. (I John 2:29) Otherwise, we are not going in the same direction. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s Throne. (Psalm 89:14) We must walk in righteousness to be where He is and experience the benefits found only in His Presence. Jesus Christ is a sacrifice for sin. (Romans 3:25-26) He paid the penalty for our freedom. Freedom to live in the righteousness of God and overcome man’s sinful nature. Now we are slaves to God and the desire to serve Him based on love and trust procured by faith and trust. To seek salvation with enthusiasm but not follow Christ is detrimental. God demonstrated His Righteousness in Jesus Christ. Jesus made it possible for us to be made right with God. It is time to live what we believe as Christians.

Romans 7:21-25 (NLT)
I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

God’s Grace is for all those times we try to win the battle of sin but fall short. Don’t worry friend, you may have lost the battle but you will win the war by striving to live in the Righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. Just as the Lord warned Cain, He is speaking to His Beloved Children today. Do what is right or sin will overtake you! (Genesis 4:6-8) The enemy is at the door. (Amos 3:10-11) Cain chose sin and killed Abel according to the very next verse. I promise the enemy is paying very close attention to your life. He sits just on the other side of righteousness waiting to take you out. Don’t give in. God blesses the righteous and the Kingdom belongs to them. (Matthew 5:9-10) His Presence has impenetrable walls and high boundaries where the enemy has no place. In a world filled with “Cains” do not be surprised if the world hates you for being righteous, but you are not after the things of this world in your pursuit of perfection found in His Presence. (I John 3:12-13) This world is temporary, but His Kingdom is forever. Do you want “in” or “out” of His Presence today? The choice is yours thanks to Jesus Christ. By choosing to do right, we push into His Presence and access all the Promises of God for our life. Who wouldn’t want that?

Galatians 6:8-10 (NLT)
Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Pursuing God in a world that clearly hates Him can be quite the task. It requires time and energy to turn from our sinful nature and live a righteous life. It demands strict attention to His Will and Way found in His Word and lived by His Spirit. But in the end nothing will ever compare to the Harvest of Blessing that He has promised. It will be worth it all. Not just to us, but to those who we have called to demonstrate righteousness too as well. (Ezekiel 3:19-21) Living right is not all about you anymore, it is part of the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:34) It is a lifelong endeavor so don’t give up but press in. The best is yet to come. We must do EVERYTHING to make things right between us and God to live in close proximity to the Lord obtaining every promise along the way! (2 Corinthians 7:10-11) Righteousness must be the foundation of our life anchored by faith, hope and love in Jesus who is forever our access point to the Father. What are you waiting for? If you are pushing, maybe it is time to start pulling If you are pulling, maybe you should be pushing. If neither one is working, maybe the Lord is telling you to wait. No matter what the Lord is instructing you to do if you do it in righteousness – He will be your reward!

Isaiah 56:1-2 (NLT)
This is what the LORD says: “Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you and to display my righteousness among you. Blessed are all those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest and keep themselves from doing wrong.

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Stan and Justin had always been friends, but living together was new to them. Ground rules had developed quickly, but very few of them carried the same wait as the unclaimed food clause in their unwritten contract. Stan shrugged and pulled out the ever-lightening milk jug before trudging over to the cereal cupboard. He grabbed his favorite bowl and set about pretending to be cooking. The meal took all of 43 seconds to complete, and that only because a spoon had to be washed before the actual act could commence. His socks slipped and slid slightly on the tile of their kitchen as he paced and ate, letting his eyes rest on army of fancy cookware he never used. Bored, he migrated to the living room and threw himself down on the leather couch for another installment of his own private reality TV program, Depressing Dinner-and-a-Movie. His ritual was soon interrupted, however, as Justin marched into the room.

“Welcome home!”  he began, already far more enthusiastic than Stan planned to be all week. “I posted our check today. Are you sure we really need this place, man? I love it but I feel like my budget’s a little tighter than it needs to be.”

“Maybe stop worrying so much about everyone who has less than us and enjoy what’s been provided,” Stan slurped his way around a mouthful of Mini Wheats to enter the conversation, and refused to give up any ground because of the inconvenience. “I mean, I love that you’re so charitable but you don’t have to help everyone ever man. It’s ok to treat yourself now and again.” Stan wanted to leave it at that. This was a conversation for another time.

“It’s not really my funds I’m worried about,”Justin started and Stan instinctively braced for a personal attack. None came. “I just want to be sure that we’re pursuing this place with right motives. When we moved in we were so excited to have people over but all we’ve done since is steal design ideas from the neighbors.”

“It’s all good, man. We’ll plan a dinner party or something real soon, ok?” Stan muttered in placation. In truth, he was vaguely aware that the kitchen was full of better-than-the-Franklins appliances and he himself was seated on the King-over-the-Mastersons throne, an overdone couch that had nearly forced him onto a ramen-only diet for a week and a half. They really needed to move into a more singles friendly apartment, but Justin didn’t sense that need.

“Cool. I’ll tell Carrie to clear her schedule for another day of cooking. I’m actually on the way out to see her now. You need me to bring anything back?” Justin asked.

“Nope,” Stan tried to layer as much contentment into the word as he could, but it was fruitless. He had barely restrained his cringe when the woman’s name was first dropped. Justin was a good man, but Carrie was way out of his league. Her laugh was intoxicating, second only in this regard to her thick perfume, and Stan found himself actively fighting the urge to stare into her soft green eyes every time she came around. Sometimes he had to fight the urge to stare elsewhere, but Stan respected women enough to ignore that one most days. He held all of this in as Justin slipped out the door. Again, that was a conversation for another time.

In the ensuing silence, Stan finished his makeshift meal and placed his feet on the had-to-have designer coffee table that he’d convinced Justin to go in on only be desecrating their older model. He stole a moment to survey the massive apartment, his kingdom, best on the block, and leaned back into the leather behemoth he needed only after seeing a similar model across the hall. As the biggest television on the hall buzzed to life at his command, he drank in the electric hum of his superiority, dampened somewhat by the glaring stain that was Justin’s presence, with his too-good girlfriend and his well-on-the-way career. The worst thing was that he was so oblivious to it; like he would have been happy even if it all disappeared tomorrow.

Stan knew better, even if he couldn’t shake the feeling of hollowness that ate him alive all day. He wondered why he didn’t have the things Justin had, given that he clearly deserved them, and his own green-eyed pet purred softly inside of him, secure in the knowledge that he belonged solely to Envy.

This is not dissimilar to what happens in other theological traditions. Like Orthodoxy, Calvinism also begins with the doctrine of God, particularly emphasizing God’s sovereignty, which leads to a whole host of conclusions about how salvation works, what the purpose of the Christian life is, etc. Lutherans start with justification and the cross. Baptists start with personal conversion and transformation. Roman Catholics begin from the doctrine of the Church and particularly the petrine ministry. None of that is to say that these traditions only care about those things. That would be overly simplistic. Nor is it to suggest that they do not examine all the evidence. A good deal of energy is wasted in our disagreements among ourselves as Christians when we shout verses of Scripture or passages from the Fathers at one another, as if the other side is unfamiliar with them and had never considered them before. For the most part, the difference between varying Christian traditions is not in the evidence. It is in the way the evidence is processed. It is a divergence of first principles that separates us and makes it difficult for us to understand one another.

Wherefore Art Thou, Anglicanism?

In light of this, I have been puzzling over the question of what the starting point is for classical Anglicanism. It is a difficult question to answer for several reasons. Since modern Anglicanism is so drastically divorced from its classical sources, in most enclaves of Anglicanism today the starting point for our theology is being provided by some other tradition. But even where there is consistency with our historical theology, there remain several viable candidates for an Anglican first principle. Classical Anglicanism takes very seriously the notion of common worship, for instance, and so a compelling case can be made for worship as the starting point of our theology. Likewise, there is a good case to be made that the starting point for classical Anglicanism, like Roman Catholicism, is the doctrine of the Church. The Anglican reformers and divines certainly placed a great deal of importance upon both common worship and the doctrine of the Church, but the more time I spend considering this question, the less I think that either of these  are the starting point for our theology rather than the natural fruit that comes from having a theology built upon our actual first principle.

Grounded in Revelation

In the nineteenth century, as the Anglican Communion began to take shape, a great question hung in the minds of Anglicans about how to build bridges with the wider Christian world without losing our own distinctiveness. This question fueled the writing of William Reed Huntington’s classic The Church Idea and eventually led to the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, which remains a hallmark of Anglican theology to this day. The original purpose of the Quadrilateral was simply to lay out the terms upon which the reunion of the Christian Church might be established, paring down to the bare minimum of what is necessary for a body of Christians to be properly called a church. However, over the years, as the Anglican Communion has drifted further and further away from her own foundations, the Quadrilateral has become something of a homing beacon, guiding us back to our roots and to our core convictions. I have written here before about what the Quadrilateral has to say about the sacraments and about the ministry. However, there is an inherent order to the four points of the Quadrilateral, and what we believe about Baptism, the Eucharist, and the episcopate, comes directly out of the first two points of the Quadrilateral:

(a) The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as “containing all things necessary to salvation,” and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith.

(b) The Apostles’ Creed, as the Baptismal Symbol; and the Nicene Creed, as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.

The Anglican Reformation was not about creating something new but about recovering something old. What the Anglican reformers discovered when they read the Fathers of the earliest era of the Church was that they held a particular care for Scripture and they exercised a way of reading Scripture that animates all of the Church’s life with the Holy Spirit. It became immensely important to the renewal of the Church of England that Scripture form the foundation of every doctrine, not in an individualistic fashion in which each man reads and makes up his own mind, but in a communal and traditional fashion, in which the Scriptures are read as the Church has received them. Responding to Rome, John Jewel wrote in his 1562 Apology for the Church of England, “Wherefore, if we be heretics, and they (as they would fain be called) be Catholics, why do they not, as they see the fathers, which were Catholic men, have always done? Why do they not convince and master us by the Divine Scriptures?”

Scripture, Tradition, and Reason Redux

The starting place of Anglicanism is the doctrine of revelation. That is the doctrine that colors how we see all else. Our tradition is founded upon Scripture, tradition, and reason, not as three co-equal categories, and certainly not as three legs of a stool, but as three interconnected parts of a whole fabric of divine revelation that cannot be separated if we wish to see the complete picture of the Gospel. Holy Scripture provides the foundation and it is the final authority. But Holy Scripture cannot be properly understood outside of a conciliar framework. The ancient creeds are affirmed along with the Scriptures because they truly teach what the Scriptures reveal and because they represent the ongoing action of the Holy Spirit within the Church to speak God’s Word to us, not a new Word for each generation but the same Word truly explicated. When we read Scripture in conjunction with the creeds and the teaching of the Church, we can apply reason to our reading to see the patterns and the order that exists in the Scripture. Reason and tradition do not prove anything about God for us apart from their consistent grounding in the Scripture. Scripture needs tradition and reason to be properly understood, but Scripture steers the ship. Even though reason would lead us to expect logical patterns in what Scripture reveals, we correct our faulty, fallen reason with the Scripture and allow God’s revelation to lead the way, even when it seems to lead us into seeming contradiction, even when it seems to lead us away from what we held before. We accept the correction of Scripture, read through the conciliar and patristic tradition, and when we do so we assume that new light will emerge for our reason to ascertain.

One of These Things is Not Like the Others

This starting point in the doctrine of revelation differentiates Anglicanism from Rome and the east because classical Anglicanism requires an unswerving fidelity to the Scriptures as the fullness of revelation and the final authority. The Fathers are held in the utmost respect in Anglicanism, but they are not a means unto themselves. By their own writings, they bound themselves to the Scriptures and they bid us to do the same.

On the other hand, Anglicanism’s rock solid insistence upon reading the Scriptures within the life of the Church and through the lens of the Fathers prevents Anglicanism from collapsing into fundamentalism and the rampant individualism of modern Evangelicals and Liberals (excepting, of course, our own Evangelicals and Liberals who eschew Anglican principles in favor of their own). Nor does classical Anglicanism fall into the trap of confessionalism, writing in stone that which the Church has not yet received in a catholic, conciliar fashion. Our formularies are of paramount importance to us, but they are not absolutes. The Book of Common Prayer can be revised. The Catechism can be expanded. The Articles express the Catholic faith, and yet there is freedom for evolution of thought in how we understand and apply them, so long as we do not traverse their plain, grammatical sense.

Where Do We Want to Go?

How does this work in practice? Well, for starters, it means that there is nothing in our theology that we need to protect from Scripture. Returning to the conversation about satisfaction, for instance, Scripture paints for us a picture of a God who is loving and who exercises wrath against sinners. The tradition confirms this picture and puts it in context along with the full range of imagery that Scripture employs. And reason tells us that, while we might see a contradiction between God’s love and His wrath, the problem must not be with what Scripture reveals but with our perception. The starting point determines the outcome. We start with God’s revelation and therefore that is also where we end up, standing in awe, gratefully receiving the mystery of God.

Of course, as with everything else, the degree to which Anglicanism produces this kind of theological fruit is in direct proportion to how faithfully Anglican churches adhere to authentically Anglican principles. It is considerably easier, especially today, to adopt a different theology under the banner of Anglicanism and follow it out to its natural conclusion than it is to rely on the musty, overlooked Anglicanism of the past. But if our starting point becomes something other than God’s revelation, our ending point will be equally divorced from the truth that has been revealed in Jesus Christ. If God’s truth is where we want to end up, then it makes little sense to start anywhere else than in what God has actually said.

Photo is a work of a sailor or employee of the U.S. Navy, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.