Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins for Your Weekend [07.12.14] (A Holy Experience)

2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest, Part II - breathtaking photos around the world

Stunning time lapse images from the NASA Johnson Space Center – gather the family?

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25 Of The Most Creative Sculptures And Statues From Around The World - must see!

Reaching across generations to share love

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A Booby Trap in the Christian Budget

what a heart check

WWII vet forms unlikely friendship with preschooler -

this story and the news clip? Absolute Must See.
(what neighbour could we love like this, this weekend? )

To melt your heart? 23 Photos Of Animals And Their Parents

Last week Chicago resident, and videographer Craig Shimala was working on a time lapse video of a particularly nasty storm over the city. What he managed to film was a rare occurrence:

Chicago’s three tallest buildings the Willis Tower, Trump Tower, and the John Hancock Building all being struck by lightning at the same time. A must see.

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For the days when you are not enough.

Brave words from a 1 year old amputee – “I got it!”

What an inspiration!

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Absolutely brilliant!

can’t stop thinking about what Randy Alcorn said:

“If you don’t give yourself room to breathe, you won’t give God room to move.”

Giving back to people who give. Inspiring.

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Rising from the Ruin – Exquisite. And for every single one of us.

How can anyone ever get over these surprise-soldier-coming-home stories?

The way people cling to each other and don’t let go.
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Post of the Week from these parts here –

laid low by the overwhelming yes from beautiful women everywhere:

The Great Challenge Facing all Women

(and Why Women Really Need to Stop Judging Each Other )

Every Woman, every girl — must. watch. this.

And the pretty inspiring story behind this just-released song

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What’s on the stack here at the farm:

Joy to the World: How Christianity Lost It’s Cultural Influence and Can Begin Rebuilding:
“The key to cultural transformation is something that we might not expect: explosive, Spirit produced joy in God and His Gospel.”

This: “… the more a Christian intentionally cultivates the joy of God in daily life, the more deeply embedded the joy of God will become in American civilization, through him.”

Death Comes for the Archbishop, a novel, on recommendation of our Caleb, as he thought I’d like her writing? The wonder of lines like these:

“Men travel faster now, but I do not know if they go to better things.” The old man smiled. ‘I shall not die of a cold, my son. I shall die of having lived.” “(Miracles) . . . seem to me to rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing power coming suddenly near us from afar off, but upon our perceptions being made fine, so that for a moment our eyes can see and our ears hear what is there about us always.”

Harvesting Fog

the poetry of the Luci Shaw… like this:

I have always welcomed the perennials

but today I celebrate weeds. The arrival of
horse-tails, their primitive vigor thrusting up
under the fence as if the Third Day of Creation
were just yesterday. In penance, as redemption,
I will begin to touch the earth more lightly,
remembering to walk barefoot in the soft
forest so that I make no bruit or break… (40, “Gardener’s Remorse”)

When I first watched these two videos, I was nothing less than slack-jawed.

Like they had crawled into my head, written out my heart — (and then, out of the clear blue only a few days later, The Rend Collective reached out with a note that they’d read this little hick book, One Thousand Gifts and it’s sidekick devotional, and yeah, are they speaking my language) — and if there are any tunes that might be the soundtrack of your summer — I can give no higher recommendation than The Art of Celebration. Every single track — heart-fireworks.

(And to see The Rend live? Is worship like I have never experienced before.)

“Seriousness is not a fruit of the Spirit — Joy is.” ~ Rend, The Art of Celebration

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Hey Soul? quietly today, just one word: Ask.
“But before you do anything, ask God for guidance.” 1Kings 22:4MSG
“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need” Mt7:7MSG
“Look at Him — never hide your feelings from Him. Ps. 34:5MSG
Ask.
Ask, trusting.
Ask, surrendered.
Ask, open-handed.
Ask, believing He knows best.
Ask, simply wanting Him the most.

More than asking for anything — ask God to be everything. In asking for Him — we have it all.

#PreachingGospeltoMyself (art by Geninne's Art)

(excerpted from our morning devotions in our little Facebook community

where every morning we share a word like this to encourage each other & #PreachGospeltoOurselves... come join us?)

That’s all for this weekend, friends.

Go slow. Be God-struck. Grant grace. Live Truth.

Give Thanks. Love well. Re - joy, re- joy, ‘re- joys’ again

Share Whatever Is Good.

Click here to download the FREE EASTER / LENT Devotional: The Trail to the Tree{please give it a few moments to download… thank you for grace!}