The Shack - Might be the best read of 2013 for me!

"Just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors.” ― Wm. Paul Young, The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity

I have yet to be touched by a book since The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans. The very statement I start this blog with really encompasses what this book is about. It draws you in with its story of pain and keeps you holding on for the way it touches you not only mentally but spiritually. At some point in our lives (those who believe in this God of mine), blame him for the tradgedies we have endured, blamed him for not being next to us in our most trying times and curse him for not leading us to something better than where we are. But as this statement above reads ~ God does not create tragedies for us to arise from he creates goodness from those tragedies that unfortuantely not all of us appreciate or truly see.

“Paradigms power perception and perceptions power emotions. Most emotions are responses to perception - what you think is true about a given situation. If your perception is false, then your emotional response to it will be false too. So check your perceptions, and beyond that check the truthfulness of your paradigms - what you believe. Just because you believe something firmly doesn't make it true. Be willing to reexamine what you believe.” ― Wm. Paul Young, The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity

This excerpt from the book makes a power statment "Just because you believe something firmly doesn't make it true. Be willing to reexamine what you believe." I do believe we forget this as we live and grow and move --- our minds and hearts and souls need to be open enough to reexamine and revisit those things to become closer to our spiritual selves. ---- I cannot say enough about the things this book has caused me to contemplate - our judgement upon others for what we perceive are their failings, the perception of God and spirituality, the expectations we put on one another to have some semblance of order? We label to make the world make sense to us just so we can then disassemble and break down what we claim to build? "Love is merely the skin of knowing" William Young ~ The Shack

Brookdale prayer vigil

It is with an extremely heavy heart and broken soul that the Brookdale Community mourns the loss of two innocent souls. Taken so abruptly and horribly from the families they brought happiness into. Such tragedy is gut wrenching and heart brokena and sobering. Their lives had yet begun and in a blink of an eye they were stolen from those that held them dear. Crimes against children are the most tragic and mind boggling of them all. To hear the reasoning behind them are almost meaningless. These excuses bring no solice or peace to those that mourn. They are merely words set adrift into the deep sadnesss caused by their loss. Our community is a strong one, parents who care, people who smile at you as you go by and children that bring such a joyful prescence to our community. This community was built for them, the children, it is centered around their needs and is enriched by their laugther... I dont know how to help but I know we have to try. We have to be there for these families in anyway we can. It is at these times that our community involvement is most important. Today at 2:30 our community is holding a prayer vigil for these children and our children within the community. Please take a moment and bow your head in prayer with us. Our children were taken too soon and they will not be forgotten.