Christ in my Crisis.

       

YOUR WORLD IN CRISIS.

Do you ever try to talk your way out of trouble? We have all had that conversation with ourselves about a particular crisis in our lives. We may say, “All is right in my world?” But it feels silly to say that right? No burdensome and worldly weight could ever bog me down. Wait, that’s a lie that turns the corners of my mouth upward with a have hearted cynical smile. With aggravation I proclaim to my creator with a confused chatter. To the top of my lungs I yell,"A world without crisis is not the real world I live in.” Okay, I know this. So why would I say such a ridiculous thing? I think it’s because my sometimes fragile emotional life seems to wind up broken and at the bottom of a dark and lonely barrel. I experienced this feeling just after my last post about four months ago.

MIGHTY MASTER

What have I learned these last few months? I have found out that learning can be a hard and pushy process. It gets hard when the one who is doing all the pushing is the “ALL MIGHTY MASTER.” Being a lifelong learning pupil who is placed or divinely pushed to the front row of the class is very hard to come to grips with. The lessons are always hard in a class called Crisis 101. And I didn't even sign up for this class. I remain in a continual battle with Christ over the seating chart in my classroom of one. I think to myself, "little old pitiful me." Am I that important to Christ? And why does He always insist that I sit on the very front row? I beat my pencil on my desk of discontent. “What are you trying to do to me God?” I have turned a terminal green from the growing pains that He has tried to plant inside of me. Christ at times has become the "Mr. Green Finger" of my grounded life. He keeps pointing me with his luminous lightening rod of correction to life’s lessons that I don’t want to learn. And guess what? Christ wants to be close to me while I am going through my growth spurt. Imagine this.“For the Love of Christ!” I scarcely shout from the back row. He stirs from behind His divine desk of reason. With a warm harmonious voice Christ says, “Yes Kyndl, you need to stand up and go to the front row." So with heavy foot and heart I move for “the Love of my Christ!” 

The love of Christ is boundless. So is His glorious red cape that adorns and covers us with compassion. He is my SUPERNATURAL CHRIST. The one who is able to leap in a single bound over any crisis that I am going through. I remember back in the day when I was in my early teens and a crisis hit our happy home. One day the family television stopped working. I fiddled and slapped on every button like some nervous train conductor trying to stop a runaway freight train. In this case, I was trying to stop the television from crashing. I had no luck reviving that old thing. I waited anxiously for daddy to return home. As he walked into the living room I sat motionless in the lazy boy chair. I told him that the television had died. “It’s a crisis”, I said. He laughed at me and shook His head. He told me that it would be okay. Only a true Father can say these words and make you believe it. Within a few days, a brand new Magnavox was sitting in our living room. The crisis was over. HMMM.

Is your life on the fritz? Maybe the vision of your life is not quite what you pictured it to be. Circumstances start to scramble your sanity. The grinding of your overcooked grits leads you to languish in a life crisis. Then there comes the one question that always scares me. I sat on the front row of the classroom with a disinterested, big eyed look of dismay. Christ with his kingly ruler in hand asks, “WHO AM I?” I hesitate with lips puckered tight like a lemonhead who lamented over the sour and salty correction of Christ.

I know one thing that is true about my time in a class called Crisis 101. I am ever learning from my own let downs in life and never satisfied with my feeble and pathetic human failures. It is during my ramped up, ritualistic self tormenting that I understand who He is. Christ remains evident and eternal. He is “the Christ in my Crisis.”

I press on to write about my Life in Christ. These highs and lows are mine and yours. We live in “the fehrenheights.

Betting on Black.

 

                        IF YOUR BETTING ON BLACK, LET LOVE WIN YOU OVER.

DON'T ROLL THE DICE OF DOOM!

I am not a gambler. When it comes to playing board games or even cards, my wife will tell you that I hate playing. Even the slot machines and all of it's flashing lights and jingling tones aren't enough to tempt me into turning the handle on this money gobbling monster. I remember talking to an avid gambler who told me that one of the first things he noticed when he started pulling the handle down on the slot machines was the build up of black powder on his hands. Thinking back on this conversation has led me to write about the months of build up over the Trayvon Martin case. I will pose one pointed question in my argument for his defense. Are you betting on black?

I WANNA GET LIT.

Happy 4th of July!!! 

i point my finger to the sky and look to His LIGHT.

Being high on life is the only alternative for me. Living in a intoxicated state with mind altering narcotics has never been my thing. I had family members who fought the battle against drunken demons and I know what the face of addiction looks like. It is a face that is dimly distorted from the inability to cope with life and its challenges. But drugs and alcohol are not the only things we use to cover up the pain. The faces of power, sex and food are other disfigured images that we encounter everyday in our mirror of life. Addiction is a cunning camellia that slithers on its belly like a snake as it sneaks around the chicken coop looking for an egg to steal.

THE BONDING BAG.

I dedicate this post to my new friends and EASTCAN.ORG. In our difficult time with Polar, they have carried us with compassion and class. These angels have literally turned Polar's heartworm hell into a healthy heaven on earth. 

CARRIED BY LOVE

The baby kangaroo clings to his mother's warm protective pouch. With each day that passes, the closeness starts to grow between the young hopper and his loving mother. She will faithfully take him everywhere she goes as he lies resting, nestled in peace next to her beating heart. They are linked by an enduring bond that last through all the stormy and impetuous sand of times. The two will become one, held together, forever. 

SINGING THE SOURPUSS BLUES

It has been said that "LIFE'S A STAGE." On my stage I have dedicated life and career to four unshakable and lasting things. I sing for the Father, my loving family, true friends and my loyal fans. And yes, I do have a few fans and I am thankful for each and every one of them. The world is constantly shifting and becoming increasingly unstable and lately we have been reminded just how precious life really is. I sing the praises of every person who through earth-shattering diversity somehow finds the will to dig their way out of trouble and fight for life. How could I as an artist just stand by and watch as the world held out it's hurting hand. 

RAISED EXPECTATIONS.

YOUR DREAMS ARE ALIVE

Are you pregnant with great expectations? The pain is never easy when birthing the baby of your dreams. To get to the heights of your destiny, you always have to endure intense anguish before you experience a higher altitude of personal growth and purpose. In saying that, I dedicate this post to my sister Kristi(go ANGELITA AND TWINS), my beautiful wife Sjhira, who's birth was a miracle and to her wonderful mother Ms. Candy. You are ladies of great character and strength. In the early stages of conception and raised expectations, our dreams bring forth powerful feelings of ascension that cause the ground to shake beneath our feet. Movement brings giddy anticipation as the signs of life start to appear. But what happens to our dream when that little bundle of joy lies motionless and your bosom only seems bloated with doubt?

AN ONION SANDWICH- DEALING WITH THE DIET OF LIFE.

I don't have a taste for onions at all. YUCK! In the early years of my life my taste buds were jumping and I would eat just about anything. Then I met Mr. Onion. Momma tried her best to convince me that onions tasted good but she never won that argument. I hate them to this day. I remember hearing one story of a passenger on the Carnival Cruise ship who said they were forced to eat onion sandwiches to survive during their crisis as seas. If it came down to life or death, I would choose onion breath over having no breath at all. It got me to thinking about my own survival and how I deal with the problems of life.

I PRAY AND PEEL

LIVING IN THE iWORLD.

Apple had a multinational movement back in the late 90's that came out with a line of consumer electronics and software that would forever change our lives. A hungry market was poised to devour every Apple product that was placed on their plate. First on the menu was the production of the iMac in 1998. Then came an entire host of individualistic products like the iPod, iLife, iSight, iWork, iPad, iBook, iTunes and the forever popular iPhone. Apple’s philosophy was simple in that the plan for success was built around catering to the wants and desires of the individual. Since the late 90’s these products with the small “i” have made a very big difference in how we work and live in the world. In fact, I am writing this post by way of an iMac and on Friday I will be taking my first bite into the biggest apple of them all, the iPhone. Apple is an example of a remarkable vision by one man and there has been much speculation on what the letter "i" really means. Some say it means internet,individual,intelligent or integrated. I say it stands for "inspiration." This is one case where the letter "i" has really changed the world for the better. Thank you Steve Jobs.

THE BIG WHITE DOG.

 POLAR AND HIS FAMILY

As many of you know I have a Great Pyrenees named Polar and my wife recently shared a story on Facebook about how our big fur ball of love reminded us of the Lord's love and sacrifice for us. On the Saturday morning before Easter my wife rescued Polar from an eight foot thorn branch that was attached to his back.(Polar's hair and thorns below) Imagine having to carry that around for a while. Because of this wonderful story it made sense to share with you one of my first writings. I hope you enjoy it.

A SONDAY SONRISE

5B8GAQFDZ6KS

HEAVENLY HEIGHTS

SONDAY WE WILL RISE TO HEAVENLY HEIGHTS

THE SON WILL COME TO WAKE US

ON SONDAY, THIS HIS TIME TO SHINE

SONDAY WE IN JOY WILL CELEBRATE 

TO SING GLORY- SUN WATER SKY EARTH
 CHILDREN LIFT HIM HIGH, THEIR PRAISE TO LEVITATE

HE DOESN'T SEE YOUR STAINS.

MY SELF-WORTH CANNOT BE TAKEN AT FACE VALUE

Who I am today is a reflection of how I was raised and how my childhood experiences taught me to take delight in the different flaws that make people who they are. We are all swimming in a mud hole of stains, splashing around in abnormal patterns that morph us into magical works of strange but attractive beings. Do we sometimes have trouble getting bogged down in the mire of misperception?

PEACE SLAYS THE DIRTY BIRD

THE PATH OF PEACE

(the white poodle in the back with the red glasses is chillin)

When you're scooting along the highway and you turn down a rocky road, I hope this post will encourage you to flip to the positive and travel back down the path of peace. Thanks to Linda for allowing me to snap this quick pic for the post. She is a member of SCOOTNASHVILLE.COM. This is her slick scooter called the Auto Moto. Isn't the future of driving mind blowing?

POUR ME A CUP

IGNITE YOUR THIRST

Mixing up different fruits and juices is a new interest of mine. I like trying to invent a new taste that moves me to an even greater fruity sensation.  I ask myself, “What could I possibly blend together that would create the perfect drink?” I  may never find it, but at least I can keep trying. Pushing my creative juices to the limit quenches my thirst even more. I thirst for creativity from every angle of my life and I try to look at things from a different perspective. I don’t even consider the way I think to be outside the box because I avoid trying to place my thoughts anywhere near a box. It has something to do with feeling trapped I guess. To have my mind hemmed up by a chamber of claustrophobic limitations scares me more than just a little. I choose to move my being beyond the box of conformity.

FOR ALL MANKIND

I feel at rest when I uplift someone else.

(this is my favorite post to date. I couldn't wait to write it.)

On Sunday February the 10^th I was presented with the priceless gift of rest. It was the most important birthday gift I had ever received. The package was carefully and appropriately delivered on Sunday, the day of rest. It came wrapped with a direct message of how much God desired for me to remain in His love. This gift was given to me as a reminder that I can be held in that sacred and quiet still as I float to tranquil and uncharted heights. I wish to lie suspended in the solitude of rest if only for a moment. I wish this FOR ALL MANKIND.

MY LOVE LIST(ten thoughts on 10ve)

 CREATED BY LOVE, TO LOVE.

How could I write anything unique about love that hasn't already been written? If you know me at all then you understand that I am a man who likes to go beyond the boundaries of creativity. Here is a top ten I created on "love having no limit." I wish you much LOVE on Valentine's Day.

NAKED TOWER JUMP

A HERO!

From 24 miles far above the earth, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner anxiously awaited his moment of greatness. With one jubilant jump he was about to set the world record for the highest dive from space. At these lofty heights he was the first person to break the sound barrier at a supersonic speed of 833 mph.  Right before his brave bolt into the history books, the daredevil stood tall atop his helium filled balloon and stated, “I know the whole world is watching now, and I wish the world could see what I see.”

TALLER THAN THE TREES

The Redwood Sequoia is the World's tallest tree species that grows to be around 379 feet. I have never seen one in person but would love to cast my eyes on this botanical beauty. Hmm. What's the chance they would let me climb it. As I started writing this post I got to thinking about what it means to climb and so I asked myself this question. Is there an even loftier HEIGHT I can attain that will surpass mere mortal success?  

BULLSEYE!

The other day I was reading about the origin of the word "bullseye." Centuries ago the English longbow yeomen would often congregate after church in the hamlet and have target practice. The target was said to be the white skull of a bull. If you could hit the center of the "bulls eye" then you were considered to have the greatest skill as a marksman. 

 THE CROSSHAIRS

Do you know what it feels like to have a bullseye on your back? I have been the unwilling target of an adversary so deadly that it had managed to turn,topple and twist my life into every possible direction. The name of this worthy adversary is..

He loves me...He loves me not?(The Ugly Truth)

The word ugly was first used in popular English Literature sometime before 1050. My grandmother used the word all the time when she caught me being too mean to people. Standing at about five feet tall, she walked up to me and said with a small, shaky voice,"now baby, don’t be ugly.” 

Webster's dictionary defines ugly as something that is contrary to beauty or offensive to sight.

UGLY?

Do you remember a time when someone called you ugly? This is a word that is commonly used to describe feelings of disgust over a particular person place or thing. We all have experiences when it comes to how we look at ourselves and others. I can speak from personal experience about this. I have two big ears and one crooked nose and this can add up to one big zero for self-confidence. This was a challenge for me growing up, especially when trying to get through high school. So it was during this time I began to ask myself a question. Was I wonderfully and fearfully created in the image of God? 

Now I had turned myself into an ugly creation who doubted the design of a loving creator.

This bud's for you.

Years ago Budweiser unveiled a popular ad campaign with a slogan that seemed to put so many people in a festive mood if you know what i mean.  All across the world Budweiser had people saying "cheers, this bud's for you." What I want to do with this post is to give my twist on this successful slogan and talk about a different kind of bud. 

New Year's Eve celebration in Chicago 

We spent this past Christmas and NYE in Chicago and had a good time as you can tell. My wife and I were ringing in the new year at a house party. That's her in the picture with a hand up. And yes, we managed to celebrate without a lot of drinking. Before the party ever got rolling,
 the DJ mentioned the Sandy Hook shootings. He said that he wanted us to have a moment of silence for the family and friends of the victims.So many of us were wracked with grief when the shooting occurred and it was right around the holidays and that made it even harder to take. I want to comment on why this hits home for me.  

~My first blog~

                                      Over the wild blue yonder!
                                                    

"Keep your feet on the ground and your thoughts at Lofty heights"

                      

                                                                                    ~peace pilgrim quotes

My love lies bleeding......

            









AZ the writer of this blog I will write from the heart and vow to treat each person with respect and humility.  I will post from a perspective of everyday life and my goal is to somehow invoke the minds eye and encourage you with simple child-like faith and innocence. I hope you will follow me as we all seek new heights of faith, physical well being and creativity. I live by a few tenets and will joyfully share more as we go along.