"To love [God] with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

The Gospel of Mark | Mark 12:33 (TNIV)

I've been pondering this scripture for the last several days - what it means, how it applies to me, how I should change my attitudes, behaviors and relationships with God and others.

These two commandments are more difficult than a burnt offering. In a sense, when we try to live this way, our lives become burnt offerings - wholly and acceptable to God when we realize that the only way we can do this is to follow Jesus's example and accept his forgiveness, grace,and sacrifice.

Pride references my ability, humility acknowledges God's.

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
   and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
   I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands"
Isaiah 49:15-16

My pikake budding and blooming after the rain

 

The Ko‘olaus

 

Sunday worship at First Prez Honolulu. A message by my husband on Authenticity.

 

Sound byte of Cory Oliveros and the First Prez worship team singing "Just the Way You Are"

 

Ka‘u oranges from Hawaii's Big Island. The saying goes, the uglier, the sweeter.

 

Audio of Tim Keller's sermon "The Problem of Blessing," my third time listening and learning more. | http://thegospelcoalition.org/resources/a/The-Problem-of-Blessing

A full day.

Thanking my son, Dylan, for introducing this song to me today!

Imagine me
Loving what I see when the mirror looks at me cause I
I imagine me
In a place of no insecurities
And I'm finally happy cause
I imagine me

Letting go of all of the ones who hurt me
Cause they never did deserve me
Can you imagine me?
Saying no to thoughts that try to control me
Remembering all you told me
Lord, can you imagine me?
Over what my mama said
And healed from what my daddy did
And I wanna live and not read that page again

[Chorus:]
Imagine me, being free, trusting you totally finally I can...
Imagine me
I admit it was hard to see
You being in love with someone like me
But finally I can...
Imagine me

Being strong
And not letting people break me down
You won't get that joy this time around
Can you imagine me?
In a world (in a world) where nobody has to live afraid
Because of your love fears gone away
Can you imagine me?

[Bridge:]
Letting go of my past
And glad I have another chance
And my heart will dance
'Cause I don't have to read that page again

An email dated March 10, 2005 describing and quoting my then 10 year old son

Getting into the car with flower for me in hand, "It's hard not to love your mother."

1 Corinthians 13 (The Message)

 1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

   Love never gives up.
   Love cares more for others than for self.
   Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
   Love doesn't strut,
   Doesn't have a swelled head,
   Doesn't force itself on others,
   Isn't always "me first,"
   Doesn't fly off the handle,
   Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
   Doesn't revel when others grovel,
   Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
   Puts up with anything,
   Trusts God always,
   Always looks for the best,
   Never looks back,
   But keeps going to the end.