Happy, Beatific New Year! Holy God We Praise Your Name

Dear Abba, our sweet heavenly Father,
We praise and we thank you for Your gifts of creation. Particularly the gift of Your incarnation through Your only son Jesus, who shows us Your ways and places the gift of the Holy Spirit inside of us.

Through this New Year of the Lord 2009, please continue to nourish and grow Your Spirit within us to bring us to complete compassionate communion with You and all of Yours.

Please protect our hearts, as well as our minds, bodies and souls.
We ask this in the name of Love, Jesus.

Amen

Keren, et al

Holy God, We Praise Thy Name - Bob Bennett

Children are special.

This is my grand-nephew, my sister's grandson. My sister, my niece, and my grandnephew visited us a couple weeks before Christmas. A whirlwind weekend to say the least, but so very wonderful.

My niece told me a story about her son, who had all of a sudden stopped wanting to go visit his grandpa, her father. He had always loved going to grandpa's house, so of course, she was concerned. Why the change? was someone there hurting him or being mean?

What she finally got out of him was that he didn't want to go to Grandpa's because grandpa started telling him scary stories...scary stories about what? ...."about Jesus".

My heart dropped, My grandmother used to tell me scary stories about Jesus and how I was going to hell because I wasn't baptised, etc. I was 8, he is only 5.

(FYI - I never went to church at all, my niece takes her son to a baptist church fairly regularly, but he has never been exposed to the bible really.)

Time after time, Jesus held children up and said to adults "you have to be like one of these to get into the kingdom of heaven"
Can you imagine how Jesus must feel when one of these little ones is scared of him based on an adult getting the message wrong?

The good news is, that Grandpa (who is a wonderful guy, and good friend of mine)decided to buy him a kid's bible-book for a Christmas present. My niece agreed.

Should we evangelize children?
I don't have any answers, but a plea.
Please don't scare the children. They don't have the life experiences yet to understand most of the old and new testament,much less the Crucifixion. The great majority of adults don't even seem to understand it.

Best intentions.
If you are "religious" and think a child in your family may not be getting the "religion" you want him/her to have, please read everything Jesus says about children, and ponder it in your heart, before you talk to them. Talk to their parents all you want, but take care with the little ones.

Peace
Keren

A Boy Named Jesus

who would be King?
I wanted to update you on my almost finished painting (NOW finished as of September 2009), based on items in a Catholic church sacristy, including the image of the Infant of Prague – but this representation of the child Jesus has more standard Arab features and coloring and a multicolored robe (more on this later and sorry for the blurry image)

Who is it...I am me, or I have belief in God
For a moment I wondered if my painting would somehow insult the Infant of Prague. Then it came to me…it is so very easy to make any icon into more than it really it is. Just like our own goodness or our own “rightness”, our “own” beliefs I suppose.

Who is it...I am live, or is it I have Memorex? (or Tivo)
We don’t worship the material parts of a painting/sculpture, any more than we worship our own bodies….we worship God.

As a Catholic Christian, icons enhance my overall understanding of Jesus and my relationship with Him, and my ability to communicate my way of experiencing God. NO matter the color of the icon, nor its shape nor its feel ie., icons are not just visual representations of something but seems like popular stories, mottos, actions, people behaviors, styles, life-styles, can also be icon-like.

Who is it...I am Universal, or I have rights?
Disrespectful images of Jesus can infuriate me, but in the USA, our Constitutional first amendment rights protects a citizen’s freedom of speech which includes speaking through images. Mainly it is to protect the citizen of this country from governmental thought-control and censorship.

In the same regard…anybody claiming to be children of the God of Abraham – Jews, Christians and Muslims, ALL have been given Free Will which includes choosing disrespect or choosing respect... whatever that means to you.

Free Will protects the child-of-God’s God-given-right to choose for himself/herself.

Who is it..I am...in what You do?...or in what You say?
Recognise Similarites – Respect Differences.
In this regard, I understand, even though I don’t agree with some of their methods, the Muslims persistent ire when any image of the Prophet Mohammed is made.

Remember how Catholics were so upset with the Davinci Code. Non-catholics would roll their eyes and say “puh-leaze…It is just fiction!”

Have you ever been upset when someone shares a potentially compromising or unflattering photo of yourself? You feel like your real image will be mocked or misunderstood somehow.


Who is it...I am Love?
Jesus was not unaccustomed to being mocked, nor was he unaccustomed to being Loved.

“There is nothing in other people's point of view, nor nothing in other people's choices that can destroy the God in me”

To me it seems this holds true for all of us.

Peace
Keren

Christmas Invites Imagination and Memories

More from 1988 Claymation special. Him and I watched the entire show last night. We taped it on the night of its debut, and watched it together then too. Other shows, and bits and pieces of shows, and commercials from that time were on the same tape...so we had a nice trip down memory lane...so much has changed in 20 years.

Wonderful thing Christmas/holiday traditions, even just watching them. Evocative of hope and harmony and possibilities, grounded in the stable nature of ritual.

Peace
Merry Christmas
Keren

Spirit be Strong In Me

Ego make room,
company is coming.




Peace
Keren

Happy are those whose way is perfect, (Psalm 119)

The voice of God in dreams is consistent,
if not always clear.
He tells me I am fine and good,
yet mealy-mouthed.

He tells me He loves me.
He tells the imaginary bad guys "get away" and “harrumph!”
He lets me fly and play in a world with green-grass hills, white temples, and clear blue seas.
He laughs

This is the best part,
He gives me many challenges and puzzles
which keep me on the way towards "perfect".

Listen, be attentive, wait.
He is talking to you too.

Peace and Happy
Keren

Carol of the Bells

From the Claymation Christmas Special circa 1988

Affirmation: Hugs are good.

(photo)
Hugs are just what the dr. ordered!

I still haven't given up on my hugging ministry..mentioned many blogs before. Hugs are prn, as needed, and a very important part of any purpose.

EVERYBODY needs them, not everybody admits it.

Having a relationship with God does not mean you will never be in an uncomfortable or uncertain place which may seem like extended suffering - look at Job.

Jesus experienced fear, and cried, and got angry and frustrated. Jesus, the One who received tremendous, even verbal, affirmation from God witnessed by other people. People begged him to heal them, and thousands came to hear him speak, and his disciples affirmed him as Lord. Jesus had "hugs" - affirmation, but still experienced negative but normal human emotions.

Never lose Love,
Always have Hope,
Faith..well, mine seems to waiver some...
but I am not really sure what Faith means by itself,
without Love and Hope.

A unity sort of thing. A trinity perhaps....

Peace
Keren




Peace and Love
Keren

Road to Happy - Return to Light

Return to light
Another cycle, pattern, season whatever
6 more days, December 21 shortest day, and longest night.
After that, days last longer again, nights become shorter.
Maybe then I will get into the Christmas spirit.
It will not be too late
Peace
Keren

My sin is I want to feel special

At the cusp of turning 50, I have peace but not harmony and I am best at harmony so why don't I have it?

“You are not as good as you think you are” “You must suffer to grow”, “you must accept the moment” “You must not believe yourself to be God”

I am poor; I have made so many mistakes that I am humbled every time I take a breath; I have been rejected; I have been ignored; I have been accepted only to then be exiled; I forgive to a fault; I turn the other cheek until my heart is pulp; I admit I am not perfect; I have committed every sin on the list; I have never been in the right place at the right time according to other’s expectations of success or growth. I am fearful when I do things to stretch and grow my limits. I shout pout and cry and call people @$#@##%#.

“Jesus did not need affirmation” “Jesus was consistently confident” “Jesus walked in peace” "A wise heart does not know fear"

I dont agree with all of that, but I agree I am not God, nor am I Jesus. I consider myself more of His Spirit....is that ok?

Happy,
Keren

Haven't got a clue? Try Love.

Life is a puzzle - especially its people are most puzzling

The NY Times puzzle becomes increasingly difficult throughout the week, with the easiest puzzle on Monday and the most difficult puzzle on Friday or Saturday. The larger Sunday crossword is about a THursday level difficulty.

In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was LOVE.

I just put Love in all the boxes, up down and across, hopefully it will infiltrate some circles too.


Love
Bailey

More from the belly of the bowl

I am going back to Happy.

I may need a little help remembering how, and it is probably going to mean just plain ignoring some things.

(Note to One who worries about me…It is lunchtime..I’m taking a brief lunch break from standing at the copy machine all day. Good meditative time though)

Happy is OK.. and recommended. I’ll save “spiritual” for some other time - when I have some tangible help :o) I’ve given it a good run; the last several years at least. I have made amazing strides in my connections which I hope to keep; amazing from my perspective at least and as a couple of people who have watched and indirectly assisted my journey would probably agree.

Problem with practicing spirituality however, is that it involves a lot of introspection. I am not sure how to let my personal introspection evolve into something good or beneficial for others. What I have been doing would be good for someone who lives in a bubble, or monastery or a seminary and has people to talk to, along with all of their basic needs taken care, i.e. doesn’t have to pay bills or be responsible for a family member(s), but not for me.

As always, I am open to suggestions, comments and I would love advice. If anyone wants to talk to me about this please call or email, my phone number is on my website www.kerensgallery.com.

Peace and Happy
Keren

Immaculate Conception, Providence and Goethe

Creative Desire... has nothing to do with human intercourse in which people try to maybe might make something happen.

Conception... is the moment of life, no matter who the people, or where the place, when the ephemeral puff of existence, full of grace, free of original sin, fills the space united by separate energies.

Chance...Only very very few cells in a human body, i.e., our egg and our sperm cells, even have a remote chance of becoming another organism, another life, then by nature it even begins to multiply and divide.

Boldness…Love does not recognize "in" circles nor can it be put in a box. We all always have the potential and capacity to be friends ("lovers"), and be good to, with, and for each other, no matter our placement in the scheme of things...inside or outside of any circle or box.

Peace
Keren

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

Today is my father's birthday. He was born in 1925 and died in 1980,
I was just about to turn 21. He would have been 83 today.

He adored classical music, classical literature/poetry, roses and my Mom...his children too prior to our becoming teenagers. :o)

I am not sure what happened that turned him away from church, and perhaps even God...we never prayed together or went to church together as a family, not even on Christmas or Easter.

When I asked him about it, he told me about a Guiding, Creative Force, that without which we would have chaos. He wanted us to find our faith on our own...not have it forced upon us nor handed to us on a platter.

He carried part of a green scapular in his wallet; we didn't know what it was and we still don't know why he had it. My sister, recognising it as something "catholic-looking" sent it to me a year or so after I joined the church*. I pray with it every Saturday morning, and on all Marian feasts.

My father had the entire bible memorized. King James Version I believe.

I love him very much.

Peace
kembo
(aka kemburple or just burple)

*(The Roman Catholic church..my first and only church to belong to, which I joined 4 1/2 years ago when I was 45 - 24 years after Daddy died)

Christmastime and Gerbera daisies

Gerberas are cheerful, bright, and absurd.

I tend to feel sorrowful as Christmas approaches; lonely for my family, it is cold and gets dark early now.

Sorrow is harmonious with Joy when grounded in Love, Faith, Hope.

The ones with dark centers seem to be singing.

Peace
Keren