Tut

The absolute, most sure-fire way of physically moving in the direction of your dreams, on a day-to-day basis, without messing with the "cursed hows," is living them, now, to any degree that you can.

And you can.

The Universe

Isn't today going to rock?

A Risky Obedience

by Jon Walker

“… Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of ….” (Luke 19:26 MSG)

 

In order to obey God, you need to take risks.

 

Risk is the substance of faith because it requires you to take Step 1 before you see Step 2. Risk compels you to action, even when there seems to be no guarantee of what will be on the other side of your choice.

 

But it’s those risks, large and small, that God uses to stretch you from living by sight into living by faith. By taking the risk of following God, you move from a life of independence and self-direction into a life of godly dependence and Holy Spirit direction.

 

The irony, as we struggle with the risks associated with faith, is that we take a greater risk by remaining independent of God than we do when we take a step of faith that seems to be risky.

 

If we believe what we say we believe, then, regardless of what we see on the other side of our risk, the reality is God is there. What seems to be a no-guarantee situation actually comes with the greatest guarantee of all – a God-guarantee – that he is on the other side of our choices, working all things out for the good (Romans 8:28), with plans to help us and not to hurt us (Jeremiah 29:11).

 

· With a God-guarantee, you can enter into a risky obedience as you do things that are impossible unless God gives you his strength to do them.

 

· With a God-guarantee, you can enter into a risky obedience as you love other believers so deeply and so richly that you prove to the world a disciple of Christ is a reflection of God’s great love.

 

· With a God-guarantee, you can stretch to love your neighbors as you love yourself.

 

· With a God-guarantee, you can enter into a risky obedience as you change your priorities to match the priorities of Jesus.

 

· With a God-guarantee, you can stretch to love your neighbors, knowing they live throughout all nations, where you’re to go and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching your neighbors to obey everything Jesus commanded believers to do.

 

So what?

 

· Safe outside the boat –I have a drawing of Jesus walking on the water during a storm; the disciples are cowered in a fishing boat. I look at it and ask “Where is the safest place to be?” The obvious answer seems to be “the boat.” But the truth is, the safest place in that storm is standing next to Jesus. We only think the boat is safer.

 

· Safest steps – Work toward seeing faith steps as the safest steps you can take. What seems like a risk is actually a step supported by the one, true all-powerful, all-knowing, awesome God, who is wiser than the best of man’s wisdom and stronger than the best of man's strength.

 

· Live faithfully – As Rick Warren says in “The Purpose Driven Life,” if what you are doing doesn’t require faith, then you are living faithlessly. Ask God to reveal where you are living without faith.

Don't take my word for it

Smart folks thinking out loud about what brings them joy:

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”
-John Keats, English poet

“We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.”
-Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese poet

“If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth.”
-Mitsugi Saotome, Japanese aikido teacher

“Oh, this is the joy of the rose:
That it blows,
And goes.”
-Willa Cather, American novelist

“One joy shatters a thousand griefs.”
-Chinese proverb

“On with the dance, let joy be unconfined is my motto, whether there’s any dance to dance or any joy to unconfine.”
-Mark Twain, American writer

“You have to sniff out joy. Keep your nose to the joy trail.”
-Buffy St. Marie, Canadian First Nations musician

7 sources of joy

In the last newsletter I spoke about my Manifesto of Insignificance. It had the best response of any newsletter of the last three years.  Thanks to all those who took time to email me and add their own thoughts.

One part of my Manifesto was “I’ll enjoy today” – and it got me thinking about what was bringing me joy right now.

Here are seven things that add a little juice to my life.  (There are others of course – but these are pretty great).

1. Howard Hodgkin

I called my company Box of Crayons… so you might have guessed that colour matters to me.

One of my ‘DUH!’  moments recently was when I finally realised that beauty matters to me; and in fact I consider it so important that “create beauty” is now one of the five core values by which I strive to live.

Colour is a part of that and the English painter, Howard Hodgkin, has had his work described as a place “where color and brushwork meet in sensual beauty.”

His work is abstract, intense, and flows out onto and over the frames of his pictures.  I first saw his work in the Hayward Gallery in London ten years ago, and against the gray concrete walls of the gallery his art just exploded.

Here’s one of my favourites

And here's another

2. The Princess Bride

Homage can be bland and blind.

Parody can be crude and cruel.

But occasionally, there’s the perfect blend – a piece of art that both celebrates the form and also teases it.

The Princess Bride is such a piece of art, a brilliantly funny movie that gives you pirates, princesses, revenge, death, love and a six-fingered bad guy…  It’s got the best sword fight ever, references to Australia, and the deadliest poison in the world.

Suitable for ages 7 to 177.

And for those of you who are already fans of the movie, this will make you laugh

(A very, very close runner up… This is Spinal Tap, a “mockumentary” of the Heavy Metal rock scene).

3. ManKind Project

Part of my own continual learning and self-development is done with a group called The ManKind Project.  Its purpose is to help men have a better life and a stronger connection to the people in their lives.

It’s international, and I’d recommend the weekend training to any man who is interested in self-development, who wants more joy in his life, who wants to build stronger relationships with his children, with his father, with other men, or who wants to feel less alone.

(Somehow, in general. women just seem to do a better job of getting together and talking about stuff that matters).

I’m happy to answer any questions about the group.  If you’re curious, you can email me here

4. ConChords

This should probably be 2A, as it’s in something of the same vein as The Princess Bride.

However, friends introduced me to the Flight of the ConChords just last night and I’m thrilled by the discovery.  They’re a singing-comedic-New Zealand Folk-Rap crossover duo – and they have their own special on HBO

Here’s the first song I heard them sing – The Business.

And here’s another about when white New Zealanders do rap

5. William Blake

Blake was an oddball and a loner, someone on the edge of 18th C society.

He also created visionary art and poetry.

His most famous poem is The Tiger which always reminds me of this picture by Henri Rousseau in London's National Gallery.

However, I particularly love his Proverbs of Hell, a poem of single lines that even today reveals the contradictions of how we live our life and encourages us to more fiercely engage with that life.

6. Anticipation

In the next couple of weeks I’ll be launching the sequel to The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun – The 5¾ Questions You’ve Been Avoiding.

If I say so myself, it’s fantastic… and I’m bubbling over in sweet antici…

...pation to send it your way. So stay tuned...

7. Dancing

Here’s how I’d like to dance

Here’s the repertoire I’d like to have

And here's how I probably really dance

And a bonus ...

#8 Freedom from Fear

Not sure how that’s done?

It’s not an easy thing.

But here's one way

 

What brings you joy?

Flounder With Parmesan Crust

6 Servings

Nutritional Info (Per serving): Calories: 122, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 166mg, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Total Fat: 2g, Carbs: 1g, Sugars: 1g, Cholesterol: 62mg, Protein: 23g

1 1/2 pounds fish, flounder

1/3 cup(s) yogurt, low-fat plain

2 tablespoon cheese, grated Parmesan

1 tablespoon mustard, dijon-style

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoon horseradish, prepared

1 1/2 teaspoon horseradish, prepared

Preparation

1. Preheat the broiler and prepare the broiler pan with nonstick pan spray. Arrange the fish on the broiler pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, Parmesan, mustard, lemon juice, and horseradish. Spread the mixture over both sides of the fillets.

3. Broil about 8 inches from the heat, turning once, for about 6 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Variety Is the Spice...

Have a few moves in your repertoire for a particular muscle group? Then bring on the options! Try alternating exercises from one session to the next. Or, if you do two or three sets for one muscle group in a single session, do a different exercise per set. You could also do one exercise for a one-month cycle, then pick a different exercise for the next month. Mixing up your exercises is mentally refreshing and challenges muscle groups in different ways on a regular basis. This helps you avoid those pesky plateaus.

Bust a Rut

Getting bored with basic biceps curls? Why not vary the exercises for this muscle group? Here are two more beginner biceps moves to do.

Hammer curls
Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing the sides of your body. Exhale and, keeping your elbows locked firmly against your rib cage, curl both arms three-quarters of the way up toward your shoulders. Hold for a beat, focusing on squeezing your biceps. Inhale and slowly lower your arms back to the starting position, and repeat. This version of the biceps curl puts more emphasis on the forearms, as well as some muscles that lie underneath the biceps.

Zottman curls
Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing the sides of your body. Exhale and, as you curl your arms upward, rotate your palms in toward your body and cross your arms to the opposite shoulders. Keep your elbows locked firmly against your rib cage throughout the entire exercise and curl both arms only three-quarters of the way up toward your shoulders. Hold for a beat, focusing on squeezing your biceps. Inhale and slowly lower your arms back to the starting position, and repeat. This version of the biceps curl puts more emphasis on the forearms and the inside of the biceps.

Attract Prosperity

Attract prosperity.  I am prosperous.

Make it Stick

DAY FOUR: Join a Community
Everybody needs help staying on the path to balance. There will be times when you're so busy, or tired, or whatever, that you will just want to lie on the couch and eat cookies or chips every day. That's where the concept of sangha (community) comes in. The Buddhists believe that sangha is a vital piece of any personal practice. When you want to step off the path, your sangha can help keep you on track. That's why we call it a Community Challenge -- because we rely on one another's support to motivate us through these six weeks. Now that they're coming to an end, it's time to make sure you have people to check in with to keep you going.

Your assignment: Decide how you will get support in keeping your healthy choices going, and take one small step toward making it happen. There are many types of communities out there. You just have to find the right one for you. Some suggestions:

• Visit the iVillage message boards
• Join a yoga studio
• Start your own support group or club by inviting friends to meet regularly and celebrate successes, overcome problems and brainstorm new ways to stay inspired
• Find a friend to be your goal buddy, and check in with each other every week
• Meet someone new to become your workout buddy; post an ad on Craigslist.org, reach out on the iFeel Good Community Challenge group, or search online sites for activity partners

Today, make a step toward establishing your sangha. Print out the schedule for a nearby yoga studio, email a friend to see if she'd like to be a goal buddy or visit the message boards and find yourself a cyberbuddy.

White Bean and Tomato Bruschetta

12 Servings

Nutritional Info (Per serving): Calories: 75, Saturated Fat: 0g, Sodium: 184mg, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Total Fat: 2g, Carbs: 11g, Sugars: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Protein: 3g Exchanges: Starch: 1 Carb Choices: 0.5

2 tablespoon tomato(es), sun-dried and oil-packed

2 tablespoon nuts, pine nuts

1 cup(s) beans, white kidney

1 tablespoon milk, fat-free

2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon thyme, fresh

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper, black

2 clove(s) garlic

12 slice(s) baguette

1/2 cup(s) watercress

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler. Drain tomatoes, reserving oil; finely snip tomatoes. In a small bowl, combine snipped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of the reserved oil, the 1/2 cup watercress or parsley, and the pine nuts; set tomato mixture aside.

2. In a food processor or blender, combine another 1 teaspoon of the reserved oil, the beans, milk, lemon juice, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cover and process or blend until smooth. Set bean mixture aside.

3. Place bread slices on a baking sheet. Broil 4 inches from the heat for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until bread is lightly toasted, turning once. Remove from oven; cool slightly.

4. Place about 1 tablespoon of the bean mixture on each of the toasted bread slices, spreading evenly to edges. Broil 4 inches from heat about 1 minute or until bean mixture is warm. Remove from oven. Top each with some of the tomato mixture. If desired, garnish with watercress sprigs. Serve immediately.