The Personality of Pride

We all have it. We all at times abuse it.

Pride wants the last word. Pride makes sure its opinion is heard and valued above all others.

Prides plays the martyr card.

"Keep to yourself, Do not come near me, For I am holier than you!”
~Isaiah 65:5 (a)~

Pride seeks admiration and exalts itself. It goes all out, needing to be seen, saying “Yes look at me and what I’m doing or what I have done.”

Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth
~Proverbs 27:2~

Pride is always right.

It is not good to eat much honey; so to seek one's own glory is not glory.
~Proverbs 25:27~

Pride can often disguise itself. Unhealthful, it can be used in the lyrics of a song or lines of a sonnet, pride will even the score when someone has done you wrong. Because when we are hurt, our pride wants to strike back

Sometimes pride tries to bring about guilt trips in order to satisfy its own insecurities.

Unhealthful pride hurts others and ourselves.

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
~Proverbs 16:18 ~
God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
~James 4:6~

Then there is beautiful pride. Healthy pride. Pride for a job well done regardless if anyone notices. Pride in a parent for their child.


Still, the best pride of all is the pride of glory for God.

Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God

~Romans 15:17~

The Villa of Art

One of my joys in life is to admire the creative works of men and women throughout the ages. Sculpting is such a meticulous craft. God has given them an abundant amount of talent. And I am thankful to be able to absorb it all.

The Getty Villa in Malibu California is a cornucopia of ancient art. Sculptures, Jewelry and Mosaics. Greek & Roman antiquities and arts of Greco-Roman Egypt.







I became fully engulfed in the men and women of these times. The details of their lives. And their beliefs. The mythology of their gods and goddesses. The body jewelry they wore that indicated their stations in life.

I always invite God to be my date to these little excursions of mine. It's so serene to sit in the beautiful gardens and fellowship with my Lord. I exhale any worries I have and inhale His beauty amongst His nature. The Water, the Lotus Blossoms, the Grape Vines, the grounds as a whole. I thank Him that this is a part of my life and He has given me the heart to seek out visual arts and that I am able to experience it.

By the end of the day, I almost felt connected to these times. I feel that is what art is supposed to accomplish. That you somehow get a feeling for those who created it and that you become familiar with what they created.

I found myself drawn to Erato, the Muse of Love Poetry. And Venus the Goddess of Love. I learned from the wall mosaics that depicted The Trojan War, seeing it from the art of those who lived it.

A wonderful, beautiful day.....thank You Lord!

Birth Day

Thank you Lord! On this day 48 years ago, You brought me into this world. There has been a lot of living during these 48 years. And I am thankful and grateful for the journey.

You have given me a wonderful life. Provision above all that I could think of or imagine.

Thank You.

YEARS @ FORTY EIGHT
I breathe a bit better now finally seeing it different
My mind relaxes from a life not lived in vain
Beauty for my ashes make tears less frequent from sorrow
No longer putting old wine in new wineskins
Most do not understand, even more will never know
How the decades of these forty eight years unfold
My hands at times could not reach His
Yet He never took away His gaze
Thank You
My life is a luxurious life
Thank You
My luxury , my life?
Love *Faith * Peace * Hope

Reading

"Reading is Fundamental". That was a marketing campaign for literacy that began in the 1970's. I have always been a fan of reading. I love the feel of a good fabric bound book. The smell of the finely pressed paper. The crackling sound that occurs when you first open it. Holding it in my hands and turning each page with anticipation of what my eyes will transport to my mind next.

Reading is my peaceful outlet, my mental health release. I enjoy transporting myself to the foreign countries detailed in international fiction. Or enveloped in the sentimental life of a good memoir. Or absorbed in the written words of poets and the love letters of "Griffin & Sabine".

This past weekend one of my favorite book stores, Book Soup, hosted a wonderful little event. A book swap. Where you would just bring your books drop them off and pick up some new ones....free. There was food and music. They also took this opportunity to introduce a very good wine, that was made by two women from a Northern California vineyard. I was in social book heaven!



With this day and age of computerization, I am happy to see that one thing remains, BOOKS still rule! Though I have to admit I am the proud owner of a Kindle. Yes, I do love my Kindle. It is the most convenient reading tool, especially given I am a weekday commuter. On one device, I have two Bible versions, a couple of spiritual books by my favorite authors, Joyce Meyer and T.D. Jakes, and a few fiction titles. These are for the most part, books that I would carry with me everyday. Having a Kindle makes it easier and lighter to transport.

My home library is wonderfully eclectic. From Sidney Sheldon to Rainier Maria Rilke.
As far as books go though, nothing of course can compare to God's Word, His Bible is THE best-seller! Questions are answered, fears diminish, calm & peace are restored, joy is received. I wrap myself in His loving arms and read of His love for me.

For me today, over 30 years from its origination, reading is still fundamental.

Never Give Up - Revelation from a Pool

So yesterday at the gym I situated myself on one of the stationary bikes near the pool area. I usually zone out listening to my music, but this time I was absorbed by what was happening next to me in the pool.

There were these three swimmers, one in each lane. Two of them were indeed swimmers, their lines were smooth and their strides motionless. Nary had a splash made from their strokes. One of them was indeed a novice and it was the commotion that each stroke made that drew my attention. He was flopping and whaling and splashing his hands in the water trying to make those strokes that seem to easily just slice through the water for the other two.

I watched him finally make it to one end, while the other two had made it there and back and were on their way again. Yet he turned and continued back. Flopping and whaling and splashing all over the place. There was no way he couldn't notice the other two making their way past him over and over.

But he wasn't intimidated. He kept going. He wasn't ashamed that he couldn't tread water like they could. He kept going. Flopping and whaling and splashing! Eventually making it to each end.

At one point all three were at an end together. Taking a rest. His breathing was a bit harder than theirs but he was all smiles. And they were too. The three men nodded to one another and the two gave a look to him as if to say, "Good job." I liked that they didn't seem to care that he was flopping and whaling and splashing all next to their lanes. They didn't seem to make any sort of deal that they could swim better. It was about making him feel good that he was there trying in the first place.

Finally of the two elite, one finished his workout and got out and one went to the slow lane and began using water weights. He...he continued on.... flopping and whaling and splashing!

Never give up! Even when others are better at something than you. Never give up! Even if you seem to be struggling and you see others sailing along smoothly. Never give up! Keep on flopping, whaling and splashing and one day you will hit your stride with smooth strokes! Never give up!

Our Words Our Life

"We will not see positive results in our daily lives if we speak negative things." Joyce Meyer "Me and My Big Mouth"

It saddens me really when I hear people put themselves down, put others down or constantly speak 'the glass half empty' over their lives. Yet there are those who do not fully understand the power of tongue.

I wish they could.

The tongue is a little member of our bodies but carries such mighty power.
[James 3:5-6]

With the words we speak on a daily basis, we have the power to destroy, hurt, wound and shatter dreams.

Yet with the same tongue, we can choose words of life, of love, to lift up, to encourage, to inspire, words that bring joy and laughter.

Let this be our choice! There is so much joy when we speak......the glass half full!

Proverbs 31 Makeover

A makeover of the Spiritual & Physical. In other words it can sometimes be discribed simply as an Attitude Adjustment and/or Life Assessment. Sometimes we need to take the time to de-stress ourselves. Makeover our lives, including our attitudes.

So I begin this journey, taking the time to Re-adjust, Re-affirm and Rejuvenate. 31 days of cleansing both my body and my mind. Studying the specifics of the Proverbs 31 Woman. And reading one of my favorite attitude adjustment books, "Me and My Big Mouth" by Joyce Meyer.

I'm up for the challenge.