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We need not fear that in seeking God only we may narrow our lives or restrict the motions of our expanding hearts. The opposite is true. We can well afford to make God our All, to concentrate, to sacrifice the many for the One.
The author of the quaint old English classic, The Cloud of Unknowing, teaches us how to do this. "Lift up thine heart unto God with a meek stirring of love; and mean Himself, and none of His goods. And there to, look thee loath to think on aught but God Himself. So that nought work in thy wit, nor in thy will, but only God Himself. This is the work of the soul that most pleaseth God."
Again, he recommends that in prayer we practice a further stripping down of everything, even of our theology. "For it sufficeth enough, a naked intent direct unto God without any other cause than Himself." Yet underneath all his thinking lay the broad foundation of New Testament truth, for he explains that by "Himself" he means "God that made thee, and bought thee, and that graciously called thee to thy degree." And he is all for simplicity: If we would have religion "lapped and folden in one word, for that thou shouldst have better hold thereupon, take thee but a little word of one syllable: for so it is better than of two, for even the shorter it is the better it accordeth with the work of the Spirit. And such a word is this word GOD or this word LOVE."
When the Lord divided Canaan among the tribes of Israel Levi received no share of the land. God said to him simply, "I am thy part and thine inheritance," and by those words made him richer than all his brethren, richer than all the kings and rajas who have ever lived in the world. And there is a spiritual principle here, a principle still valid for every priest of the Most High God.
The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately and forever. O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' Name, Amen. by A.W. Tozer
Codependency is not a simple concept. We human are susceptible to codependency because of our sinful tendency to use defense mechanisms to fool ourselves. In codependent relationships, deceitful games are played. In addition, important Christian principles are often taken out of context and abused. For example, "Wives, submit to your husbands" is a biblical principle; but, taken out of context, the husband can avoid his responsibility to be loving while using his leadership role as a club to try to keep his wife in an unhealthy codependent relationship.
God wants us to have healthy relationships with a balance between being dependent and independent. He wants us to avoid addictions of any kind, including that of unhealthy codependency. Paul described this balance in Galatians 6:2-5 when he told us to bear one another's "over-burdens," yet reminded us that every man shall carry his own load in terms of personal responsibility.
The most effective means of overcoming codependent relationships is to establish a relationship with Christ Himself.... When we do we are free to develop healthy relationships with others because of the relationship with Christ.
by Dr. Frank Minirth
David might say, "PIE!"
mom (looks sorta like yellowstone, sorta)
dad (he still has that cowboy hat, I believe it is made of corduroy)
from top to bottom- mom, Shawn, Angie, & me (in... San Francisco)
dad playing the piano, Shawn sitting in a folding lawn chair -both in the bed of a pick-up truck
snow, yes, snow in DALLAS (also I apparently had a pair of cowboy boots at this time of my life)
Angie's first catch! (from our backyard)
me & dad in the Pacific Northwest
me & Shawn (when we both had hair!)
Angie's first catch! (from our backyard)
me & dad in the Pacific Northwest
me & Shawn (when we both had hair!)
