May 31, 2016
May 30, 2016
May 29, 2016
Sunday Evening Cartoons: Tom and Jerry Classic Mouseketeer Episodes From The 1950's! :) RE-POST From 6/11/11 I Still Feel The Same. ♥
VIDEO 1: Tom and Jerry - Touche, Pussy Cat! 1954
VIDEO 2: Tom and Jerry - Tom and Cherie 1955
VIDEO 3: Tom & Jerry - The Two Mouseketeers 1952
Hahahahaha... I feel like Jerry's little adopted Mouseketeer nephew Nibbles!!! The top vid is titled, "Touché, Pussy Cat". The center vid is titled, "Tom and Cherie". The bottom vid is titled, "The Two Mouseketeers". Enjoy these classic Tom and Jerry Mouseketeer episodes. :)
I AM NIBBLES!!! lol ;)
After watching these cartoons tonight and LAUGHING my heart out, I got to thinking to myself who has been the Jerry in my life? Then it came to me... Jerry represents all of the guardian angels God has sent to me both in spiritual form and human form throughout my entire life while on this planet, teaching me, guiding me, who have also protected and saved me from my own folly and from my adversaries. This revelation has me feeling really grateful right now. Thank you to everyone who have been watching over me. I love you so very much! ♥
The seed of discouragement cannot take root in a grateful heart. What and whom are you grateful for today?
By the way, Tom would represent all the challenges, obstacles, dark forces we face in life. Watch the videos I've shared to see if you too can relate with Nibbles. You need to know with every fiber of your being that Almighty God has your back and is taking care of all of your needs. It's also very important for you to know that as a child of the Most High God, no weapon formed against you shall prosper! Hugs! :)
The seed of discouragement cannot take root in a grateful heart. What and whom are you grateful for today?
By the way, Tom would represent all the challenges, obstacles, dark forces we face in life. Watch the videos I've shared to see if you too can relate with Nibbles. You need to know with every fiber of your being that Almighty God has your back and is taking care of all of your needs. It's also very important for you to know that as a child of the Most High God, no weapon formed against you shall prosper! Hugs! :)
THE MOUSEKETEER CODE:
(Child of God code)
A Mouseketeer is Brave
A Mouseketeer is Obedient
A Mouseketeer is Courageous
UPDATE 10/25/15: I have been sharing these three videos and message for several years now. I still feel this way. After sharing my circumstances with you last Sunday, I felt a tremendous change in the atmosphere. The next morning while I was working on my desktop, my mom walked up to me with her arms wide open, a smile on her face, and for the first time said, "I just want to thank you for all that you are doing for me." and then gave me an embrace. You can only imagine the look on my face. I was stunned. But I gladly received her gesture. Right then and there, I KNEW many of you were fiercely praying for me. Because that was nothing less than a miracle. No one called my mom that early morning and my mom doesn't use the internet. I can't thank you enough for all the love and invisible support you have sent my way. ♥
Oh, and after watching these videos tonight, I feel like I have passed through the first and second video (stage). Now I'm going through video (final stage) three with victory in sight. :)
UPDATE 5/29/16: I want to thank all of you who have been praying for me. With God's help, my relationship with my mom has improved considerably. My mom is in much greater spirits, enjoying life and what is to come and so am I. I'm sending you all lot's of love and I'm giving you a great big hug. I will take Walt Whitman advice, I will keep my face always towards the sunshine, so that the shadows fall behind me. ♥ Because of Jesus' finished work, I am wearing the victor's crown.
UPDATE 5/29/16: I want to thank all of you who have been praying for me. With God's help, my relationship with my mom has improved considerably. My mom is in much greater spirits, enjoying life and what is to come and so am I. I'm sending you all lot's of love and I'm giving you a great big hug. I will take Walt Whitman advice, I will keep my face always towards the sunshine, so that the shadows fall behind me. ♥ Because of Jesus' finished work, I am wearing the victor's crown.
Your Miracle is On the Way! ♥
written by Leroy Thompson
[source: Kenneth Copeland Ministries]
A great man of God once said that miracles pass us by every day.
Well, I’m here to say it’s time for that to stop!
It’s time for miracles to stop passing us by, and it’s time for them to start manifesting in our lives—in our homes, our families, our businesses and jobs, our churches and communities. It’s time for us to expect miracles all the time, to expect God to do the extraordinary...to overrule perverted nature.
In Judges 6:13, Gideon said it like this: “If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of?”
That question is still valid today. In the Church, at large, people don’t see many miracles happening. And they certainly don’t see them happening in their normal, day-to-day living.
So, where are all the miracles? Do they really exist? Isn’t God willing to intervene in our lives anymore?
God Is Still God
Miracles don’t just happen, my brother and sister. In part, you and I have to make them happen. We have to activate them by cooperating with God. Only by our yielding to God can His supernatural power manifest on our behalf and override the natural circumstances we face in this life.
Galatians 3:5 says, “He therefore that ministereth [or supplies] to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
In other words, God, the One Who supplies us with His Spirit—or with supernatural power—is still in the business of working miracles among us.
If you think about it, the word god itself means “one who must be worshiped as having supernatural abilities.” Take that a step further, and we find that the word supernatural means “that which goes beyond the law and power of nature.”
So we’re talking about the One Who must be worshiped as having abilities that go beyond the law and power of this natural world in which we live.
That’s why the Bible is full of scriptures such as Matthew 19:26 which say, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
Luke 1:37—“For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
Mark 9:23—“All things are possible to him that believeth.”
Still, the majority of people in our world today choose to live by their own limited resources and go their own way rather than depend upon God and go His way.
For us as believers, however, the moment we became Christians we were called to live in the realm of “all things are possible.” We took a step from impossible with man (the natural realm) to possible with Almighty God (the supernatural realm).
Now, it’s wonderful that we took that step, but as we’re about to see, there are some things we must know, and continually remind ourselves of, if we are to walk further in that miraculous arena with God—and let Him be God in our lives.
Don’t Hold Your Peace!
You’ll recall we saw in Galatians 3:5 that God supplies us with His Spirit and works miracles among us. He does it by our faith in what He says. So, we do have a vital role in the miraculous.
To understand just how vital our part is, however, I want us to examine a miracle recorded in Luke 18. Let’s begin with verses 35-39:
And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
First, notice that the blind man was begging.
If we do not learn to yield to the power of God, Satan will have us begging through life—and, all the while, our Father has made every provision in heaven and earth so we shouldn’t have to beg a day in our lives.
Truthfully, I see this blind man as those Christians who do not know their covenant rights and, as a result, they have been placed in a beggarly position.
“Oh, God, won’t You please heal me?”
No, that’s not our position in the blood covenant. God, Himself, told us to put Him in remembrance of the covenant (Isaiah 43:26), and make a demand on His power. We have every right to be healed, every right to be prosperous, every right for our children to walk with the Lord—because we have a covenant!
Next, notice that when the blind man heard all the commotion of the crowd passing by he called out to find out what was happening.
What did the people tell him?
Jesus of Nazareth is passing by!
My friend, Jesus is passing by us every day. Moment by moment, He passes near us. In fact if you’re a Christian, He is in you right now. Still, if we want our miracle, we will have to take action. We will have to do our part.
In this case, the blind man started hollering.
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!
Now, once this man started making his demand on Jesus, notice what the people around him did. Verse 39 says they rebuked him and told him to shut up.
Today, as then, organized religion tries to keep us from our miracles. I know, because it kept me from them. Religious traditions kept me from the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, healing, and so on. They may have kept me out of hell, but they also kept me from so much of heaven.
So, here we have a blind man who was able to see his miracle passing by, yet the religious people around him couldn’t. His natural eye couldn’t see a thing, but he saw clearly with the eyes of his spirit, with the eyes of revelation—and what he saw, the religious folks rebuked. But that didn’t stop him. He just cried out louder, and with more intensity.
When Faith Talks...
Now that we’ve seen the blind man’s part in this press toward a miracle, let’s examine God’s part. We find it in Luke 18:40-43.
And Jesus stood, and commanded [the blind man] to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
In the middle of a noisy crowd, Jesus heard a distinct voice. It was the voice of faith. When He heard that voice, The Amplified Bible says He “stood still” (verse 40). He stopped.
Jesus hasn’t changed. He’s still the same (Hebrews 13:8). Any time He hears the voice of faith, He stops. When anyone speaks words of faith, it’s like calling Him to attention. He must stop, because He is under divine orders. The voice of faith places a demand on His power.
So once we make that demand on God’s power, and once Jesus stops...then notice what He does—verse 40 says, “Jesus stood, and commanded … ”
When we make a demand, God makes a command. He makes a command on our behalf. He releases supernatural power to change natural, perverted situations, and causes them to line up with what we are believing. His power submits to our faith.
You see, God has placed Himself in a situation where our faith controls Him, as well as all of His resources in heaven. You and I have the ability to move God and all of heaven at any given time—in the supermarket, in the car, in the house, in the yard, on the job.
So, on the road that day, Jesus could not go anywhere or do anything until He answered the voice of faith that cried out to Him.
Just Receive
After Jesus commanded the blind man be brought to Him, He asked the man, “What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?” Notice He didn’t say, “Let me see what I can do for you,” or “Sure, I want to help you, but let’s don’t get carried away.”
No, Jesus placed no limits on the man’s request. Actually, the limits were up to the blind man. So he told Jesus, “Lord, that I may receive my sight” (verse 41). With that, Jesus replied, “Receive thy sight; thy faith hath saved thee” (verse 42). Receive. All the man had to do was just receive.
Today, Christians lack a lot because they don’t receive—and that shouldn’t be.
As believers, we should have such a lifestyle of deliverance that people are constantly attracted to us. And why not? We have something that can stop Jesus, the Miracle Worker, at any time...and for any reason!
My brother and sister, Jesus stopped on His way to Jericho that day because He heard the voice of faith. That voice stopped Him in His tracks. He didn’t have to think about it or pray it. He had no choice. He had to respond. But the key was faith.
Jesus doesn’t just drop in with miracle-working power. As with anything, He must have a faith invitation. If He doesn’t, He will pass us by.
A lot of miracles have been getting away from us because, even though Jesus shows up, we let Him pass by. We don’t call out with the voice of faith necessary to stop Him.
So, stop Him! Don’t let Jesus pass you by! Speak words of faith—cry, shout, use greater intensity if you have to, but do it with the voice of faith!
And once Jesus stops, don’t back off. Don’t limit Him, or yourself! Go ahead and tell Him what you would have Him do for you. Then receive.
Yes, we serve a miracle-working God, and heaven has come down to us. But, your miracle is up to you. So, don’t let it pass you by. Stop Jesus!
Martin Luther - Comment On Faith ♥ Re-Post From 5/22/11
Click here to be directed to the website where I have taken this message below. As I am typing this message I am realizing this is exactly how I live; with a BOLD trust in God's grace. Thank you God for leading me to this message so that others can better understand what it means to TRUST You.
*************************************************
FAITH
Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by good works, or a better life, they fall into error, even though they speak and hear much about faith. "Faith is not enough" they say, "You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved." They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working, creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, "I believe." That is what they think true faith is. But because this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn't come from this 'faith' either.
Instead faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God (John 1:13). It kills the old Adam and makes us completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts, and all of our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn't stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an unbeliever. He stumbles around and looks for faith and good works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are. Yet he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many words.
Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace. Thus, it is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heart and LIGHT from fire!
Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they're smart enough to define faith, and works, but really are the greatest of fools. Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without faith, no matter what you wish, say or do.
What Is The Meaning Of Faith? Re-Post From 5/22/11
I have taken the following from his webpage titled, Definition of faith: A comprehensive meaning/denotation of what faith/faithfullness really means. Click on the link to read the entire message. I only typed half. Enjoy and be of good cheer for God is with you always!
***********************************************************
What is faith? An ancient history books states that faith is: "Being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see."
A line from 'Miracle on 34th Street' says: "Faith is believing in things that common sense tells you not to."
We all have "faith"
FAITH, I believe, is something we all have, but to varying degrees. Do you have faith to believe that there can be an all powerfull creator, or do you put your faith in science? Or do you believe in a combination of several things and/or ideas?
Do you have the faith to believe in yourself? Do you have the faith to believe in your significant other, a family member or a friend?
I believe we all do. The question is "how much faith do we allow to become reality in our life?"
Consider This
Faith stagnates unless you expose yourself. Faith is not a noun, it's a verb. Action is a critical part of faith. Faith is in action when you make yourself vulnerable -- practicing what you believe. Faith is similar to a guidance system that NASA uses regularly.
When the space shuttle is on the launch pad, the guidance system is not activated because it is not needed. BUT, when it breaks free from the launch pad, then the guidance system kicks in. Everyone involved has to believe the guidance system will successfully guide the shuttle to the end of the mission. They have faith in the guidance system.
We have to rely on faith when all else tells us we're crazy... when there's no evidence what-so-ever... and when everything points to something else.
When you practice faith, you can count on others thinking you are out of your mind. Many times you will be ridiculed for your faith (in religion, science, others, etc.).
An Understanding
Simply put, the definition of faith -- is nothing more than an understanding, a belief, a thought about something, someone, some situation that cannot be proven.
Inherently, faith allows for no tangible evidence to be made available -- that you know of -- which would back up or support your claim, idea, theory or thought. It is simply an overwhelming undestanding that, to you, is convincing.
Other words to consider: Trust, reliance, assurance, conviction, devotion, loyalty, faithfulness, commitment, dedication, observance.
God’s Word – The Seed Of His Blessing
written by Pastor Andrew Wommack
[source: Andrew Wommack Ministries]
A true revelation of God’s Word is the single most important element of a victorious Christian life.
The Word of God often refers to itself as a seed. There are a total of forty-four verses in the New Testament where the Greek word “sperma” was translated “seed.” This is the same word from which we derive our English word “sperm.”
To conceive and give birth to the miracles you need, you must first plant God’s Word like a seed in your heart. Conception cannot take place without first planting the seed. There has only been one virgin birth, and the birth of you’re miracle won’t be the second.
I constantly meet Christians who pray and believe for God’s intervention in their lives, but remain frustrated with the results. It’s because they are missing the seeds of conception; they just don’t know God’s Word.
In Mark 4, the Lord taught three parables which illustrate that the Word is to the kingdom of God what a natural seed is to a harvest. The first of these parables, the story of the sower, is the key to unlocking all the Word of God (Mark 4:13). If we don’t understand these truths, Jesus said we won’t understand any of His other parables.
There are many life-changing truths in these parables, but one fact must be understood to get the full benefit of this teaching. The Lord used the comparison of His Word to a law of nature that is unchangeable, not an institution of man.
Here’s what I mean. You can cheat or manipulate nearly all systems that men have created. The legal system can be beaten, letting the guilty go free. Our educational system can be beaten, passing students who haven’t really learned the material. But you can’t change seedtime and harvest.
What if a farmer waited until he saw his neighbors reaping their crops before he sowed for his crop? Regardless of how sincere he was, or the justification for not sowing his seed at the proper time, he would not reap a crop overnight. The law of seedtime and harvest cannot be violated.
This is why our Lord chose to compare the way His Word works to a seed. There is a germination process of the Word of God in your life that takes time and can’t be avoided. In the second parable of
Mark 4, Jesus said in verses 26-29,
“So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.”
The seed is the Word of God (verse 14), and the ground is our hearts (verse 15). Our hearts were created by God to bring forth fruit when His Word is planted in them. Just as a seed has to remain in the ground over time to germinate, so the Word of God has to abide in us.
Jesus said in John 15:7,
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
What would happen if you planted a seed in your garden and then dug it up each morning to see if anything was happening? It would die and never produce fruit. You have to have faith that the seed is doing what God created it to do.
Some people put God’s Word in their hearts for a day or two, but if they don’t see fruit almost immediately, they dig up the seed through their words and actions and wonder why it didn’t work. You have to leave it in the ground over time. Then, there are also different stages of growth.
Mark 4:28 says,
“First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.”
Many people are impatient, wanting to bypass the growth cycle and get the full ear right now. I’ve actually had to tell people that what they were believing God for was not going to happen, not because the vision wasn’t good, but because they were expecting a complete ear of corn immediately.
For example, one of our Charis Bible College students came to me who had never held a job, had been in a mental hospital, and had lived on welfare his whole life. When he heard the teaching on prosperity and vision, he started dreaming big. He had a plan to buy and renovate an old hotel. The total cost would be over four million dollars.
It really was a grand plan. I complimented him for the fact that he was dreaming and told him to keep dreaming big. Then I told him that it might work for someone but it wouldn’t work for him. Why? Because this person had never believed for a dime before. There has to be “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.”
You may think that’s not so. It’s possible that he could have won the lottery or the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes. It’s possible, but that wouldn’t have been God. God’s kingdom operates on laws, like the laws that govern the fruit-bearing process of a seed. God will not give you the full ear of corn if you haven’t seen the first blade.
That’s the way God’s kingdom works. And this is precisely the reason most people don’t see God’s best come to pass in their lives. They think that since God loves them, He will just grant their request regardless of whether they put the miracle of the seed to work or not.
Look at what happened after Jesus taught His disciples these principles of the seed.
Mark 4:35 says,
“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.”
In a sense, Jesus was giving them a test. On the same day that He taught them the principles of God’s Word as a seed, He gave them a seed. He said, “Let us pass over unto the other side.” He didn’t say, “Let us go halfway across and drown.” The disciples had a seed from the lips of the Creator that gave them authority over the creation.
What happened? A two-hour trip turned into a fight for the disciples’ lives. Instead of using the seed the Lord had given them, they did all they knew to do in the natural and then got put out with the Lord.
They said in verse 38,
“Master, carest thou not that we perish?”
This wasn’t a cabin cruiser. Jesus was in an open boat full of water (verse 37) sloshing all around Him. He was well aware of their plight and yet was trying to sleep. They wanted Him to pick up a bucket and bail or row or do something.
How did Jesus respond? Did He apologize and say, “I’m sorry guys. I was really tired”? No!
Instead He said, “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” (verse 40).
Jesus was telling them that they should have stilled the storm. If they would have operated in faith instead of fear, that’s exactly what they could have done.
The Lord did His job by giving them the seed of His Word. Their job was to take the seed and make it work. Instead, they doubted Jesus’ love for them and thought He wasn’t pulling His weight. Likewise, we often complain to the Lord, “Don’t You love me? Why aren’t You healing me or prospering me, etc.?”
God has done His part; He has given us the Word. For example, the Lord doesn’t give us money directly. Deuteronomy 8:18 says that the Lord gives us the power to get wealth. The power is in His promises, His Word. As we plant those promises in our hearts, the truth of His Word germinates and prosperity comes.
Healing operates the same way. There are numerous scriptures that get the point across that God’s Word is health to all our flesh. Here’s two:
“For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” (Prov. 4:22).
“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Ps. 107:20).
Yes, a person can get healed without planting God’s Word in their heart. It comes through the prayers of others with the gifts of healing (1 Cor. 12:9), but it is not God’s best. We should never be too proud to ask for help, but the proper way to get healed is to take God’s promises of healing and plant them in our hearts until they release their life-giving power into our physical bodies.
This law of seedtime and harvest operates in every area of our lives. If we will plant God’s Word in our hearts, then allow the seed to germinate and the plant to grow to maturity, we will reap the fruit of a harvest. That is God’s best!
I cannot tell you strongly enough how important it is that you know God’s Word and that you plant the seed of His Word in your heart long before you need the fruit of the harvest. It could mean the difference between prosperity and poverty, or even life and death. I believe this is so important that it’s the very first class I teach to new students at CBC every year.
My teaching series A Sure Foundation will help you understand the power and importance of God’s Word in your life. It will help you go beyond the “touchy-feely,” emotion-based thinking that many mistake for faith. It’s not about what you feel; it’s about what has been planted in your heart and come to full fruit. It’s the foundation to receiving the promises of God.
So, make this year your personal Year of the Bible and build a sure foundation in your own life. It will be the best decision you have ever made.
Kingdom of Heaven Is Within You... ♥ <== This Is The Message For You Today! I Was Just Led To This Beautifully Written Piece To Share With You! ♥
Kingdom of Heaven Is Within You
[source: Bleeding Out Loud]
The Mustard Seed and The Leaven | Matthew 13
In Jesus’ day, it was dangerous to talk about kingdoms. It was dangerous because there was really only one kingdom: Caesar’s. The Roman Empire dominated the world, and it dominated the world through brute force. History books talk about the Pax Romana, or Roman peace. It was a period of relative peace in the world during the 1st and 2nd and Centuries when Rome was at the height of its power. But if you look into the lives of 1st Century Jews, you get the sense that Roman peace came at the tip of a sword. It was Rome’s way or it was no way. In fact, the Romans specifically designed something for people who got in their way: crucifixion. Rome crushed people. It slowly squeezed everything people had out of them with its endless taxes. It was a kingdom of power, a kingdom of the sword.
That’s the setting in which Jesus was telling stories about a different kind of kingdom, a kingdom not of the sword but of the seed. Both of these kingdoms hold power in their growth, but one uses death to accomplish growth while the other uses life.
One of the central ideas Jesus communicates with these parables of the mustard seed and the leaven is that the kingdom of heaven is growing. By its very nature, the mustard seed is invasive. The plant was and is known for it’s resilience and it’s tendency to keep on growing even when it is unwanted. Farmers fear the mustard seed because the plants can get into everything. It invades every nook and cranny, like weeds growing up in concrete cracks. In fact, there are modern day accounts of mustard plants growing in the cracks of boulders and splitting them in half. The seed itself is less than a centimeter long, yet is has the potential to split a massive boulder through it’s growth.
The same is true for the leaven that the woman hides in the dough. Most Bible translations refer to it as yeast, but the leaven is actually a fungus that expands when given moisture, heat, and sugar. Like the mustard seed, the leaven is alive. It moves. It bobs. It weaves. Even though it’s small, it is constantly expanding.
Most of the people Jesus spoke with were poor and powerless. They were tiny in the face of massive Roman Empire. Wealth and power were the dominant values of the day. The people who possessed them were the ones who shaped and changed the world. If you didn’t have them, you were nothing. You didn’t matter. You’d never change the world.
Yet Jesus challenges this assumption. He looks into the faces of the poor and powerless and tells them that they have resources of a different sort. They are still capable of changing the world. He speaks to them of a kingdom whose strength is in its smallness. It’s interesting that the kingdom Jesus spent so much time talking about started with just a bunch of poor people in Israel, but within a hundred years it had spread like wildfire throughout the Roman Empire. Now, thousands of years later, all that’s left of Rome are piles of broken rocks. Not so with the kingdom. The kingdom is still humming with life, finding its way into cracks and crevices and darkness, reminding the weak, the small, the hurting, the powerless that they have vast resources within them, and that they can shape and change the world in profound ways.
But Jesus doesn’t say that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. He says it is like a mustard seed that has been planted. A seed sitting on the sidewalk is nothing more than potential unmet, but when that seed is planted and cared for Jesus says, “it will grow into a plant upon which others may rest”. Because this kingdom is alive, it must be planted, it must be cared for, tended to and nurtured or it won’t grow.
There are seeds just sitting inside of us-seeds we’ve neglected or assumed would grow on their own. We don’t get to be neutral in it all. We don’t get to sit this one out. We each will have an impact on the world around us through our actions or inactions. When we nurture the seeds that have been planted inside of us, the kingdom of heaven has a field day. When we fail to nurture those seeds, our inaction creates a world where Roman Empires flourish.
For centuries people have been caring for their seeds. Standing up for the rights of the oppressed, feeding those who are hungry, caring for those in need, and bringing praise to God. The seed is like a legacy that is passed on through the generations, one that we each get to care for in our own way. The seed is growing and therefore always changing. It looks different to different people. It never looks exactly the same. But the one thing that Jesus says always remains the same is that it will grow and it will provide rest for others.
The mustard plant grows up into a tree with branches, and the birds of the air come to rest on it. The leaven expands to create a massive batch of bread to nurture people. When the seeds grow inside of us, there are always implications for others.
Some friends of mine recently lost their eighteen-month old daughter. Her death has been excruciating for everyone. So a handful of us got together a few nights ago to love and support them. We cried, we prayed, we hugged, we sat silently, and we looked at pictures. At the end of the evening our friends said to us, “we just want to thank you for sharing this weight with us.” Somehow our presence had actually lifted a little weight off their shoulders. They were able to stop for a moment and simply rest on our branches, to feed on the loving presence of those seated around them. Every corner of that living room was filled with the kingdom. It was a tangled mess of branches and bread, and it gave them rest.
This is the kingdom of heaven. It is within you. It is not far from you or beyond your reach.
How God Works Behind the Scenes to Position You for Miracles
written by Sandra Clifton, D. Min
[source: CharismaMag]
"Wait, wait—look!" I exclaimed to my husband, Terry, on our morning walk. "Where did that come from?"
There, before our eyes was a flower, purple and pink with long soft petals. After a particularly long, cold winter, the flower was a miraculous reminder of spring!
But there was something else even more amazing than the first spring flower emerging after winter. This extraordinary, colorful flower had pushed through the least likely place—a dirty, ragged crack to the side of the cement sidewalk.
Snug and secure out of the flow of foot traffic, it looked as though this tiny flower had been placed there by a loving hand, for a reason—to simply grow and blossom, despite all odds.
Terry scratched his head and remarked, "God at work!"
That spring morning, I became suddenly aware of God at work—His ways of working behind the scenes. I was reminded of His Word that establishes Him as our Creator, "the Creator of the ends of the earth" (Is. 40:28); "the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Ps. 121:1-2); "the Lord, the God of all flesh" (Jer. 32:27).
It was on that spring morning, while looking at the tiny miracle flower growing through the crack of cement that I shuddered to think that if we are not sensitive to God at work, we might miss what He is doing!
For instance, we might miss God at work mending a marriage because we can't see His instant results. We might miss God at work healing a parent and teen relationship because our impatience might corrode His timing. We might miss God at work blessing our finances because we can't see or get beyond our current debts.
If we are not careful, we might end up bitterly stuck—seeing life through the failures and limitations of yesterday—when God is quietly at work attempting to get us to move on to the victories that await us tomorrow.
If you know that God has called you to a great future, but you feel stuck in a mediocre or discouraging present, be of good cheer. God the Creator is working things out, whether you can see it or not. His Word calls you to walk by faith, not by sight (see 2 Cor. 5:7), and His Word even tells you to look not at the seen, but the unseen (see 2 Cor. 4:18).
God never calls perfect people—only obedient ones. He calls people, plants seeds of His plans and purposes for them, then He gives them opportunities to blossom and to do great things (see Heb. 11, "the faith chapter").
The next time you wonder if God is at work in your life, remember the tiny miracle flower that was discovered growing beautifully in the least likely place. Read Matthew 6:28-30 and remember what Jesus said about the lilies and the grass of the field—and how much more your heavenly Father loves and cares for you and is at work in your life, even this very second, growing miracles that are destined to blossom.
PRAYER POWER FOR THE WEEK
This week ask God to make you sensitive to His working in everyday occurrences. Thank Him that He is working on your behalf even if you cannot see answers to some of your prayers yet. Continue to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters who are persecuted around the world for their faith in Christ. Ask God to extend His hand of mercy over the people of Israel, the Middle East, Africa and Indonesia. Pray for protection over our troops, our borders, our ports, and our cities. Continue to pray for our government officials in all areas of government – federal, state and local. Pray for worldwide revival to ignite in churches and engulf the planet, and that our nation would seek the Lord and follow His ways. Isaiah 40:28; 2 Chron. 7:14
Question Everything With BOLDNESS!
"I am not among those who fear the people. They, and not the rich, are our dependence for continued freedom. And to preserve their independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude."
~ by Thomas Jefferson
one of America's Founding Fathers
and author of our Declaration of Independence
Make Mine Freedom (1948) ~ Very Telling!
I am RE-POSTING this message that I first shared in 2008 for my new readers and to remind everybody else what we are fighting to protect. Folks this is the American Way. It's not left nor right. It's about our Constitutional FREEDOM, our individual rights which applies to ALL Americans. Beware of anybody who trashes or disrespects our U.S. Constitution. That document is a contract that PROTECTS US ALL. This cartoon was made in 1948 and the exact same sentiment applies today! I am so blown away by this message. I highly recommend you take a moment to watch this 9 minute cartoon. I promise, you too will connect to its message! This message is so spot on it's kind of eerie to actually be living through it right now 60 yrs later. I have taken the following from the YouTube description:
*****************************************************
Fun and Facts About America, John Sutherland Productions. Creative Commons license: Public Domain. This Cold War-era cartoon uses humor to tout the dangers of Communism and the benefits of capitalism. For more great vintage animation check out www.animationstation.info and subscribe to our podcast.
*****************************************************
Here is a little snipit of the message shared in this cartoon: When anybody preaches this unity, tries to pit one of us against the other through class warfare, race hatred or religious intolerance, you know that person seeks to rob us from our FREEDOM and destroy our very lives! And we know what to do about it...
12 Inspirational Quotes ~ By Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus, (Venosa, December 8, 65 BC – Rome, November 27, 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus. Horace is generally considered by classicists to be one of the greatest Latin poets and is known for having coined many Latin phrases that remain in use today, whether in Latin or translation, including carpe diem ("pluck the day" literally, more commonly used in English as "seize the day"), Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country), Nunc est bibendum (Now we must drink), and aurea mediocritas ("golden mean.").
His works, like those of all but the earliest Latin poets, are written in Greek metres, ranging from the hexameters which were relatively easy to adapt into Latin to the more complex measures used in the Odes, such as alcaics and sapphics, which were sometimes a difficult fit for Latin structure and syntax. [source: wikipedia]
His works, like those of all but the earliest Latin poets, are written in Greek metres, ranging from the hexameters which were relatively easy to adapt into Latin to the more complex measures used in the Odes, such as alcaics and sapphics, which were sometimes a difficult fit for Latin structure and syntax. [source: wikipedia]
12 Inspirational Quotes Made By Horace
- Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.
- Always keep your composure. You can't score from the penalty box; and to win, you have to score.
- He is armed without who is innocent within, be this thy screen, and this thy wall of brass.
- Begin, be bold and venture to be wise.
- It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity.
- Mix a little foolishness with your serious plans. It is lovely to be silly at the right moment.
- One wanders to the left, another to the right. Both are equally in error, but, are seduced by different delusions.
- Sad people dislike the happy, and the happy the sad; the quick thinking the sedate, and the careless the busy and industrious.
- You traverse the world in search of happiness, which is within the reach of every man. A contented mind confers it on all.
- Suffering is but another name for the teaching of experience, which is the parent of instruction and the schoolmaster of life.
- Anger is a momentary madness, so control your passion or it will control you.
- The one who cannot restrain their anger will wish undone, what their temper and irritation prompted them to do.
BONUS
Wisdom is not wisdom when it is derived from books alone.
BONUS BONUS
Who then is free? The wise man who can command himself.
or extended version:
Who then is free? The one who wisely is lord of themselves, who neither poverty, death or captivity terrify, who is strong to resist his appetites and shun honors, and is complete in themselves smooth and round like a globe.
May 23, 2016
Understanding How to Hold Space
My idea of what holding a safe space for fragile life looks like.
written by Jim Tolles
[source: Spiritual Awakening Process]
Holding space is one of those terms that mystifies a lot of people. It's like, "How do I hold space exactly? Is that like taking up space?" No. Not really. Holding space is about how we learn to be with others without judgment. I'll do my best to explain this term and why it's a powerful addition to your spiritual practice.
As a quick side note, you can hear all my latest tips and thoughts in my monthly newsletter called, "The Wake Up Call."
Letting Go of You
At the heart of the matter, you have to let go of yourself when you hold space for another. Mainly when I use this term, it's in reference to how we interact with others and situations. I suppose it could be used in reference to holding space for yourself, but that's a little bit silly. It kinda reinforces an inner duality that doesn't need to be there. Building inner space involves becoming the watcher or the witness to your thoughts. That's a step one for beginning to notice that a lot of the stuff running through your brain actually has nothing to do with you. This can be a way to develop a deeper sense of stillness, and as you come to understand this deeper space inside you, it becomes easier to let go of "you" and your ego desires and whatnot. Being able to move into this internal space is how we can hold space for another.
Holding Space: Some Key Attributes
Let me try to break this down a little bit. Here are a couple key characteristics to holding space, and I'll give an example to help solidify what I'm talking about. Some components are:
- Letting go of judgment
- Opening your heart
- Allowing another to have whatever experience they're having
- Giving your complete undivided attention to the situation/other person
Those are really the key elements of holding space. You're not trying to influence the situation. You're not trying to fix it, win at it, or affect any kind of outcome. You are simply being with it fully so that it can work itself out. This doesn't mean becoming a victim to it. Quite the contrary actually, you're very powerful in this space, and it certainly doesn't mean being hurt physically by another. By when you're deep into a space like this, you are far more immune to any "emotional" hurt than you might realize. So much of emotional hurt is just ego wounding. It's taking what someone else is saying personally. But oddly enough, what most people say about us is just a reflection of themselves. It's not personal. And while we don't turn a blind eye to everything other people are saying, we really begin to understand just how much illusion everyone else is trapped in too.
Allowing a Situation to Unfold
My example of holding space usually comes from my work with students, but I definitely do this with friends and other people in my life. The best example is when someone is expressing some pain or some difficulty. They're really upset. In these moments, I'm holding them with a lot of love and letting go of my judgments about them and the situations that they're describing. I'm not interested in fixing them, and in truth, I trust that as they allow themselves to fully express what's happening, deeper healing is already at work. Depending on how aware someone is, I speak less and less. The more of a practice they have, the more I trust in their own deeper intelligence to find solutions when and as they are needed. Holding space is truly about allowing experiences and emotions to arise and pass away. It's about making a safe space so people can actually feel their emotions and see their thoughts in potentially profound ways. All the while, I'm removing my ego as much as possible from the situation. The magic of this is that most of the time people figure out what they need to figure out, and by not repressing or avoiding their emotions, they carry much less pain in their lives.
The Magic of Holding Space and Building It as a Practice in Your Relationships
Holding space can be a lot of heart-work (I'm making a pun on hard work, here. Get it? ;). The first time that you do this and you are non-reactive to a lover's outburst or a codependent friend's tears, they may think you don't care. Far from it. You actually are caring more about them than ever before because you're not feeding their emotional issues. If anything, they now have to look at their emotional debris and own it because you're holding space as opposed to rolling around in this emotional mud with them. This can be intensely uncomfortable for the other person. It can be transformative as well, and as always, it's up to the other person in the equation to make the choice as to what results from it.
You can ever only own your pieces of the puzzle. You may want to explain what you're doing with the other person if this is the first time that you've done it. It may be a relief for the other person to not have you butt in and run their life. It cuts in many different directions, but it is always an enlightening experience in many ways--just not necessarily very comfortable ways initially. It may end relationships that don't want to evolve. Keep in mind that most people are happy living in the filth of their misery. They still want to come home and complain about how the world is dumping on them, on their ideas, and on their spiritual practices. If you don't join in with that negativity, they can get upset. They may leave. And you may need to be just as comfortable with that outcome as with the positive outcome that brings closer friendships and intimacies.
Failing at Holding Space
But stepping back from that, you probably won't be very good at holding space initially. You'll notice just how much ego shit you've still got, but this is still a worthwhile practice. I'd encourage you to find someone with whom you can practice this. You can take turns talking while the other listens. This is very similar to my blog post about the Art of Listening only with a slightly different twist. That post is about finding your voice and helping another find his or her voice. This is about how you learn to be with any story told to you. This is about how you can be open-hearted and without judgment when the worst is said about you as well as the best is said about you. But you don't need to jump that far into the fire yet.
For the most part, you'll just be hearing people talk about their own pain. See how you can be with it. See what comes up inside of you, and then you should talk about what comes up with your listening partner. Or you can journal it out if you don't feel comfortable talking about it with your listening partner. Watch what stories you project on someone and all the ways where you want to control the experience or get activated by their emotions. Any time you get upset by something, you're finding a nerve ending--a bit of unhealed pain--in yourself. It's a powerful practice to develop this awareness so that you can be with more and more people and all the stories and wisdom and lies they share. You can begin to find out what's true for you and help them find their own inner peace if you can stop, hold space, and trust the situation to unfold as it should.
If you're interested in working with me as a student, feel free to reach out through the contact form.
If you'd like to learn more about my sessions, please read this FAQ:
USA: Why We Desperately Need To Bring Back Vocational Training In Schools
Instructor helps a student participating in a woodworking manufacturing training program in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Photographer: Tim Boyle/Bloomberg Charlie Negron
Forbes Magazine Online
written by Nicholas Wyman
September 1, 2015
Throughout most of U.S. history, American high school students were routinely taught vocational and job-ready skills along with the three Rs: reading, writing and arithmetic. Indeed readers of a certain age are likely to have fond memories of huddling over wooden workbenches learning a craft such as woodwork or maybe metal work, or any one of the hands-on projects that characterized the once-ubiquitous shop class.
But in the 1950s, a different philosophy emerged: the theory that students should follow separate educational tracks according to ability. The idea was that the college-bound would take traditional academic courses (Latin, creative writing, science, math) and received no vocational training. Those students not headed for college would take basic academic courses, along with vocational training, or “shop.”
Ability tracking did not sit well with educators or parents, who believed students were assigned to tracks not by aptitude, but by socio-economic status and race. The result being that by the end of the 1950s, what was once a perfectly respectable, even mainstream educational path came to be viewed as a remedial track that restricted minority and working-class students.
The backlash against tracking, however, did not bring vocational education back to the academic core. Instead, the focus shifted to preparing all students for college, and college prep is still the center of the U.S. high school curriculum.
So what’s the harm in prepping kids for college? Won’t all students benefit from a high-level, four-year academic degree program? As it turns out, not really. For one thing, people have a huge and diverse range of different skills and learning styles. Not everyone is good at math, biology, history and other traditional subjects that characterize college-level work. Not everyone is fascinated by Greek mythology, or enamored with Victorian literature, or enraptured by classical music. Some students are mechanical; others are artistic. Some focus best in a lecture hall or classroom; still others learn best by doing, and would thrive in the studio, workshop or shop floor.
And not everyone goes to college. The latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that about 68% of high school students attend college. That means over 30% graduate with neither academic nor job skills.
But even the 68% aren’t doing so well. Almost 40% of students who begin four-year college programs don’t complete them, which translates into a whole lot of wasted time, wasted money, and burdensome student loan debt. Of those who do finish college, one-third or more will end up in jobs they could have had without a four-year degree. The BLS found that 37% of currently employed college grads are doing work for which only a high school degree is required.
It is true that earnings studies show college graduates earn more over a lifetime than high school graduates. However, these studies have some weaknesses. For example, over 53% of recent college graduates are unemployed or under-employed. And income for college graduates varies widely by major – philosophy graduates don’t nearly earn what business studies graduates do. Finally, earnings studies compare college graduates to all high school graduates. But the subset of high school students who graduate with vocational training – those who go into well-paying, skilled jobs – the picture for non-college graduates looks much rosier.
Yet despite the growing evidence that four-year college programs serve fewer and fewer of our students, states continue to cut vocational programs. In 2013, for example, the Los Angeles Unified School District, with more than 600,000 students, made plans to cut almost all of its CTE programs by the end of the year. The justification, of course, is budgetary; these programs (which include auto body technology, aviation maintenance, audio production, real estate and photography) are expensive to operate. But in a situation where 70% of high school students do not go to college, nearly half of those who do go fail to graduate, and over half of the graduates are unemployed or underemployed, is vocational education really expendable? Or is it the smartest investment we could make in our children, our businesses, and our country’s economic future?
The U.S. economy has changed. The manufacturing sector is growing and modernizing, creating a wealth of challenging, well-paying, highly skilled jobs for those with the skills to do them. The demise of vocational education at the high school level has bred a skills shortage in manufacturing today, and with it a wealth of career opportunities for both under-employed college grads and high school students looking for direct pathways to interesting, lucrative careers. Many of the jobs in manufacturing are attainable through apprenticeships, on-the-job training, and vocational programs offered at community colleges. They don’t require expensive, four-year degrees for which many students are not suited.
And contrary to what many parents believe, students who get job specific skills in high school and choose vocational careers often go on to get additional education. The modern workplace favors those with solid, transferable skills who are open to continued learning. Most young people today will have many jobs over the course of their lifetime, and a good number will have multiple careers that require new and more sophisticated skills.
Just a few decades ago, our public education system provided ample opportunities for young people to learn about careers in manufacturing and other vocational trades. Yet, today, high-schoolers hear barely a whisper about the many doors that the vocational education path can open. The “college-for-everyone” mentality has pushed awareness of other possible career paths to the margins. The cost to the individuals and the economy as a whole is high. If we want everyone’s kid to succeed, we need to bring vocational education back to the core of high school learning.
COSTA RICA: Mount Turrialba Volcano East Of San Jose Violently Erupted On Saturday May 21st, Spewing Ash Nearly Two Miles High
5/16/2016 -- Global Earthquake Forecast -- West Pacific, Europe, Americas
I recommend that following dutchsinse on youtube for regular earthquake, volcano eruption updates
Hell opens? Costa Rica volcano erupts, spewing ash, column of smoke (PHOTOS) Click HERE to see images of volcano eruption.
National Geographic
written by Rachael Bale
Saturday May 21, 2016
A volcano in central Costa Rica is spewing smoke and ash 9,840 feet (3,000 meters) into the sky, sending hundreds of people to the hospital with breathing difficulties and forcing dozens of flights to be diverted.
The volcano, called Turrialba, is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of the capital city of San José. According to local reports, buildings there are blanketed in ash and the air reeks of sulfur.
Costa Rica is home to dozens of dormant volcanoes, but Turrialba is known for its more regular activity. Twice last year, eruptions shut down the airport in San José because of low visibility. The latest volcanic activity began on May 16 with an explosion of gas and ash, according the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, and several long-lasting and strong earthquakes have been recorded.
Even with this history of activity, the eruption happening as of May 21 is particularly strong.
“It seems to me to be the strongest [Turrialba] eruption in the past six years,” volcanologist Gino Gonzalez told reporters at a press conference.
Turrialba is what’s known as a stratovolcano, a conical-shaped peak akin to Mount St. Helens in Washington State and Mount Etna in Italy. These are the deadliest volcanoes. When a stratovolcano explodes, toxic gases and hot volcanic fragments can race down the mountainside with hurricane force.
Turrialba is 10,960 feet (3,340 meters) tall and covers more than 190 square miles (73 square kilometers), making it one of Costa Rica’s most voluminous volcanoes. Tourists used to be able to hike into the main crater, but the trail has been closed for some time due to increased volcanic activity.
INDONESIA: Mount Sinabung Volcano On Sumatra Island Violently Erupted On Saturday, Killing Seven And Leaving Others Fighting Life-Threatening Burns.
5/16/2016 -- Global Earthquake Forecast -- West Pacific, Europe, Americas
I recommend that following dutchsinse on youtube for regular earthquake, volcano eruption updates
The Business Times
written by AFP staff
Monday May 3, 2016
KARO, Indonesia - Indonesian rescuers searched for survivors in scorched villages and devastated farmlands Monday after a volcano erupted in clouds of searing ash and gas, killing seven and leaving others fighting life-threatening burns.
Witnesses have described sheer panic as waves of gas and fine rock were unleashed from Mount Sinabung on Sumatra island Saturday, consuming farmers trying to flee the slopes of the highly active volcano.
The fast-moving flows - reaching temperatures of up to 700 C (1,300 F) - incinerated livestock and left homes blackened and peeling.
Agustatius Sitepu, the head of the local military in Karo district where the volcano is situated, arrived to scenes of chaos as rescue crews raced to reach those left alive.
"The villagers who managed to survive were running around in panic, trying to save themselves," he told AFP on Monday.
"There were only a few dozen. They were terrified. They were covered in ash." The eruptions were so violent that townships as far away as 12 kilometres (seven miles) were covered in thick layers of ash, he added.
Those worst affected were all farming within the "red zone" - an area four kilometres from Sinabung declared off limits by authorities - when the volcano erupted.
Six bodies were recovered Sunday, with three others rushed to hospital suffering horrific burns.
One of the victims succumbed to their wounds by nightfall, taking the official toll to seven, local disaster mitigation agency chief Nata Nail told AFP on Monday.
"Two more remain in the intensive care unit, suffering burns to 90 per cent of their body," he said.
Footage showed their clothes blackened and hanging off charred limbs as rescue teams brought them by stretcher to hospital.
Mr Nail said rescue teams were still finding survivors on Sunday during sweeps of homes and farms in Gamber village.
Residents were ordered to evacuate Gamber in late 2014 due to the unacceptable risk from lava flows, dense ash and falling volcanic rock.
But some grew tired of living in temporary shelters and began returning to their farms for economic reasons, despite repeated government warnings.
"We hope because of this disaster, those living near Sinabung, and tourists, will realise that Sinabung is still very dangerous," Mr Nail said.
Sinabung roared back to life in 2010 for the first time in 400 years. After another period of inactivity it erupted once more in 2013, and has remained highly active since.
Sixteen people died during a particularly fierce eruption in 2014, and Sinabung remains at the highest alert level.
TIBET/NEPAL: First American Woman Summits Everest Without Oxygen
Melissa Arnot broke her own record for most Everest summits completed by an American woman in history. Photo: Dave Morton
Outside Magazine Online
written by Devon O'Neil & Grayson Schaffer
Monday May 23, 2016
Melissa Arnot became the first American woman to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen Monday, climbing the 29,035-foot peak’s northeast ridge from Tibet. It marked the sixth Everest summit for Arnot, 32, whose prior five summits came via the more popular South Col route in Nepal.
Of the 7,001 Everest summits going into this season, according to the Himalayan Database, only 193—or 2.7 percent—did not involve supplemental oxygen. Above 26,000 feet, in what’s known as “the death zone” the human body can no longer acclimatize to the altitude. In order to function at that elevation, most people need to use tanks of supplemental oxygen in order to maintain circulation, stay warm, and maintain mental and motor skills.
“Plenty of people talk about doing it, but getting it done is actually quite rare and impressive,” wrote guide and 15-time Everest summiter Dave Hahn in an email to Outside. “It wasn’t accidental that she succeeded. Melissa made the commitment and put in a ton of flat-out hard work over the years to make this happen.”
Arnot had been trying to summit Everest without oxygen for years. She came agonizingly close in 2013 when she and her climbing partner, Tshering Dorje Sherpa, made it to 27,900 feet, where they encountered an unresponsive Sherpa. They remained to assist him for an hour. By the time they continued their ascent, Arnot was too cold to safely proceed without supplemental oxygen. She also traveled to Nepal to attempt a “no O’s” ascent in 2015, but the catastrophic April 25 earthquake ended the climbing season early.
This time around, Arnot kept her plans a secret, telling friends that she was instead guiding a young climber on Lobuche. Instead, she and boyfriend Tyler Reid set up camp on Everest’s north side in Chinese Tibet. Reid climbed with oxygen and Arnot without. The two reached the summit at 12:30 p.m. on May 23 local time and made it back to high camp at 27,000 feet. Their summit came three days after Nepali climber Lhakpa Sherpa recorded her seventh summit of the world’s highest peak—the most by a woman in history.
Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler made the first ascent of Everest without supplemental oxygen in 1978, debunking a myth that it would be impossible to do so. Ten years later, Lydia Bradey of New Zealand became the first female to do it, at age 27.
The title of first American woman to climb Everest without oxygen had been one of the greatest prizes still available on the peak, largely because mountaineers do not consider a summit official unless the climber returns safely. In 1998, Hawaii-born Francys Arsentiev reached the summit without oxygen or Sherpa support alongside her Russian husband Sergei, but she died on the descent. Her plea for help to South African climber Cathy O’Dowd as she lay dying 790 vertical feet below the summit—“Don’t leave me”—became famous for exposing the self-sufficiency required to climb Everest. (Sergei also died on Everest, apparently in a fall while trying to rescue his wife.)
“This has been an emotional journey, to say the least,” Arnot said in a press release issued by her primary sponsor, Eddie Bauer. (Arnot had not answered an interview request from Outside by the time this story was published.) She added: “Climbing Everest without supplemental oxygen has been a goal of mine for a long time. When you succeed at reaching your goal, it makes you reflect on the hard days, the work, and lessons I’ve learned along the way.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
