Media misinformation. Do we need it?

Hi Lovely People!

I've been a bit quiet, taking a step back to infuse my life and business with all I've been learning about life and business around intuition, flow and accepting what is. That continues, but I wanted to pop my head out to get your position, and hopefully help you take a step back to breathe, a bit, with all that's happening in our world.

If You Must Read Your Unfiltered Newsfeed

I love the advice given by Ann Douglas (thank you, Ann),

in her blog post

"How to Avoid Being Psychologically Destroyed by Your Newsfeed"

. I believe these words are for those of us who still hold that more information is always better. Read this article yourself, of course, but a quick overview:

1. Informed does not mean immersed - your newsfeed needn't be on 24/7. 

2. Routine helps - "healthy food, regular physical activity, time for fun, and adequate sleep..." (absolutely agree re: sleep being the glue, here Ann - more from Jason Fried on sleep!) 

3. Taking action diffuses anxiety and sadness a bit - "writing a letter, making a donation, attending a face-to-face get-together in your town". 

4. Feel what you feel. Suppressing feelings suppresses the positive feelings as well - "remind yourself that feelings come and go". 

5. Maintain optimism - Ann mentioned it's crucial to believe in a future, or you won't move. 

6. Reach out - don't crumble inward - Ann talks about connecting with community, here. 

7. Talk to your children - Ann talks about acknowledging their fears (they're living this too), sparking compassion and encouraging them to dream of a better future. 

Some of us are already hooked - we can't just put it away. If this is you,

I truly believe Ann's guide is a very sound one. Of course, I'm also a firm believer in being lead from within, so this is good advice only if it resonates with you, within. As always, take what works and leave what doesn't.

If You're Staying Informed To Seem Informed, Keep Up With The Jones', Not Seem Heartless...

...then may I invite you to let that all go?

I invite you to take it one step further, from time to time, if not permanently - consider cutting it out altogether. Instead of using your energy and brain space sussing out fact from fiction, why not

put that energy into seeing and creating what's beautiful

- the love and good we need more of in the world - instead of fretting and fighting over the bad?

If you agree that

"whatever you focus on expands"

,

that Mother Teresa was right when she said

'pro-peace rally, yes. anti-war rally, no'

, then living in constant fear and anxiety hasn't been working. Much like our battles with

perfectionism

, I believe that

'intelligent people remain informed'

is also a myth of what's valuable.

What do you think?

Can we leave the media and 'opinion-based facts' behind and start building the good we want to see in our world?

Here are a few options I've found, myself,

to stay optimistic and let go of the Paranoid Press Phenomenon. Don't worry,

you don't have to drop social media

altogether 😉:

1. Facebook & LinkedIn. Hide posts that upset you. After a while, you'll see who's always sharing those. You don't have to unfriend them. You can Unfollow them, instead. Look for the next happy post. If that person often shares positives, click on their profile for your 'happy' fix. 

2. Twitter. Unfollow = unfriend, here. If you don't want to, simply create a Twitter List for "Informative" people before you Unfollow them, so you can still connect with them there. As with Facebook, find a more positive profile and go through their posts for a quick 'happy' fix. 

3. Instagram & Pinterest. I believe you'd have to unfollow the account (or on Pinterest, the Boards) that shares the content. It is worth it for your sanity. "Bell Let's Talk" didn't get a lot of traction this year because 'mental wellness' is a theoretical issue. It's real - take care of yours. 

4. In the real world, whether in person or on the phone, kindly say "Look, I'm taking a sabbatical from that subject, and any other downers. Can we focus on <something you like> instead?" If you come under attack for 'avoiding', walk away. Decide if that's permanent or not.

5. In your own head, I don't know why we avoid this, have a different conversation. There are a lot of pieces recently on the power of journaling or positive self talk. If you find you're spiraling about all that's wrong, where the world's headed, your own beautiful flaws, stop and breathe. Do whatever works to bring you into a more positive headspace - focus on the positive aspects of any of those things, write, shout, find your favourite happy Pinterest Board, spa day, go for high tea, a walk - whatever you need. You can't escape your mind, so reframe it.

If this made your chest stop squeezing,

your shoulders relax and your breath go deeper, send me a smile or a thanks. It's not an easy path - it requires remaining conscious of what you're reading. Be gentle with yourself, if you can. It'll take time, and you'll fall back into it from time to time. When you do, just catch yourself, laugh it off, and move on.

What works for You?

This journey of mine has reaffirmed that

diversity truly is beautiful.

 Part of that beauty is that different things work for each of us. I'd love to hear what works for you, to stay positive.

Yours in Love, Light and Joy.

--

Crystal-Marie

God Is Pursuing You. Do You See? My Experience

Bless you, LORD, Your Majesty and Your Love. Thank you for always Loving me, and reminding me of that Love when the accuser comes after me and I hold hands in agreement with him, unknowingly. Thank You for never tiring of pursuing me!

Source:

lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.com/2014/08/god-is-pursuing-you-do-you-see-my.html

Today, LORD, for the first time in a while, I completely surrendered to You, again, and leaving that Church to find alone time with You, You Would Not Let My Spirits Sink! As only You can, LORD:

1. You gave me sunshine, in the midst of a freezing summer.

2. You gave me worship songs during Communion and at the end of service, despite my missing it at the beginning.

3. You gave me Communion and new insight into it's bonding power in You, LORD - into why we say "Grace before meals" - not just to Thank, buy to Invite You to join us! Thank You!

4. You sent me Scott to talk Entrepreneurship, when I thought he'd find me difficult.

5. You sent me www.MellowDeeCanada.com to say Hello and sing "Hallelujah", to remind me of Your omnipotence and unyielding grace.

6. You sent me Smart Set's very cool window display/creative advertising to make me smile and, in the midst of that

7. You sent three (3) 'clowns' who were trying to photo-bomb my Smart Set shot to make me laugh heartily (instead of my usual scowl in response).

8. You showed me the Bible verse (Psalm 34:4 ESV "I sought the LORD and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears") - on the subway.

Items 3-5 happened in the space of maybe 30 minutes! And I know that You simply changed my heart and opened my eyes! You are amazing!

Professional Artiste:

www.MellowDeeCanada.com

God, literally, even my mistakes, You've used for good, and my steps of faith, you have blessed.

Remove the fear that holds me hostage, LORD, and replace it with boldness to walk in the freedom You died to give me; that I might walk in the " flow" that is the Holy Spirit, free of the burden of circumstances, as only You can make possible. Let Your glory be seen in Every aspect of my being, even as You turn my flaws (in Your grace) to healing for others, and draw me into more Conscious Relationship with You.

Smart Set

, Eaton Centre - Jeans-in-a-Tube Display Campaign

I repent, as Your Love overflows in me, of my blindness and my unbelief, and Thank You for the simple yet unimaginably Powerful, gift of Your Presence. I revere You now, and always, LORD Jesus Christ, God My Father, Holy Spirit, and Thank You for being the wind that makes me, Your Eagle, soar for Your glory.

I will be exactly who I am, fully, in each moment, conscious and aware, so that Your work may be done in me, and in those I encounter, in Truth, in Love and in Holiness, so that we will all experience Freedom on You.

Starting Today. Love You, God! Amen.

How has God hugged

You,

today?

Your Love Encounter with God (Part 2)

In

Part 1

of this 2-part series “Your Love Encounter with God”, I focused solely on You and God, in God’s Love, highlighting that it is only when we know and understand what a Love Encounter with God looks like, that we can share it with others. That that is what draws people to God – His Love. After reading that, I hope you are in a better position to share God from a place of overflowing Love, in Part 2.

Love First, Not the Word First, Calls People

If you didn't read it yet, I mentioned in

part 1

that I'm doing the

Leadership Development Program, Level 1 (LDP1)

 developed and delivered in Christ by the 

Bethel Church in Redding California

., and that I was listening to Chris Gore's session, 

"Today is a Great Day

 for a Miracle

"

.

Chris’ message truly brought confirmation, for me, on what God has been saying to me recently. We hear and say all the time that 

"It is God's 

Love

 that draws people into relationship with Him"

,

 yet time and time again we introduce people to 

God's 

Word

 before we share God's Love

. We also forget that 

we

 are the vessels of that 

Love

;

 that people go to the Word of God 

after

 they've encountered God's 

Love

.

 It is only 

then

 that they start wanting to learn more about 

this God

 that 

loves them 

so intently, so completely.

Source: 

http://lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/2014/05/your-love-encounter-with-god-part-2.html

Once God Has Your Heart...

Our God wants us to

go back to basics,

so that we

learn to rest in Him.

It is in the simple rest of Loving God and being Loved by God, that we truly

get food, Love, to share.

Chris shared an experience where he didn't see someone (close to death) whom he'd prayed for get healed – daunting. Later, she did get healed! She told him that she'd never heard of God's Love as a Father – that she'd never had a father's love, when Chris said

"Daddy, please take this thing from her",

it shook her.

That

changed her world!

He couldn't do it without first making time to grow in His own knowledge of God's Love.

God wants first our hearts,

then time and a deep love relationship with us, then complete surrender of every area of our lives – so that we can be further filled with His love, then

when filled to overflow,

we walk out and love others because

we simply can’t help it.

All because we have a simple but deep Love Relationship with God.

Love is our action, our task that yields results.

Love is what we're called to, the Love of God. That love drives action - a free action that flows out of us, from the peace of God and the certainty that God will act (not 'me', but God).

Only God's Love – Not Our Works

Once we start striving, we're on shaky ground.

When we start arguing, taking offence, being afraid for/of anyone or anything, plotting to persuade, then we know that

we have missed it.

When we "drop a word" on someone and walk away with

no regard for how they receive it,

we have missed it. We're not responsible for making sure people feel what we intended, but we are to check our hearts to

ensure that we Loved.

We will not be perfect in this journey

 – no one is – but

we can be transparent and loving when we're secure in God's Love for us.

This is why it's so important for us to

go to God,

not just with our plans, our ministries, our calling/purpose, but

simply with ourselves, for some Love!

We have to have down time with God, just laughing at nonsense, being in His presence and

basking in His Love,

to be able to share that complete Love with others.

Evangelism, the great commission,

our call as Christians – is that – sharing the Love of God. Those we share simple, true love with, will pursue Him after.

My Prayer for You

In the name of our Loving God, our Father, in Christ Jesus, through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, I lift up your hearts – our hearts – and ask for the slate to be cleared, of all woes, responsibilities and fears for a moment. I declare, now, that God will teach us to guard our time with Him jealously, and that we don't use that time for works, but for Love Relationship. I stand in faith on the knowledge that

it is finished,

and that His Love will overflow from us wherever we go, in all that we do. That people will see a "new glow" about us, and want it. I believe that You, God, will use our tongues, hands, our entire beings, to

pour forth Your Love,

so that others will draw near You – not just us – in pursuit of More. Amen!

I hope that this 2-part series has rejuvenated you, in some way! Bless you! (

Click here for

Part 1.

)

Your Love Encounter with God (Part 1)

Right now, thanks to my Church,

The Well on Bayview in Toronto, Ontario

, I'm doing the

Leadership Development Program, Level 1 (LDP1)

developed and delivered in Christ by the

Bethel Church in Redding California

. This month, we're building a

culture of Risk and Faith

into our lives. Today, I'm listening to Chris Gore's session, 

"Today is a Great Day for a Miracle"

. He really confirmed what God has been saying to me, and it’s given me the courage to share it with you in this 2-part series: 1 – Your Love Encounter, and 2 – Others’ Love Encounter through You.

What Keeps You Busy?

Part 1

of this blog post is focused on

Your Love Encounter with God.

We can't share an overflow of something that isn't in us. How many of us are caught up in the "action" of loving God? We’re

results-oriented

or

task-oriented

in our prayer lives – that is, if our tasks even give us time for prayer. I mean,

“the laborers are few and the harvest is plenty”

, and that’s our job – right? How satisfied would you be with a prayer life where you just had to spend time

saying "God, I Love You" and hearing that back?

Source: 

http://lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/2014/05/your-love-encounter-with-god-part-1.html

Full Disclosure

This is the walk that God has called me to. I have spent my whole life in a

performance-based relationship

with my God in Christ, the Lover of my Soul in the Holy Spirit, my Redeemer. For the past

five (5) years,

however, God has been pulling out all the stops to try to get me to understand that (

Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV

)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

I know it in my head, but when all around you (even at Church) the call is "Do", "Do", "Do",

that head knowledge is never translated to reality.

For the past 2-3 years,

however, My Beloved Father in heaven has begun to, in a number of ways,

tie my hands

so I would not be able to do anything.

Literally

 – anxiety attacks that made me unable to move even my tongue,

financially

 – where I have nothing to tithe or pay my bills,

emotionally

 – where I am unable to forgive or manage my anger or fear. My mind, naturally, ran to, "where have I sinned to cause this", but God reminded me that I had forgotten that I have to

put first things first

(

Matthew 6:33 ESV

).

Funny, even as I'm writing this, God is reminding me to put first things first, again – His Love. This is the

verse of the day

on BibleGateway.com (

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV

)

"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

Love is the Gospel.

What is a Love Encounter with God?

It looks different for everyone.

When you wake up and God says quite simply

"I Love You",

and you hear it and feel it in your bones. When you walk down the street and God interrupts your thoughts with

a flower, a cloud shape, a smiling face

in a sea of serious ones - just to remind you that

He loves you "just because".

When in tough circumstances you're so filled with the certainty of His Love that you know in your every fiber that

"all is well".

You know that

you're walking in His Love – it's never just one (1) encounter.

That is what God wants from You – Love Relationship with Him. That's what He wants from everyone, and so that is what we're all called to share. Everything else will come after we know His Love.

Healing, encouragement, getting others to come to Christ, all those

results

are God's responsibility. Yours is to bring His Love to people, but

only once you know His Love,

yourself

.

We all know the

1 Corinthians 13

definition of Love, but

do you know verses 1-3

(

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ESV

)? No matter how much you

Do,

if you do not first overflow with Love,

whose work are you doing? Yours or God's?

My Prayer for You

I pray that you have a powerful encounter with God's Love today, all week, and that every void in your heart is filled with this Love, to overflow! This I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our LORD, through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

(See

Part 2

for Others' Love Encounter through You.)

My Twitter Follow Philosophy

Thank you

for following

@Cmaries08

on

Twitter!

I hope you

enjoy my tweets

about: 

* Inspiring quotes * Good books (usually novels) * God in Christ *

* Modern-minimalist chic Fashion & Home Design * Dance

Below,

you'll learn more about

who I follow - Directly,

as well as

via Lists.

What I Tweet -

http://twitter.com/cmaries08

Follow Philosophy

Who I Follow Directly

In an effort to make my newsfeed less overwhelming for me, and to truly enrich those of my followers interested in the same topics, please note that I

directly follow

only

those who share information on these five (5) topics,

 and only

where aligned with my values

 - no expletives or put-downs!

My Twitter Philosophy, Who I Follow - 

http://twitter.com/cmaries08

Who I Follow via Twitter Lists

As my interests are many, including

photography, getting organized, the English language

 and

millennial encouragement

(in a world always on their backs), I use 

Twitter Lists

 to follow those who talk about my other interests.

Explore 

my Twitter Lists

! Subscribe to those you find interesting.

Other Tweets

Occasionally, you'll see tweets on dance classes, theatre performances or causes I support (e.g. 

@AISToronto

), but these are rare.

What's Your Twitter Philosophy

Does your Twitter newsfeed give the information you really want?

Not

if you

follow everyone who follows you.

If you do that, your newsfeed gets

overwhelming

and is of

little value to you.

Hope you're inspired to create and share

your own Twitter Philisophy!

Feel free to use this as a guide.

Welcome to Spring Weather

Happy Easter Sunday

I just want to send love, peace, joy, home and fulfillment your way, at this time. Thank you for the time you've spent reading my blog in the past, and I hope to keep hearing your thoughts!

Welcome to Spring 2014

If you're in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean, where Spring/Summer is eternal, thank God! In much of northern North America, Spring started officially in March, but the weather's only catching up now.

Passover Greetings

If you are of Jewish heritage,

bless you!

 I pray this

Passover

restored in your hearts the knowledge of

God's Love for you, as His people.

Amen.

Happy Easter

If you are, Christian, I pray that

your eyes are opened,

today, to 

God in Christ

 and 

a deeper relationship with Him,

 with every flower you pass, every scent of the moist soil that comes with the rain, and every crisp Spring morning you wake up to. 

I pray for grateful hearts overflowing with love,

 for all of us, so that nothing steals our confidence in Christ, and the joy, peace and hope that comes with His Love. Amen.

In the Caribbean, I pray the same is awakened in you, through every beach visit, and the peace that seems to overtake the nation at this time. Amen.

All My Readers

Love you!

Happy Easter & Belated Passover Greetings

Happy Easter Sunday

Just want to send love, unencumbered, in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit!

Passover Greetings

Drawing attention to God's wisdom in

using the lamb throughout the period of the Law

in preparation, to make our hearts ready, for when He sent is son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross as

the final sacrifice.

Amazing, our God.

With such a tumultuous history between man and God's law - the Law that not one iota of which will disappear -

I pray we can see the miracle, that

God fulfilled it completely in Christ

through His death, resurrection and ascension into heaven.

I hope we can truly appreciate that we are now, not one with the Law, but one with Christ, who covers the Law,

where we can't (

Romans 7:1-25 ESV

).

Welcome to Spring 2014

In much of

northern North America, Spring

started officially in March, but the weather's only catching up now.

I pray that in this season, your eyes are opened to

God in Christ

and

a deeper relationship with Him,

with every flower you pass, every scent of the moist soil that comes with the rain, and every crisp Spring morning you wake up to.

I pray for grateful hearts overflowing with love,

for all of us, so that nothing steals our confidence in Christ, and the joy, peace and hope that comes with His Love. Amen.

If you're in

Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean,

where

Spring/Summer is eternal (thank God),

I pray the same is awakened in you, through every beach visit, and the peace that seems to overtake the nation at this time. Amen.

Love you!

The March for 2014 - Scriptures to Encouragement Series (2)

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, whose death and then resurrection reconciled us to God by faith, I send you a powerful blessing through the Holy Spirit for this year, 2014:

• To break strongholds in the areas of: fear, failure, debt, illness, procrastination, delays, demotion, pain, sorrow, paralysis, untimely death and anything else that keeps you knowingly or unknowingly in bondage.

• To restore blessings in the Holy Spirit to replace those strongholds: gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-11 ESV), the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control), faith, hope and love above all else, so that nothing will move you from your position in Christ.

I do not know where 2013 left many of you. I have heard, and experienced, a lot of unexpected falls, setbacks, disappointments and flat-out persecution. We're learning, growing stronger, as Christ takes us through even these. Believe Him.

Believe.

The enemy only attacks when we're on the cusp of success. ;)

The March of 2014

2014, however, is the year that we will get up, by Christ's strength, and walk out the fruit, the blessing, that God, through the Holy Spirit, has bestowed upon us. Breathe a new breath, forgetting what lies behind, and pressing forward to the glory that we know lies ahead. We live by faith, not my sight. THIS YEAR is YOUR YEAR. And I look forward to running alongside you. :)

The time draws near, and the enemy is busy. There is no time for us to fall for his tricks of condemnation and distraction, no time to hang our heads low for every mistake we've made. NO. If we think we're suffering, how much more those who don't even know that salvation is an option?! There is no time.

Remembering that we can do nothing on our own strength is key to the Christian walk.  We are human beings, not human doings.  There are no works that we can do that can atone for the wrong we do, no matter how good.  We have to remember to walk in the knowledge that in Christ's death and resurrection, we have been made free of the debt of sin (death), by faith - not by works.

We are to put one foot in front of the other, surrendering to God in Christ those areas that the Holy Spirit reveals to us as wrong in our lives.  Stepping out in faith means remembering that God is the author of our collective fates, that He is sovereign - so walk and watch Him work.

Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Be Anxious

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,

29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The Promise

This, my friends, is literal - Matthew 6:25-34 above, and

Matthew 11:25-30

- 'come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest...my yoke is light'. It will be sullied by all the nay-sayers, but stand quietly and listen -

"be still and know that I am God" (

Psalm 46:10

)

- in those moments, you will recall His miracles, and your testimony will change lives. No experience you have, or will have, will be for naught. All testimony is their to help heal some other part of the body; whether you know it or not.

Our Call

Fast and pray. Whatever that fast is to you - social media, TV, food, socializing - give it in loving honour to God, "I AM", the God of Creation, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and OUR GOD in Christ Jesus through the intercession of the Holy Spirit. Pray in conversation with God and in conjunction with scripture - know your Word, as it is your only defense against the enemy (

Ephesians 6:10-20

).

Even Jesus was tempted in

Matthew 4

- keep your eyes on Christ, come what may, and you will always soar like an eagle above the storm.

Your Testimony

Please, share your miracles and positive experiences with us (here or on Facebook, at 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Love-covers-All-God-is-Love/154237154695162

), particularly in these trying times. What may seem small to you may be just the encouragement someone needs to get through the day. Bless you all!

Source:

The Bible, New Testament, Book of Matthew, Chapter 6, Verses 25-34

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206&version=ESV

(Note: This version of the Bible may be different from that used above. Each version phrases scripture differently.)