Turning lemons into lemonade

While walking this past Monday, I heard a jogger coming behind me who passed me with her dog happily trotting behind. The dog kept looking back at me, and began to pull his owner as he twisted his neck to look at me. He was a most determined dog, choosing not to move further until we had made contact.

The owner recognized her dog’s determination and yielded willingly to stop, allowing us to interact. As I bent down the dog began jumping up, and it was at this time I realized it only had 3 legs; it was missing one of its front legs. The crazy thing is that this dog was absolutely happy and carefree, seemingly full of life and had joy for the present moment. It was a medium sized rat tarrier with a black coat and paws dipped in white.

I was so delighted in the dog and how amazingly happy it was and looked up at the owner to ask about its name. “Lemon,” she said. Ensuring that I had heard correctly I repeated back, “Your dog’s name is Lemon?”

“Yes,” she said.

After a short exchange of affection with her dog, she readied them both to return to their run. Lemon relented some wanting to extend our visit. However, with enough tugging it was persuaded to go with the owner and began trotting.

This so blessed my soul; all I could think about was how that dog had no clue that it had lost a leg; its focus was on enjoying the day. The name of the dog was absolutely perfect because it was taking lemons and making lemonade. I truly believe that Lemon was more than happy that he only had 3 legs.

You’ve heard the saying, take lemons and make lemonade. It is a metaphor in life for using the trials and tribulations you experience to have something greater you would not have otherwise. Think about that; you cannot make the wonderful tasting drink lemonade without the sour lemon.

It hit me in that moment, how when we see things in life as a “loss,” then we are drinking of the sour part of our self-image. We are tasting and believing the sour things in life that have happened to us, seeing everything from a viewpoint of being less than, losing, missing something, etc. As a result, we live in a depressed state, leaning on a hallucination or delusion that is not even real!

Instead of focusing on the fact that we might have lost something or have a losing situation, or even maybe have lost a loved one, if we look positively at the most sour situation and realize that the circumstance or person we might have lost, has actually ADDED value to our life. Therefore, we have not really lost, but GAINED! We’ve gained a viewpoint, a perspective that is sweet and tasty, a delicious drink of goodness that puts a smile on our face. Our memories are filled with thoughts of goodness and we think of lovely things.

That was exactly what I saw in Lemon this week as I was running. That dog was actually smiling with its tongue hanging out of the side of its mouth, twisting its head to make sure I could see his smile. A smile that totally blessed my soul, and the sweetest attitude leaving a powerful impression on my heart and mind.

When we are dealt a bunch of lemons in life, we have to realize, it is in those moments that we have ample opportunity to have a different perspective, which turns a sour situation into something sweet. This changes the mindset, it changes our life, bringing us a sweet tasting self-image.

8 For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. Philippians 4:8 AMPC

The grinding that gets to the fragrance of the self-image

I’ve been intrigued with the mortar and pestle; the intricacies of the incredible work it does in grinding and mixing the perfect aromatic scents, elevates any dish with a limitless potential.

The mortar and pestle have been used since the ancient days, in preparing ingredients by “crushing and grinding” them into a fine powder or paste. These instruments are used worldwide for cooking, where Italians create pestos, Latinos make their salsa and guacamole, and those in Asian nations mix their treasury of ingredients to create perfect dishes, as well as many other nations.

There are different elements used to make a mortar and pestle, most of which are granite, hard stone, wood, metal, and ceramic. The one we have in our home is granite, which is used to make salsas, pestos, guacamole, dry rubs and more.

As British Chef Jaime Oliver says, the mortar and pestle give you “MEGA FLAVOR.” He has an excellent tutorial video on how to use the instruments and shows the two main things you do is “bashing” and “muddling,” otherwise known as crushing and grinding.

This ancient process opens up the cells within the different seasonings, herbs and spices, so that the truest form of the aromas dance together in perfect harmony, creating delectable dishes that swim within the neurons of the brain for lasting memories of special food and fellowship.

As we look at this process we can see the elements of the true self-image within each of us; we were created to be an aroma, a fragrance. The problem though, is many people do not realize who they are, and as a result continue to have the hard shell exterior, shielding the aroma of the authentic self from coming out. They are uncertain and afraid of who they might be.

The crushing and grinding, remove the hardness of the exterior, breaking down deep within the cell of any ingredient, in order to release something that could not be otherwise discerned. For example, if we take chili peppers and dice them, throwing them into a dish they will be good. However, if we take those same red chili peppers and place them in a mortar and pestle, through a process of bashing (crushing) and muddling (grinding), we will instead unlock a fragrance undetectable by the mere slicing.

Moreover, if we add to the red chili peppers, basil leaves with garlic cloves, white pepper corns, kosher salt, and extra virgin olive oil, then we have an amazing pesto that would be great on almost any dish, elevating the recipe to another level.

This type of ancient food processing is not for everyone; there is work and much time spent in getting the exact elements of flavor from ingredients, that can be used even as a foundational paste in several dishes. It seems like a lot of work for a small return, you might think. Not so; this type of cooking separates the true chefs from the commercial cookers. Time and thought are put into the service of a menu item, which is not for a moment, but rather a lifetime, making a memory that will be reminisced.

Do you remember certain dishes you have eaten in your life that had that extraordinary element way above others, leaving it unforgettable? That is what the mortar and pestle do, they store in the subconscious lasting memories.

Just like certain seasonings have an exterior that needs to be crushed in order to get to the good stuff, it is the same way with our self-image. Whether we know it or not, the tough exterior of our self-defense mechanisms need to be broken down to get to the really good part of WHO WE ARE!

It is so easy for us to judge one another by the exterior presentations we see. However, how many of us can look past the rough exterior and into the soul of another person, to see something phenomenal?

The crushing and grinding represent the hard times that we endure in life. Maybe it is a dis-ease, a divorce, marital problems, a loss of someone dear or a job lay-off. The pain of the circumstance causes us to be like the chili pepper inside of the mortar and pestle. In seeing this, you have to understand that it is only ONE dimension of who we are; we are so much more. We have a vast array of roles and incredible things about us.

We might feel we have nothing but a lot of issues and it makes us wonder if we will ever become a better person.

Therefore, when we look at our other issues its no different than adding one ingredient after another. After the red chili peppers, we add the garlic, then the white peppercorn and basil, and finally my favorite, THE OLIVE OIL! All of these ingredients, once processed through a crushing and a grinding, causes us to become something we otherwise would not have become.

It takes the grinding and crushing process, to reveal what has always been hidden inside the self-image, GLORY!

All I could think about when I saw this, the self-image revealed in the Mortar and Pestle, was the revealing of the glory that was always within Christ Jesus.

1 Who has believed (trusted in, relied upon, and clung to) our message [of that which was revealed to us]? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been disclosed?

2 For [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a TENDER PLANT, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no form or comeliness [royal, kingly pomp], that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.

3 He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him…..

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief and made Him sick. When You and He make His life an offering for sin [and He has risen from the dead, in time to come], He shall see His [spiritual] offspring, He shall prolong His days, and the will and pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

11 He shall see [the fruit] of the travail of His soul and be satisfied; by His knowledge of Himself [which He possesses and imparts to others] shall My [uncompromisingly] righteous One, My Servant, justify many and make many righteous (upright and in right standing with God), for He shall bear their iniquities and their guilt [with the consequences, says the Lord]. Isaiah 53:1-3, 10-11 AMPC

Jesus was compared to an HERB, a plant here. The fragrance of that herb was put into God’s mortar and pestle; Jesus was bruised, which in Hebrew means to crush.

Jesus already knew He was the Son of God, but oh my, HOW MUCH MORE DID HE KNOW THROUGH THE GRINDING AND CRUSHING? The process of the travail of His soul, brought a knowledge that satisfied Him, being a fragrance in the stench of the process of the Cross; the beauty of grace was revealed in the Self-Image of Christ!

What is being revealed in our self-image as we too feel bruised at times, wondering if we can make it through a process of being pounded by the pestle? Similar to hitting the different ingredients to bring about something we would not otherwise have known, we find that there is more to ourselves than we realize.

14 But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere,

15 For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing:

16 To the latter it is an aroma [wafted] from death to death [a fatal odor, the smell of doom]; to the former it is an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh]. And who is qualified (fit and sufficient) for these things? [Who is able for such a ministry? We?] 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 AMPC

Whether we know it or not we were created to bear the Image of God’s Glory! This comes as a result of the process of circumstances in life, which tend to overwhelm us. We are brought into the mortar and pestle process to comprehend the knowledge of Christ in us the Hope of Glory!

Know that your crushing and grinding, is bringing about a sweet fragrance, a taste of goodness and greatness. The rough exterior shell of self-defense that has been used to protect our self-image, is being removed, so that we know we can trust who we are in God, finding out ultimately WE ARE GOOD!

Cooking is therapy to the soul, reviving the self-image

Oh my, one of my favorite subjects to write about…. cooking!

As a health and wellness coach, I deal with the topic of food all the time. We are a product of what we eat, and having been now on the Ketogenic diet for nearly 4 years, the importance of food as medicine means more to me now, than ever. Most people look at food as pleasure or nutrition, which leads many into a love-hate relationship with food, if they think that good nutrition means that food cannot be pleasurable.

People love eating what makes them “feel good.” However, if we are emotional eaters, our feeding will be motivated as a psychological crutch, keeping us co-dependent on foods that provide momentary pleasures, which distorts how we perceive our relationship with food, and ultimately our own self-image.

Having been a single mother for 4 1/2 years between 1997-2001, I can tell you that although I cooked for my two young boys, I allowed the pressures of my schedule to stress me out when it came to cooking. Don’t get me wrong; I have fond memories in cooking for them, and remember doing tons of homemade pizzas, taco salads, grilled cheese, etc.

However now, being 52 years-old, one of the things I wish I would have enjoyed more was cooking for my family. As I have switched to the Ketogenic lifestyle and stocked up on cookbooks, YouTube channels, and websites, I have learned that cooking is part of life, and usually it is during times of eating and fellowshipping that we have the most enjoyable moments.

Here is an interesting fact: it is hard to be mad at someone you eat or cook with? Try it; you cannot stay mad at anyone you sit down and eat with. Whether we realize it or not, more is going on physiologically and mentally, as we spend time cooking and eating with one another.

Usually, the stress of the present age and hectic schedules make us feel pressure to where we see cooking as a chore. Instead, we need to slow down and relax, and enjoy the cooking process, realizing what it does to the body and mind.

There is a “connection” that happens when you are cooking with others, setting the atmosphere for expectation and excitement, of the palatable food that will soon be served. Schedules fall away, stress from the job melts off of our mind, and our conscious mind becomes coherent at the moment by moment process of spending time with those we love, prepping and cooking a meal that causes time to cease.

Our bodies become more relaxed, oxytocin is released in the brain giving us more trust and love, and suddenly we have been transported from one world to a completely different other dimension. Smells tumble inside of the atmosphere, like a fragrance making a helicopter path to our nose. Our eyes are delighted looking at food through the viewpoint of language, crossing international barriers, bridging souls together for a moment in time, to be still and enjoy life.

Food, like the language of love, needs no words; the expression of cooking is enough to say more than 1,000 words. Thoughts of love, care, joy, delight, desire, health, goodness, and more go through our emotional filing cabinet, providing something we distinguish as “FOOD FOR THE SOUL!”

We smile and realize a culture exists, which we had forgotten just for a brief second in time. One that is therapy to the soul, making you feel loved, valued and reviving your self-image, where you feel as though in a dry and thirsty land, your soul is now at rest, you are good, all is well. No bills, no phone calls, merely you with those whom you are with enjoying the momentary pleasures of Life.

It is therapy to bring you an identity you have forgotten about. Therapy comes from the Greek word therapeia, which means “healing.” This comes from the word therapeuein, which means “to minister to, and treat medically.” This is what food does, when we cook and eat with one another. The negative volume of your past regrets wash away, as your soul is revived to know who you are.

We see this beautifully depicted with Peter, once Jesus restored him to his rightful place in ministry. This one meal changed Peter’s Self-Image, it was food to his soul; he could receive a message that came from a different culture, one of care and nurture, one of feeling valued, when he felt like such a failure.

7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord! Simon Peter, hearing him say that it was the Lord, put (girded) on his upper garment (his fisherman’s coat, his outer tunic)—for he was stripped [for work]—and sprang into the sea.

8 And the other disciples came in the small boat, for they were not far from shore, only some hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.

9 When they got out on land (the beach), they saw a fire of coals there and fish lying on it [cooking], and bread.

10 Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.

11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, 153 of them; and [though] there were so many of them, the net was not torn.

12 Jesus said to them, Come [and] have breakfast. But none of the disciples ventured or dared to ask Him, Who are You? because they [well] knew that it was the Lord.

13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so also [with] the fish.

14 This was now the third time that Jesus revealed Himself (appeared, was manifest) to the disciples after He had risen from the dead.

15 When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [others do—with reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father]? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You [that I have deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. He said to him, Feed My lambs.

16 Again He said to him the second time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father]? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. He said to him, Shepherd (tend) My sheep.

17 He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, instinctive, personal affection for Me, as for a close friend]? Peter was grieved (was saddened and hurt) that He should ask him the third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep. John 21:7-17 AMPC

Peter had denied Christ three times before the crucifixion. He had been sorely sifted by satan, who caused Peter to feel depressed, defeated and distressed. The volume of Peter’s past regret and the stress of his failed self-image caused him to return to fishing and leave ministry. He was clouded by his own judgments, leaving him confused and dysfunctional. However, all of this changed after one meal.

One meal changed his identity, as Jesus cooked fish for Peter, assuring Peter that he had obtained more strength than he had known from the dark night of the soul. What seemed to Peter as a betrayal was instead fashioned as a preparation to take watch over the sheep, as Jesus asked him 3 times if he loved Him. Imagine what the language of cooking did to Peter, while he watched Jesus cook the fish. What could he have been thinking?

Thoughts that come to my mind are, “How can Christ cook this fish for me, does He know what I did? Does He still love me in spite of my own failure? JUST WOW, the language of cooking and love go hand in hand. Never dismiss the power of cooking a meal for someone.

Make it a point to share the joys of life in cooking, by taking time to slow down during the week, carefully cooking a meal for those you love, not seeing it as a chore but a labor of love, a joy and a delight!

Bon Appetit!

Overcoming discouragement

Discouragement hits everyone, sometime throughout their life. It is the chasm between the present, as well as past regrets, seemingly keeping us elevated over a hyperspace of memories that flood our soul, speaking volumes to us about our self-image.

Discouragement is “a loss of confidence or enthusiasm; dispiritedness,” which causes one to lose their footing in the moment, where they feel unstable in their ways. It is the opposite of courage; courage comes from the Latin word cor which means, “heart,” and is an extraordinary strength in the face of pain.

Do you see this? Without pain, there would be NO COURAGE!

Before we move further it is necessary to consider the physical part of your life, addressing hormonal issues, as well as overall physical wellness. This can wreak havoc on the mind if there is imbalance in our body physically. For me I know when I was on an extended water fast and my electrolytes were severely low, or when my HGH (Human Growth Hormone) was low, discouragement was more likely to come and I felt as though I did not have the resource within me to fight it. It was a losing uphill battle I fought non-stop until I was balanced.

With discouragement you feel as though you have no heart in the face of trying circumstances. The wind is knocked out from under your wings and you don’t have the wherewithal to get up. But it is in these times, the most trying times, which bring us into the place of knowing who we are.

A small rock picked up from a dirt road seems to have no value. However, when you add those small pieces of rock up over time, in a glass container, you have a weight that can keep a door opened, when the wind blows, so that the stability of the door is assured during times of strong gusts.

Currently, we live on a 5th floor 1928 apartment in downtown Birmingham, Alabama in the historic garden district. The place has its charm, and part of that means from time to time there are issues we have to deal with in having an older place. Sometimes the door to the screened in porch does not work as well, and to ensure that the door stays shut, we put my stack of law books in front of it, so that when the wind blows really hard, the weight of the books keeps the door closed, or vice versa.

Therefore, we are very familiar with the issue of being creative to keep a door open or shut. With that being said, if we look at the individual rocks here in our analogy as thoughts that are good and filled with hope, attached to memories where we believe there is good in this life, then the weight of all of those thoughts and words outweighs the wind of discouragement that might blow your way.

Storms will come, but do we have the wherewithal to deal with the voice of the storm, the loudness of discouragement? You do when you keep your self-image focused on positive thoughts and words, accounting instead of the good things you have experienced in life, believing that the circumstances will pass.

Without realizing it we can be hypnotized into the delusion of a false reality, which causes us to see things through another lens. Discouragement does this; it gives us a viewpoint through depressive thoughts of “I cannot; things will never change; and so forth.” This wind can blow upon our memories stored up in the neurons we have in our brain, creating electromagnetic waves to communicate to other negative thoughts. This is the storm we have to resist, past regrets that leak into our present.

God is our ROCK! He is always there in our times of great trials and tribulations, and keeps us anchored to a firm foundation.

The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower. I will call upon the Lord, Who is to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:2-3 AMPC

The enemy of your soul is the voice of the evil one, sending regrets, accusations, shame and discouragement towards your mind, banking on the fact that you will swim in his suggestions like a mouse treading in milk. However, instead of drowning, you have a strength, a weight and fortitude within you, that causes you to rise up into a high place so that you see your deliverance from the adversary of regret. Like a mouse churning its little muscles away in a bath of milk, something happens and what once was its near death, becomes its delight; it has churned butter!

That is what discouragement does, it provides you opportunities to account the good things in your life, leaning on the arm of God’s strength, only to find out you have more value than you ever knew!

Deficiency, the facade of the subconscious, which tries to hide.

Recently with many of my coaching clients, I have been walking them through, what I myself have been experiencing as of late, and have been given the words so eloquently by God to explain the issue to the subconscious, as it relates to the word we know as “deficient.”

Deficient means, “not having enough of a specified quality or ingredient; insufficient or inadequate.” This comes from the Latin word deficient which means “failing.” Thus, deficient indicates a lack of something we have in our self-image. This is fed to the soul from the subconscious mind.

The subconscious houses tons of memory, from which it pulls its data, resting on thoughts and words that are attached to images. Unique to the conscious mind, the subconscious speaks to us without our knowledge much of the time, much like white noise in the atmosphere, which we have numbed ourselves to hearing.

Awareness of this self-talk that comes through the subconscious is important in overcoming false realities, especially when it comes to the issue of what we know as deficient. Many times, when this issue of my self-image feeling deficient is speaking to me, its in subtle ways, making me feel as though I am inadequate or not good enough at whatever it is that I do.

Deficiency in the self-image tries to stay hidden so we don’t discover that its there, giving us the facade that everyone else seems to have their life together except for us. This line of thinking is part of the mind games of the negative talk in our soul, that makes us think we are the only one who does not have their life altogether. This is a lie of the devil; he tries to isolate you, by bringing you into the comparison game, so that your soul will have all the excuses it needs, to validate its deficiency.

This term is easily looked at through products liability, which I took in Torts while in law school. When we are talking about a product that it is sold, and it is put on the market and then later recalled because it is defective, what we are really saying, is that product does not do what it was created to do.

Deficiency makes us feel that we are inept at being a man, a woman, a parent, a spouse, a worker, etc. It shouts ‘YOU DO NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY.”

In ourselves we are deficient, but in Christ Jesus, we are given all sufficiency that we need for every task that we are called to. Therefore, the enemy’s ploy is to lead us slowly out on a tightrope, being extended over two buildings, where we then find ourselves stuck, and where self-doubt floods in shouting, “well I didn’t do that right, or I cannot do this, or I messed up again.” These are all tactics of the bad report relying on the label “deficient” that our self-image when vulnerable, will cling to, if we do not interrupt the false-reality (facade) of the enemy that has kept us in a place of being stagnant.

These are the times where people say things such as “I am stuck, I feel like my feet are in quick sand, etc.” What is really happening, is their soul is making a comparison through a the subconscious mind, speaking in a manner to which the person feels inept at the event or circumstance they are committed to.

Get out of the Quick Sand

The fastest way to make yourself sink faster in quick sand is to struggle. It is the same way with deficiency. The enemy wants us to be like the person trying to get out of quick sand and cause us to say exactly what it is that we are sufficient in. That is a losing battle with the issue of deficiency against the self-image.

Instead, agreement is the best way to oppose the soul’s message of deficiency, because it turns our eyes upward on Christ Jesus, knowing that in Him we have all sufficiency.

What I like to say is “shame the devil (the lie), and you deprogram it from your brain.” When you realize that deficiency wants you to compare, to struggle, to fight, then you can overcome it by doing the very opposite, and agreeing that you are deficient without Christ. With that agreement, you can also make it a point to know that so is everyone else in this world; YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

A lot of people want to find sufficiency in things that “they do,” or all the work “they have done.” If we choose to believe this, then our self-image will be open to the subjugation of the issue of deficiency. The cycle will repeat itself all over again. This is why it is good to make a frenemy (friend out of your enemy) with deficiency.

The fact that you know you are only human, allows you room to make mistakes, and gives you permission to not be entirely perfect so that when you fail, your self-image is not damaged, but rather you learn. You learn that although you have times that seem to be deficient for the event, that is NOT WHO YOU ARE.

In knowing this, you can quickly turn your head upward and know a friend that sticks closer than a brother, Christ Jesus, who took on all our deficiencies, nailing them to the cross, to bring us in His own sufficiency to the Father. In Him, we are fully capable to do all that we are called to do in this life.

Not that we are fit (qualified and sufficient in ability) of ourselves to form personal judgments or to claim or count anything as coming from us, but our power and ability and sufficiency are from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5 AMPC

Breakthrough is on the horizon

Breakthrough, “a sudden, dramatic and important discovery or development; an instance of achieving success in a particular sphere or activity.” This influential word of truth, stirs the soul to believe that something greater than eyes have seen or ears have heard, is about to happen.

Much like hope, breakthrough is a word encompassing a vast array of diverse circumstances, easily employed at the moment of astute awareness, where the conscious mind determines that it will be laser focused on the things that are SOON TO COME.

Breakthrough is a forecasting word, not a predictable one. We can see this between old mindsets that are established in one’s first brain, which repetitively have a person expecting the same old thing, day in and day out. Regardless of if life is drudgery, or a soul is merely surviving, does not register to the conscious and unawareness is the result.

95% of the time, most of the population is on autopilot, repeating and living out their past memories in the present by “predicting” their future. Predict means, “to say or estimate something will happen in the future, or be a consequence of something.” It means one already knows what is going to happen. The reason being, is that the knowledge of this something is a continual experience that is relived over and over again in the emotions and mind, causing the very thing we have believed in, to occur. We have faith in something, and if we are not believing for breakthrough we are relying on our own fear.

The difference between predicting and forecasting the future, can be seen through the lens of weather. Daily we look at the app on our phone to let us know weather conditions. Meteorologists predict weather with appropriate instrumentation, looking at the changes in weather PATTERNS. Thus, weather predictions are based on patterns.

A forecast is taking those predictions and saying what will be in the future. This is where we get deeper as it relates to breakthrough.

If we are not careful, we can go by the feelings/emotions of our own patterns, which are based on our past. When we do this emotionally and mentally we are predicting what is going to happen moment by moment, drumming up unnecessary worries, keeping us bound up in the subconscious mind, tangled in a weave of reactions, which continue to stir the mind into a downward spiral of negative thoughts, contrary to the Word of God.

Do others like us? Are we good enough? Can we do the task at hand? Do we have what it takes? etc.

If instead, we look at the pattern of God in the Word, and what He does for His people, although they are undeserving, we see that there is something substantive, which we call faith, that moves us from our patterns of predictions to God’s forecast, or can we say, moves us into prophesying that which is to come.

Many people are fearful about prophecy, which I get into in my book series God’s Fire Wall School of the Prophets. They look at prophecy enigmatically, not realizing that its about hearing the still small voice of God and knowing what He is speaking to your soul, your self-image.

Forecast means to predict or estimate a trend or pattern that is to come; prediction of future events that are to happen. When we look at this as it relates to the mind, we can see that the Word of God and His reason, causes us to be HOPEFUL, knowing there is a good expectation for us around the corner, if we only believe! This is a limitless mind, full of passion, waiting for opportunity.

Robin Kirby-Gatto

11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

12 Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you.

13 Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13 AMPC

Transformation, the counterculture the mind resists.

The mind is very stubborn and fights tooth and toe-nail for even one inch of change in your life, influencing your body with a cascade of emotional signals through hormones, constructing your feelings and emotions.

Feelings will lead us to ask questions, such as, “why do I feel this way; why am I sad; why am I confused; why do I feel weird, and so forth.” When we give into synergistic emotions that have been replicating patterns within our body, controlling us for years if not decades, they end up becoming our worst enemy. Our brain responds to these emotions requiting unto us all the negative experiences in the subconscious that verify our need to feel a certain way; our need to be addicted.

As a result, we are largely controlled and ruled by our emotions, which become the engine to our brain, leading us 70 mph like a locomotive on tracks, uncertain of where we might land. This is what is called the predictable future. Our past emotional patterns that are not overcome, become our future.

Enter the Counterculture

A counterculture is “a way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm.” Countercultures are expressed largely in nations, as one group of people determine they cannot have the same PATTERN of life anymore, and instead choose to change it, by integrating new behaviors and acceptable norms. We see this through the expression of Dr. Martin Luther King, and his work in changing the Civil Rights of African American people in the United States, with one theme that captured the world… “I HAVE A DREAM!” What is interesting is today January 20, 2020 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Dr. King’s dream was infectious and created a new behaviors in society, as well as a new norm.

Likewise, when we determine in our heart that we want change in our life and know that we can no longer tolerate what we have accepted as our normal, there is a resistance in the mind and emotions.

Resistance means, “the refusal to accept or comply with something, the attempt to prevent something by action or argument.” This comes from the Latin word resistere meaning, “to hold back.”

Our own mind, if we allow it, will hold us back from the transformative process, in which we get a new norm, such as the drive for success, joy and happiness. It is here that the mind will make ARGUMENTS, giving us excuse after excuse of why we cannot do something, such as “It can’t be done; I will start tomorrow; It’s to cold outside; I’m not good and enough, I will be all alone, etc.”

Whether we know it or not a new counterculture is underpinning our daily lives, with an anticipation of some sort, which keeps us dissatisfied in our present, so we will hope more towards the future. It is the new mind, waiting to manifest in our present, whereby we take our free will back and determine once and for all who we will be.

This is the juncture we all find ourselves at daily, wondering if things will continue to be the same. Will we still have the same financial issues, relationship issues, health issues, etc. Or will we instead choose a new norm and behavior that defies what we’ve known, creating an entirely new culture of influence, which now causes us to KNOW WHO WE WERE CREATED TO BE?

God Bless,

Offense a toxin to the self-image

I must say that, since I have been on an extended water fast, at which time I am at day 11, I can relate a lot of things with the detox process in relation to the self-image. Every inch of my body is wreaking with detoxification through all my cells and organs, making me all the more aware of the need for a detoxification in my soul.

Recently, I reacted to someone’s conversation towards me, being more touchy than I realized, and became offended. As a result, my comments to them were not lovely to say the least. I was not myself but rather thin skinned, feeling like crud in the detox process of the fast. All I wanted to do was sleep because I had little strength. Needless to say I found out that it was definitely not the place or time in that moment to be in a conversation that might lead me down a road of offense.

Offense means, “annoyance or resentment brought about by a PERCEIVED insult to or disregard for oneself or one’s standard or principles; the action of attacking someone or something.” This comes from the Latin word offensus meaning annoyance, as well as the Latin word offensa meaning a striking against, a hurt or displeasure. In time, the word in Old French evolved into the word offens meaning misdeed.

Thus, offense is a strike against our self-image hurting us in regard to who we think we are. Here, we have displeasure, not seeing ourselves as we should. If you need a test of whether or not you have a good self-image, wait for the moment when a circumstance is in place where there is opportunity for an offense and see how you feel.

Generally, I am more able to process things and not be so reactive to peoples’ comments or conversations with me, but with this fast and feeling horrible I’m easily given over to my carnal nature manifesting the issue of offense that is deep down within my soul.

The soul is comprised of the heart and the mind, where we think and feel. The poor self-image is guiding us, without our knowledge, when we give ourselves over to our past thoughts and emotions, which predict our future, creating the same repetitive patterns, where we then find ourselves continually frustrated.

Our soul is our self-image. It is the self-image that is continually being transformed, as we go from glory to glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18) This place of our self-image is the means by which we PERCEIVE THINGS. Perceive means, “to become aware or conscious of something; come to realize or understand. Interpret or look on someone or something in a particular way.” This comes from two Latin words per meaning entirely and capere meaning take. The two Latin words combine to form the word precipere, which means seize and understand.

Therefore, when we perceive things it is our brain taking in the moment through our past memories, to associate as closely as possible, the definition of the present moment. This is why it is important to be set free from the old mindset and have the transformed mind, the Mind of Christ.

At 2 AM this morning God woke me up and said to me “Robin, love is not easily offended.” Immediately my heart was pierced as I realized that I had been offended with the Lady with whom I was in conversation. I cannot say for certain that I know her true intentions, but from what I perceived, whether it be real or not, I felt they were not good. Many times we can mistake other people’s intentions and put our own meaning on them.

However, even if the other person has bad intentions it is irrelevant when it comes to our self-image. No one can take away who you are. It is this blow we ache with, identifying who we are, which causes us to be self-defensive when we feel as though we are wronged.

Similar to my body detoxing from all the stored up garbage that has been there for decades, being cleaned out like a filthy garage, toxin is being cleaned out of my soul. These are things that have been stored up, keeping me from perceiving a new reality of a greater grace and provision for my soul, to reach a higher dimension of a better version of me.

I can tell you that had someone warned me about doing a water fast and the detox process, I most likely would have never started. However, I am committed now. I felt flu-like symptoms all over for several days and when my lower intestines were detoxing there was excruciating back pain that took me down.

But having said that, I will say that when I see the benefits that result from me doing a water fast, such as by day 15 all of my organs will be healed and then begins tissue repair, and eventually my eyes will have better vision, totally gets me pumped up. And the best thing of all is my relationship with God getting richer and deeper.

If I were to be totally honest I can tell you that I have cried out to God saying this is not what I signed up for, that the misery of it was nearly unbearable and I did not won’t to continue on the fast. Then after listening to my moaning, God gave me strength for one more day.

Each day I am seeing the detox of my soul, where the thing that had been hindering me in a measure had been offense deep within the recesses of my own heart. Sometimes we can be right but still be wrong, when we are doing things from the motive of offense.

It is all about the self-image. When you are not offended it is because you know WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST JESUS!

This is what really got me with this particular message. God told me to look at Jesus on the Cross and then spoke quietly in a still small voice saying, “Robin, while Jesus was on the cross and all the insults were hurled towards Him, He was not offended.”

This totally blew my mind because I never thought of it like that. God went on and spoke in my heart, “Jesus knew Who He was, the Son of God, and nothing that anyone said, could change the image of Who He is.”

Man did that tilt my brain! I got it! Eureka! When we know who we are, our self-image, then we are unoffendable, because nothing can change the substance of our soul. What a message. No longer being self-defensive but walking in the truth of LOVE!

4 Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, forit is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

7 Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

8 Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth]. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 AMPC

Getting rid of the old

Over the last several weeks a lot has been going on, with this stirring in my spirit to get things more organized in this small apartment in which we live. Rich and I wanted to live a life of romantic travel initially and still do. However, since we don’t travel abroad much, we choose instead to live in a historic apartment in downtown Birmingham in the garden district. Thus, somehow in our brains we have convinced ourselves that we are living abroad living the dreams of those on House Hunters International on HGTV.

In saying that, it will be easy to let you know that we literally have hardly any storage space. The remodel is up to date as much as possible, but it did not include building out a closet. Thus, I set task to finding the best trunks off of Facebook market, getting them for a song. Each one was placed in different rooms, in order to pack things away neatly, so it would not look as though we had clutter all around.

I am very grateful for our apartment and especially our front porch that is fairly large, where Rich and I usually have coffee and sit with my youngest son, Matthew, dubbing the spot “The Writer’s Cafe.” As we sit musing over our writings, we enjoy watching the runners and bikers in the morning, or if at night, hear the music pouring in from across the street at the local hot spot. Tantalizing sounds and a great ambiance make for a fantastical environment, a bed of soil for our pondering and thoughts.

The one thing about the space that is not romantic is the closet. Our closet is mainly open to our bedroom and can be an eyesore when looking at it. All of our storage space is very tiny and we have to be creative in where we put everything. We discount the smallness of space by saying it is cozy or it the place has character.

Prior to my decision to reorganize the closet area, I had some clothes packed up in a cardboard box, that looked like it was on its final leg, and needed something sturdier in which I could pack our clothes away neatly. Therefore I got an old trunk with ancient carvings, which was pretty massive and more than able to hold the clothes that were not on hangers.

As I was emptying out the clothes from the cardboard box, it was apparent that some of them would never be worn again and it would be best to give them away. Walking into the kitchen I got a bag inside of the cupboard under the sink, and brought it back to my room to stash away the pile of clothes that would be given to charity.

Let me also add that at the time I was cleaning my closet area of our bedroom I was sick, with the onset of the crud, but felt this possession of my body with an extraordinary strength to go get the beautiful trunk that was so cheap I felt like I was stealing it. All I knew is that things had to be organized in that small closet area before it drove me crazy; we had tolerated it long enough.

While doing my cleaning, although feeling physically ill, my body was operating on auto pilot by another source, which I knew had to be God. Slowly I felt a veil being lifted off of my face, seeing things clearly, hearing God say, “Robin it is necessary to get rid of the old.” Getting rid of the old was what was helping me get things organized.

Moreover, on further introspection I could see how the old things in our mind keep us from getting organized with life, holding us back from doing our dreams, because of the fears and torments of past failures, which paralyze us from walking into the new.

Like my closet in its prior condition, it seemed like a formidable foe, overwhelming with the thought of defeat, stirring up stressful emotions, causing me to believe that things would not get better, that is how our mind is. Our past thoughts and emotions can become the formidable foe in our present, making us overwhelmed time and time again, where we reel in emotions of despondency, depression, anxiety or stress.

But this is the thing…… THEY ARE ONLY THOUGHTS!

Those old thoughts are prior images/memories that have been attached to words and thoughts, which have provided an emotional experience, holding us in a cardboard box of disorganization. Thus, when we try and fight our way out of the old and move into the new, our brain resists the change and fights to keep the old mindsets, which would be similar to me choosing to hold onto old clothes I will NEVER wear. The season for wearing them is over.

Likewise, as you move out of the old from prior years and move into the new in 2020, it is necessary for you to clean out the closet in your mind, ridding yourself once and for all of thoughts and words that serve no purpose in benefiting you.

Make it a priority to change your mindset, because only then will you change your life. In this year of 2020 I am motivating others to do as I have and clean one room at a time each month, beginning with your closet. Take this month to look at things which you have been hanging onto and no longer need. Store the old things that you are getting rid of in a bag, and determine to take it to a donations or a charity spot.

It is time to get rid of the old and get into the new!

Robin Kirby-Gatto