The Overwhelming Theme

“The overwhelming theme in the Old Testament is not that God is a god of wrath, but that God is a god of love, and that we keep making horrible choices. I think sometimes we think that love is the equivalent of acceptance of action. God always loves us without condition. He does not acceptContinue reading “The Overwhelming Theme”

The Machine

“We don’t know how close we are to feeling good.” Dr. Hyman By: Gabriela Yareliz Have you ever worked so much you started to feel numb? This is a familiar place for me. Familiar but unpleasant. Work sometimes feels like The Machine from The Princess Bride. (I was in The Machine today. More on thatContinue reading “The Machine”

Atomic Age

By: Gabriela Yareliz We always live in a time that is a consequence to previous times and actions, and the present day actions will have consequences of their own, too. As we all wait to see what comes next, I was reminded of C.S. Lewis’ powerful words about living in the atomic age: “If weContinue reading “Atomic Age”

Forecasting

By: Gabriela Yareliz Last night at church, Erwin McManus reminded us of something powerful— our hope and anticipation for the future is tied to whether we believe God is good. Erwin walked us through Ezra, where the people of Israel laid the foundation for the new temple (the temple known as the inferior temple. Ironically,Continue reading “Forecasting”

Only the Brave

By: Gabriela Yareliz I loved this message from Erwin McManus. It was a powerful reminder of the call to courage, and the role our measure of courage plays in laying hold of the life God can help us achieve. The interesting thing is courage is a decision. It is up to us. The message isContinue reading “Only the Brave”

The Four Questions

By: Gabriela Yareliz This morning, I was reflecting on Byron Katie’s four questions. These are the questions she uses to coach people through issues and places where they get stuck. The questions are: Working through these has been so interesting. They make the day brighter and make us feel freer.

Going There

By: Gabriela Yareliz “There is stuff I know I can work through, but I am not sure I want to go there again. I do feel like if I will be helping others, I need to, maybe?” The person on the coaching call explained. “You will need to go there. If you are going toContinue reading “Going There”

Cultivating Identity

By: Gabriela Yareliz I know someone (who I admire) who is almost 80 and refuses to retire. Now, I do think this person has a sense of calling and vocation. They love what they do. But this brought me to thinking— how many of us are on track to do the same because we failContinue reading “Cultivating Identity”

Dreamer DNA

“Keepers of private notebooks are a different breed altogether, lonely and resistant rearrangers of things, anxious malcontents, children afflicted apparently at birth with some presentiment of loss.” Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem By: Gabriela Yareliz I saw this Didion quote, and I know there is truth to it. As a kid, I would write 15Continue reading “Dreamer DNA”