Blog Archives

Cattle Crossing

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Cattle Crossing –

Today, traveling the back roads of South Central Tennessee, I saw a “Cattle Crossing” sign. It was funny at first, the thought of having a cow in the middle of the road or a group of them causing a traffic jam. The more I thought about a cow jumping, waddling, out of nowhere on the road or stepping out from a hidden place the more I slowed down. A cow would cause tremendous truck and bodily damage. I’ve seen the toll a deer can put on a vehicle. I can’t imagine what a cow would do!

Wisdom tells us that we are given insight and warning signs for a reason. It also reminds us that it is our choice whether or not to take the warning seriously. We proceed at our own risk. Too often we ignore them and suffer the consequences of wrecked lives for ourselves and those we hold dear.

Our lives are not to be lived waiting for the next disaster, challenge or difficulty to come our way. However, if we learn to look for the warning signs and trust the wisdom we have gained through experience and knowledge we can avoid a lot of pain and heartache.

For more posts, reflections and other writings, please visit: http://www.thewannabesaint.com

Blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)

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Balancing Act

May 24

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

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Balancing Act –

There is an area in our yard next to the road that is tricky to mow. It is a sharp incline and in order to the get the job done the mower and the rider has to be at a steep angle. When I mow this particular spot in the yard I sit halfway on the seat with my body leaning in the opposite direction of the incline. The balance has to be perfect. Too far off the seat the mower doesn’t sense enough pressure on the seat and shuts off. Don’t lean far enough and there’s a chance the mower and rider could topple over. It’s a twenty-five yard long, difficult and dangerous, balancing act.

Life is also a balancing act. We live in perilous times. All one has to do is turn on the television, log online, and get the sense our families, communities, nations, and world is one mistake from toppling over into a dangerous place and we may not recover.

The problem is balance. Sides are chosen, political parties picked, litmus tests are given, judgments made and those on the other side, even ones seeking a middle way, are labeled as; “the enemy.” I don’t know if we are going to make it back from the edge of disaster but I do know it takes more strength to listen than to ignore, to understand than to shout down, to accept than to reject, to see others as us than ‘less than,’ to find balance than to demand conformity.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Contemplative

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The Beauty Within

Oct 30

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

The Beauty Within –

Outward beauty is always fading. Whether it be a person, a flower, an animal, a planet or a solar system, all is in flux and degrading. Nothing stays beautiful on the outside forever.

Unfortunately, we are surrounded and bombarded with messages that tell us outward beauty is the goal. Personal attractiveness, luxurious homes, sleek, stylish cars & hairstyles, anything and everything down to how we prepare our food can and should be a masterpiece.

To see inward beauty, the innate goodness in a person or a thing takes time and practice. It is a difficult discipline, as is most of wisdom’s teachings. It is a way of knowing and perceiving that an object, alive or inanimate, is beautiful because of what it is, not what it looks like. It doesn’t ignore outward beauty but realizes this is a passing observance. It seeks a vision that discovers the inward and lasting quality of that which it is beholding.

To see the real not the surreal, the true not the fleeting, the inward beauty that is each present moment and dismiss the shiny, glossed over, trinkets the world proclaims as treasure is to have life, abundantly.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Contemplative

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Tags: #abundantly, #alive, #animal, #attractiveness, #beautiful, #beholding, #blessings, #bombarded, #degrading, #difficult, #discipline, #discovers, #dismiss, #fading, #fleeting, #flower, #flux, #forever, #glossed, #goal, #goodness, #ignore, #inanimate, #innate, #inward, #inwardbeauty, #knowing, #lasting, #luxurious, #masterpiece, #messages, #object, #observance, #outward, #outwardbeauty, #passing, #perceiving, #person, #planet, #practice, #present, #proclaims, #quality, #shiny, #sleek, #solarsystem, #stylish #prepare, #surreal, #surrounded, #teachings, #treasure, #trinkets, #true, #way, #wisdom, beauty, moment, Personal, Vision, World

Ongoing Grace

Oct 5

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

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Ongoing Grace –

One of the hardest acts in life is letting go of the expectation of an apology from someone who has hurt, offended us. Many times, we never receive what we are tempted to think we deserve.

Not too long ago I received a surprising apology from someone who had hurt me years ago. They asked for forgiveness and I gave it to them. However, apologies can be tricky. When someone expresses regret about an action or harmful words our ability to forgive has much to do with our place on the journey of forgiveness. Saying the words; “I forgive you.” helps but rarely completely, instantly heals the wounds.

Since the apology, there have been moments of pain when I am reminded the wounds are still healing. Times when memories are relived and the urge to fall back into negative thoughts patterns, judgmental attitudes are present. It is here, on our journey, we realize forgiveness is not a one-time act or phrase but a process, an ongoing combination of acts, words, and intent of spirit. There are seasons, moments, instances when the past impresses itself on the present. Wisdom teaches us not to ignore, resent, or seek escape but to let it be a reminder that forgiveness in an ongoing act of grace.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Life

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Tags: # moments, #ability, #action, #acts, #apologies, #apology, #attitudes, #combination, #escape, #forgiveness, #grace, #harmful, #healing, #heals, #hurt, #ignore, #impresses, #instances, #instantly, #intent, #journey, #judgmental, #memories, #negativethoughts, #ongoing, #pain, #past, #patterns, #present, #process, #regret, #reminded, #reminder, #resent, #seasons, #seek, #spirit, #surprising, #teaches, #tricky, #urge, #wisdom, #words, #wounds

TheWannabeSaint.com

…..a place for sojourners on this spiritual path called life

Blog Archives

Cattle Crossing

Balancing Act

The Beauty Within

Ongoing Grace

Brian Loging, OSBO

@BrianLoging

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…..a place for sojourners on this spiritual path called life

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Cattle Crossing

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Balancing Act

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The Beauty Within

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Ongoing Grace

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Brian Loging, OSBO

@BrianLoging

Recent Articles

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