LINK DIRECT TO VIEW:: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06144hg
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
A caterpillar is nothing like a butterfly but one develops from the other.
A caterpillar is nothing like a butterfly but one develops from the other.
I sat in a circle of YMCA Hostel Residents.
We talked about the potential in a caterpillar and shared our collective wisdom.
It was late night.
They had a free choice to join me.
I had pushed an invitation under each bedroom door.
A dozen out of 100 joined me.
We talked potential.
An acorn is the soul of an oak tree.
An acorn has the potential to become an oak tree.
So we talked about the things which can stop that acorn
I sat in a circle of YMCA Hostel Residents.
We talked about the potential in a caterpillar and shared our collective wisdom.
It was late night.
They had a free choice to join me.
I had pushed an invitation under each bedroom door.
A dozen out of 100 joined me.
We talked potential.
An acorn is the soul of an oak tree.
An acorn has the potential to become an oak tree.
So we talked about the things which can stop that acorn
from developing into its full potential.
Crushed by a boot,
No moisture,
Damaged in the fall,
Landing on concrete,
Poor environment,
Uprooted or eaten in early life and more.
And then the application to ourselves,
The human soul and the potential to
Crushed by a boot,
No moisture,
Damaged in the fall,
Landing on concrete,
Poor environment,
Uprooted or eaten in early life and more.
And then the application to ourselves,
The human soul and the potential to
become a fully alive human person.
What can hinder that development?
"The glory of God is a person fully alive”.
What can hinder that development?
"The glory of God is a person fully alive”.
Everyone in that group, including me,
shared the reality of their own 'damage’.
During the development process in life,
the emotions ran high as we shared
During the development process in life,
the emotions ran high as we shared
and took ownership of real hurt
and also the equipping for life that this sometimes gave.
The purpose of the YMCA is NOT to provide:-
beds, meals, gyms, fitness classes,
and also the equipping for life that this sometimes gave.
The purpose of the YMCA is NOT to provide:-
beds, meals, gyms, fitness classes,
child care, training, sporting opportunities and more.
All these we do, and are leaders in the field, but
these are the means to achieving our aims and purposes,
to provide developmental opportunities for all.
All these we do, and are leaders in the field, but
these are the means to achieving our aims and purposes,
to provide developmental opportunities for all.
Those acorns into oak trees,
Those caterpillars into butterflies.
We are about whole person development.
That is what makes the YMCA distinctive.
That is what we mean by putting Christian principles into practice.
"An empty belly has no ears,"
African Proverb.
BHP
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Monday, March 19, 2018
RAPUNZEL story we can all learn from .............
RAPUNZEL
The story of a young woman.
Young and beautiful.
Imprisoned in a tower with an old witch.
She was told by the old witch that she was ugly, all the time.
One day Rapunzel was gazing through the window of the tower she saw her Prince Charming at the base of the tower.
She lets down her long hair, long and beautiful tresses.
It fell to the ground alongside the Prince who braids it into a ladder and climbs up to rescue her.
She was imprisoned not by the tower but by the fear of her own ugliness which the witch had described so often.
Rapunzel sees the reflection of her face in the mirroring eyes of her lover.
She sees that she is beautiful and becomes free from her imagined uglyness.
She was not really imprisoned but locked in the prison towers of herself.
She believed she was ugly because she was told she was ugly.
We need to see in another’s eyes our own beauty, special ness, uniqueness and become free.
You are a beautiful human person.
BHP
Sunday, March 18, 2018
The human soul is hungry for beauty; we seek it everywhere - in landscape, music, art ...............
Hey do you feel beautiful?
Do you believe you are beautiful?
I think - the answers you give to those questions,
determine how you handle life.
I naturally think - have I put the comma in the right place?
I accept I am ignorant of basic things,
but I still believe I am beautiful imperfection.
John O'Donohue has said that the Greek word for "the beautiful" is to "kalon”
John O'Donohue has said that the Greek word for "the beautiful" is to "kalon”
which is related to the word "kalein."
This is entwined to "call" or "calling.”
This is entwined to "call" or "calling.”
So, John says - "when we experience beauty, we feel called.”
Do you feel called?
Do you believe you are called?
Do you believe you are called?
I first started using the phrase
"You are a beautiful human person”
when I was working with gangs of young humans.
I struggled to love them - at first.
They were constantly abusing.
Me and others.
Some spit in your face.
Some spit in your face.
They lashed out physically.
Sometimes, even worse,
there was no response,
no acknowledgement that I existed.
To be able to continue to work and love
I knew I had to start to learn
to see through their behaviour
and love the person
beyond behaviour.
So I started to say - YOU are beautiful.
That gave ME a problem.
That gave ME a problem.
If each one of theses BHP’s I work with - is beautiful
I had to turn that on myself.
I was beautiful!
I am beautiful
(Much easier to type than say!)
I decided that God loves me some years before.
God loves these beautiful humans.
Beautiful-Imperfection - like me!
I need to learn to love.
I need to grow as a human - in love.
Then I started to say, and write, and express in every way I could:
"You are a beautiful human person".
"The human soul is hungry for beauty; we seek it everywhere - in landscape, music, art, clothes, furniture, gardening, companionship, love, religion, and in ourselves.
"The human soul is hungry for beauty; we seek it everywhere - in landscape, music, art, clothes, furniture, gardening, companionship, love, religion, and in ourselves.
We feel most alive in the presence of the Beautiful for it meets the needs of our soul.”
John O'Donohue. Beauty: The Invisible Embrace.
The beauty I see,
The beauty I see,
the most powerful beauty,
is in you.
The greatest beauty is - is in us humans.
Despite behaviour,
despite your behaviour,
you are beautiful.
BHP
Saturday, March 17, 2018
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