Love is deep. The Love is the deepest refuge and safe recluse I know. My home is in the river.
to you my love my heart goes swimming on the deep oceans life in the compassionate way discontent in your solitude; observing silences and tragedies small delicacies and sweet words – they fall into the ears of young lovers and my heart swims out to yours, on the tide with the ebb and the flow of the rise and fall of your love. the grandness of a philosophy of beauty and trust but my wise old heart lives under the clouds and weather of suspicious truth with clarity in a goblet overflowing, pouring with wine. i breathe and sigh and wait knowing the blindness and straight arrow of desire wondering what river i will live and die in for the sake of this for you, my Love
A few weeks ago I noticed a spike in general search engines for my name. That’s why I love reporting features. But to keep me honest, I make sure that it’s public and people can see it for themselves. This is not a vastly popular blog, although i know a few lurkers that hang around.
But I figured out a possible reason when I was in Sydney. My friend Adam asked me to write a very short piece for a new ministry book that was being published by Relevant. I sent it off, not that happy with it – frustrated by word count and timeframe! And then I heard nothing else. So I kinda figured it probably didn’t make the cut.
Whoops. Actually, when I arrived at Mark & Vickie’s place, I saw the latest edition on the counter and picked it up. The only previous copy I’ve seen was Issue #1, online edition only.
It was pretty funny to see my name in print there, and to re-read the article. It’s in Issue #2 of Neue Quarterly. I’m going to have to go subscribe now.
All that being said, whilst I’m working on book material consistently (still trying to find something original to say), and I’ve seen my byline in newsprint for work several times – to have even an article published in the Christian sector is actually cool for me.
And it makes entertaining fun for my friends and I, as I wait for celebrity to overtake. (Total humour, just joking. I promise.) Like here. Stu’s having a laugh – but actually, he probably has more right to write (sic) than I do. But hey… I’m cute.
In Other Details.. I make stuff for people – clients and myself. Usually there are other people involved ‘on the tools’ but for your perusement .. here are some recent works..
Humanity made by brendan smith, concept tash mcgill, photos & words tash mcgill, for eastercamp08
What amazes me about this montage is how singular the moments, brief flickers where each face holds her own, instantly recognizable identity, as the overwhelming dimensions of “beauty” hold centre stage.
“When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai rent his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, wailing with a loud and bitter cry” (Esther 4:1 RSV)
Tungia te ururua, kia tupu whakaritorito te tupu o te harakeke. Burn away the overgrowth & let the flax shoots grow through.
The Meaning Of The Ash Historically ash has been a symbol of repentance, confession, of death – because we all are returned to dust in the end, and this is the penalty of sinfulness.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lent festival – 40 days leading to Easter (Sundays are not counted in the Lent calendar). Whilst there have been many orthodox traditions including fasting rules and reflection habits – the season is particular upheld within Christian streams as a method of reflection and focus. Historically a period of preparation leading up to baptism on Easter Sunday, the connection between this time of reflection, repentance, response, self-denial and the celebration of Easter cannot be over-emphasized.
For Lent this year, my choice of reflection is to study and reflect on psalms 1 – 40 for each of the 40 days. Any particular morsels.. I’ll share with you.
Closing Prayer God of Tenderness and Mercy, we are reminded today that we are dust! You are our Father, full of mercy and love. Forgive our sins.
Ko tou manawa, ko taku manawa. Kia homai tou manawa mate moku. Kia hoatu taku manawa ora mou. Whiti ora! Maranga mai ki runga! ( Your heart, my heart. You give me your dying heart. Let me give you my living heart. Cross over to life! Rise up above!)
Create in us a new heart put a new spirit into our lives. We ask this in the name, of Your Servant and our brother, now and always.
Change In down economies, the only thing that’s going to change things is changing things. This is hard for a lot of marketers who are used to defending the status quo, but it’s truly the best option.
If you’re not happy with what you’ve got, what radical changes are you willing to make to change what you’re getting?
The telephone destroyed the telegraph.
Here’s why people liked the telegraph: It was universal, inexpensive, asynchronous and it left a paper trail.The telephone offered not one of these four attributes. It was far from universal, and if someone didn’t have a phone, you couldn’t call them. It was expensive, even before someone called you. It was synchronous–if you weren’t home, no call got made. And of course, there was no paper trail.
If the telephone guys had set out to make something that did what the telegraph does, but better, they probably would have failed. Instead, they solved a different problem, in such an overwhelmingly useful way that they eliminated the feature set of the competition.
The list of examples is long (YouTube vs. television, web vs. newspapers, Nike vs. sneakers). Your turn.
Leading – Initiative, Intuition & Ignition In a time of forecast and present economic recession – the temptation is too much to streamline, restructure and do whatever it takes to maintain the “status quo”. That is, rather than leveraging a time when people need a boost of inspiration, a creative new solution to a previously unthought of problem, a sense of confidence and hope… we “manage” rather than lead.
Obviously, a simplistic overview but still appropriate to consider – we manage our response to the changing market – creating our own focus on maintaining a steady approach- we aim for consistency rather than ebbing and flowing on the wave of economic tide.
However – at Solafida, our approach is a little different. Sure, we’ve streamlined and we’re looking at the future with as much wisdom as we can gather from places like here and here. But we’re also looking at what new opportunities (problems without current solutions) there are for us.
Our number one rule : if responding to the market with the status quo solution, simply results in the status quo – that’s not what we want to do. So we are looking for opportunities to lead, initiate, innovate, ignite and use our intuitive creative sense to propel us forward.
In this time of overwhelming fear of failure – we have the opportunity to leap forward with confidence, for if the expectation is failure, then what’s the worst that could happen?
For example; some of our clients are re-budgeting and trying to figure out how to get the same results with less money. In other words, how do we use the same solutions to get the same answer, but with less investment?
Our response : Let’s choose a different solution, to a different question.
The same here is true for our churches and social organisations as we face decreasing tithes, donations and a more localised view of poverty and economic crisis.
Tenacity is more than endurance, it is endurance combined with the absolute certainty that what we are looking for is going to transpire. Tenacity is more than hanging on, which may be but the weakness of being too afraid to fall off. Tenacity is the supreme effort of a man refusing to believe that his hero is going to be conquered. The greatest fear a man has is not that he will be damned, but that Jesus Christ will be worsted, that the things He stood for – love and justice and forgiveness and kindness among men – will not win out in the end; the things He stands for look like will-o’-the-wisps. Then comes the call to spiritual tenacity, not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately on the certainty that God is not going to be worsted.
If our hopes are being disappointed just now, it means that they are being purified. There is nothing noble the human mind has ever hoped for or dreamed of that will not be fulfilled. One of the greatest strains in life is the strain of waiting for God. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience.”
Tash McGill is a broadcaster, writer and strategist who works with people and organisations to solve problems and create transformation. She believes people are the most important thing and that stories are powerful ways of changing the world. You can find out more at tashmcgill.com or by visiting her LinkedIn profile.
