What wonderful opportunities we’ve had over the past few weeks to enjoy the joyful busyness of our lively honey bees collecting pollen everywhere the possibly can. Each day the beautiful blossoms proudly display new life about to burst forth on every tree, bush and flower.

Imagine our joy last week when my husband and I discovered that our native Satin Leaf tree that we’ve had for 8 years, began providing us with succulent purple plum like fruits to increase our health. Our black sapote tree supplies the entire neighborhood with plenty of chocolate pudding fruit every day. The Valencia Mango tree exploded with beautiful yellowish/orangish/brownish blossoms everywhere. The Holy Basil bush is delighting our honey bee friends every morning with tons of flowers along with the Brazilian cherry  blossoms. The sopadilla tree hangs heavily with ripening fruits. Our yard is bustling with life and busy happy honey bees because we keep everything organic. Birds are making their nests high in the trees loaded with berries, puppies are chasing the lizards around, opossums are keeping the unwanted insects away, mosquito fish keep water clear for the wildlife, God has a plan and we are blessed to watch it and help it along. As we love this earth it loves us back.

What signs of life are you witnessing? Where in your neighborhood are you experiencing hopeful signs?

I just love those times when everything is going well, life is good, family’s doing well. A long time ago, I learned not to allow myself to dwell on the anxiety of when the next shoe will drop. Life is too short. Now when those nice, good smooth times come I live deeply into them. Continually I thank God for all the blessings I can name in those times. I breathe deeply of the life giving spirit filling myself and healing. Seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, sensing God’s presence and saying yes to my Creator’s invitation to join in the great joy of giving life everywhere I can. I’ve learned to be intentional about these times because I’ve learned that there are times when all this becomes so hard to see, sometimes even impossible to recognize and by being so intentional in the good times I can remember them when the haze becomes overwhelming, even blinding. I follow the breadcrumbs planted along the way.

The hard, blinding suffering of our lives and living can so easily turn our hearts to stone. Our eyes can become blind to blessings forever. Our hearts can become cold and angry forever. In these difficult times we can reject God, stomp our feet and insist that because we don’t understand what’s happening, God can’t be good. What kind of benevolent loving God would allow children to suffer? What kind of all powerful God would allow good people who have dedicated their lives to God’s ways to be tortured, abused or attacked in the many ways we’ve seen and experienced? Why does God give suffering a voice? And why would we serve such a God?

Platitudes have no place in this discussion. Why God, why? Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending this doesn’t exist doesn’t work. Getting angry at God, at our neighbors, our families, everyone doesn’t work. Becoming an island onto ourselves doesn’t work. Digging our heels in and stamping our feet throwing temper tantrums of various manifestations never works. None of it works. Pulling away from others, pulling away from God … none of it works. So what are we to learn from all this? How do we put the yin and yang of life together and survive?

These are some of the things we’re going to discuss and take to the kitchen of our faith over the course of 6 weeks. We’ll be using Lysa Terkeurst’s book: It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way alongside our Bibles and our life experiences. Come join us. You can participate for all six weeks or however many works for you. The SE District Office of the United Methodist Church is providing the books for free for the first 10 people to sign up. You only need to pay $10 per session or $50 for all six sessions. Your weekly time commitment would be 1 group session and 4 days of 20-30 minutes private study.

Let’s work together. Alone can lose our way or together, we can choose to follow the breadcrumbs.

Are you wondering what’s on the other side of New Year’s Eve? Maybe you had a great 2019 or maybe not. Either way, as we look toward the new year we all wonder what it’ll bring. For some people this time is filled with trepidation, others excitement and yet others just really don’t even think about it.

The good news is that we each have more power over what can happen than we usually realize. Sure, our very best efforts can be thwarted by evil that is in this world. But what’s important is what we do and how we respond, in the long run. After all, that’s what we have power over and no one can take that away from us. Some choices are easy to make and others build character, but they are ours through and through. And since we must claim responsibility for our choices, why not make the very best ones we are able to make.

My husband and I have chosen to pray that we love and respect one another every time we pray together. This will help us to remember, especially in those tense moments, to catch ourselves and speak the truth with compassion. What are some things you could do to help you be your best self this year?

Here are a few guidelines to help you:

1. First take a look inside to develop a deeper understanding of who you are, what you stand for, what the source of your core is. We all grow and learn and change as we get older. When we aren’t intentional about our personal growth we tend to be defensive and even hostile. However, by taking time to get to know who we are and what it is that influences those core values we hold dear, our decisions/choices will make more sense to us. We’ll be able to express our choices (and hear the choices of others) with more ease and clarity. This may be an overwhelming undertaking for some. Please feel free to call our office for some assistance. We have several processes that might be helpful to you.
2. You always have choices. Sometimes we feel pushed into a particular decision, however the truth is it is always our choice at the end of the day. When you feel pushed into a particular decision, take time to consider what it is that made you feel pushed. Sometimes it’s the arrogance or intolerance of another person or group, or your own discomfort with disagreements that lead you to feel this way. In which case you need to determine if this is an abusive situation, person or group from which you need to distance yourself, or perhaps doing some personal work on strengthening your ability to tolerate uncomfortable situations. An objective mature and compassionate third party to help you take a look at this would be helpful. This could be your pastor, rabbi, a counselor, or spiritual director to name a few. The bottom line is to remember that you always have choices and how you make those choices are solely your responsibility.

The world is full of good and evil. Our focus determines of which we become most aware. We see what we look for and everywhere we go we find ourselves.

“As for me and my household, we will (love faithfully, live peacefully, give generously, forgive gracefully, play joyfully, pray daily) serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

Pam

When I was young, learning new things was exciting most of the time. However, when I was in my mid to late teens oh how I couldn’t wait to be taken seriously. I had a plan to study music in college and was very excited to embark on this new, more independent “leg” of my journey. I was certain that life as an independent adult would be so much easier. Oh how much I had to learn.

Of course, instead of simply getting easier, life just gets more complicated. For so many Christmas time isn’t a time of joy, rather this time brings memories of lost loved ones, lost jobs, relationships, especially the frustration that comes from having unanswered questions we want to ask God, and so many more struggles that seem to glare at us through the tinsel and lights. This year, my heart and my prayers are for those struggling in this way.

How I would love to be able to gift everyone with unshakable faith that God’s loving embrace with never, never let us go especially during those times of unspeakable pain that seems so senseless to us. I do promise you that God will always love you and every person anywhere. I promise you that Divine Agape will embrace you even in those dark scary shadows of life.  I promise you that there is a Divine response to all those questions we want to ask and that response SOMEHOW will show us that even these terrible experiences demonstrate God’s love for us.

Anyone who knows my history or who has read my book, knows that horrific experiences are very much a part of my life. I don’t know why people suffer, but I do know, in a very real way, that God’s healing life-giving embrace is very much present and working for us throughout even these experiences. As I’ve suffered these experiences, each time I’ve grown in my ability to recognize God’s presence in and through all things. After the train-wreck, as I fought for my life and didn’t have the ability to put words together to even make sentences; I discovered the gift of being able to pray without words. My prayer was simply a knowing that somehow God was there fighting for me and empowering me. I was clutching on to that hope to get me through. Now, I know there is nothing that I can’t face because God is with me in a very real way no matter what. Yes, there are times I need to specifically remind myself. Re-membering our life and our faith is a great gift that the One Who Loved You Into Being offers to you too.

May you truly know God’s Agape through all things this Christmas season and New Year.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”    Deuteronomy 6:5-9

What does peace mean to you? Is it nothing more than a lack of violence? Or perhaps it’s a quiet, serene atmosphere? I took a survey to see what people in the keys think and here are some of the results:

“A clearer state of mind; ability to function without worries (anxiety)”

“Inner peace means being okay and still in Christ even when things are crazy on the outside. Knowing where I belong in Christ and that it is all for His glory, even if I hate the situation, or love it. That God is enough.”

“Understanding and Comprehending”

“Peace of mind to me means knowing that I can hand my burdens to God constantly and He will help me through it.”

In Judaism there is something called “Shalom Bayit”. This literally means peace in the home. It’s about getting along with one another. But even more, it’s about healthy ways of resolving problems and conflicts. It’s about working together, believing the best in one another, learning to truly hear and understand what is important to the other.

Shalom Bayit relates, very closely, with what Christians mean when we say the marriage vow, “for better or worse”. Unfortunately, both of these very healthy concepts have been perverted by so many to keep victims in abusive marriages. Neither Shalom Bayit nor “for better or worse” provide ANY justification for abuse of any kind for any period of time in any family unit. Rather, they both call especially the adults in the family unit to work together as a team in covenant with one another AND God YHWH. We are to admonish one another IN LOVE, and that love is agape. It is not the fuzzy warm philios or passion of eros. Agape is love in action that can only exist in covenant with the One Who Loved Us Into Being, God, YHWH, Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer.

We are also charged with teaching the ways of agape to our children. We teach them when we guide them in healthy ways of settling differences. In Matthew we learn: ³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Our demonstration of God’s ways in our own living is the best teacher yet. We know we are living in this peace when our home life generates Hope and Life.

Sometimes we must leave our homes for safety. God, YHWH, never  intends any of us to live in abuse in any of its forms: physical, sexual, emotional, economic, spiritual, emotional. One of the most powerful statements I’ve heard any pastor say is, “For better or worse does not mean until your spouse kills you.” So often victims think that they are breaking their vow if they leave the one abusing them. Absolutely not true, the one abusing you broke the vow when they first abused you. There is no longer a vow for you to keep. There are people who will help you. Your local abuse shelter, Living Springs Counseling are two of the safe places to contact. The 24 Hour Domestic Violence Hotline: 305-⁠743-⁠4440 in Monroe County, FL. Or you can call the Florida State Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-96-ABUSE.

May your home life generate Hope and Life. May we all continue to grow in our ability to navigate disagreements and other challenging conversations with those we love. May we continue to deepen our ability to live into God’s love both in receiving and giving. May the peace of God.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another that together you may with one voice glorify the Creator of all, Source of all being, God, YHWH, Sustainer, Redeemer, the One Who Loved Us Into Being. 

John tells us that Jesus the Christ said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Peace my friends, my family, my brothers and sisters in Christ, my colleagues, my neighbors. Peace.

Love – Pam

Living Springs Counseling is proud to introduce you to our new Hospitality Hostess, Sylvia Maltzman. Sylvia has a beautiful heart and wants to give back. She has great compassion for God’s people, her brothers and sisters. Starting in September she will be sending email cards from 123Greetings to anyone who has given us their email address as well as their birthday or anniversary date. We do this because we care very much about all who have interacted with our agency in any way.

So, if you would like to receive beautiful cards and aren’t sure if you’ve given us your information please fill out the form below. Pam will be the only person to get the information from this form and will pass to Sylvia only email addresses and birthday and anniversary dates that we don’t already have.

Sylvia is a Messianic Jew who lived most of her life in Miami Dade County. She has recently moved to Islamorada. Thank you Sylvia for your ministry.

Today’s World often seems filled with turmoil, struggle and hate. The people we want to look up to continue to say and do shocking things. Our leadership, at all levels, is filled with people who disrespect others and make selfish decisions. So many of our leaders, from local positions all the way to our top national leaders, have become perverted by the power they hold. How do we move forward as Christians in such a place as this?

There have been at least 231 mass shootings in the United States during 2019 so far, 220 people have died and over 900 injured. (gunviolencearchive, wikipedia) Other sites return even greater numbers of people. Where do people get the idea that the best way to get their point across is to shoot massive numbers of strangers? How do we move forward as Christians in such a place as this?

So many have been deeply hurt by the Church. There is great corruption in power to which even the Church (the institution) has succumbed. The Church has espoused some teachings that do not fit within the divine agape of the One Who Loved Us Into Being. Even individual Christians have demonstrated hateful attitudes and behaviors. We are witnesses to corruption and hate from our local communities all the way through to our global leaders. To where can we look for hope and healing? Does Christianity hold any real hope and healing for us today?

There are certainly wonderful things happening too. In the last week, I personally witnessed someone who lost everything since Hurricane Irma, giving their time, energies, skills and yes, even some things to others. Having chosen a new life and spent the last year putting everything into place to begin, this person has witnessed others in need and chosen to compassionately do what they could to help and encourage. Why? Because, especially through this horrific time, this person became aware of God’s strength, guidance, healing, and love in their life and for their life like never before. Out of deep gratitude for these divine gifts, this person is now living larger than ever imagined with much less.

Especially in times like this, it’s important to focus on and meditate on those things which encourage us, build us up in healthy ways, things that lead us toward hope.

I believe there are core truths that Christians and non-Christians can hold onto. Richard Rohr puts it in such a beautiful way: “Whether or not you identify as a Christian, Richard invites you to see the Christ—the unifying principle of wholeness at the core of the universe—in everything and everyone. What does it mean to be the Body of Christ, the cosmic and coming Christ, now and for the future?”

“Unifying principle of wholeness at the core of the universe-in everything and everyone” Can you imagine, if we each meditated on that, just deeply thought about it, a few times each week what a difference it would make in the way we interact with one another and the rest of creation? Think about the difference it would make in your life.

In fact, I’m inviting you to try it out. Intentionally, for the next 3 days meditate (deeply think) on the phrase: “Unifying principle of wholeness at the core of the universe – in everyone and everything“. Do this at least 3 times a day for 3 minutes at a time. You’ll need to set aside (turn off phone, essentially go into a closed closet, turn off TV, make sure rest of family (roommates) know to leave you alone for 3 minutes) and see what happens.

What we pour into our minds, hearts, eyes and ears makes a difference in who we are. To build the strength to stand through the tough times, we must fill ourselves, again and again, with unifying and timeless principles.

Please come back and share your results:

YAY! Dolphins are Jumping for joy!

It’s time for our annual 4th of July parade where we celebrate our freedom created by our ancestors, protected by our military, and that you and I are responsible to keep in check by our living, voting and speaking up.

Some of the things that threaten our freedom is stressors, depression, violence, apathy and unhealthy relationships. Living Springs Counseling provides a space where you can address these stressors in your life and create new healthier happier ways of living for you and your family. If you are a person of faith, we include your faith in your journey. Our fees make all this affordable for you and/or your loved ones.

Living Springs Counseling will be marching in this year’s parade handing out ice pops. We invite all our supporters to join us and the fun. Be at Anthony’s parking lot by 9:30 am and look for our Golf Cart. The parade route is approximately 1 mile. If you have a wheelchair, bring it and hand out ice pops too!!

To contact us for appointments call 305.942.4226.

Each year we have such an amazing time at our High Tea Extravaganza! We hope you’ll come join us again this year! If you haven’t been there yet, there’s no time like the present. Above is our 2 time winner of the Crazy Hat Competition. Who will win this year?

Imagine a 4 course meal of finger food AND supporting a vital local not for profit for just $25.

Imagine laughing, eating and enjoying all kinds of natural teas …

Imagine silent auction opportunities galore …

AND you don’t even have to dress up! That’s right wear whatever feels right to you and have fun doing it. You might ask, ok so we can have fun … why else would we support this organization.

Living Springs Counseling helps build and improve the quality of community here in the Keys. We accomplish this by …

Living Springs Counseling provides the ONLY very affordable Certified Pastoral Counseling in all of the Florida Keys. You are able to address depression, grief, stress, faith, and relationship/couples issues. We do not take insurance (42% of working age Monroe County residents don’t have insurance anyway) and you’ll find that our sliding scale is very affordable. Even homeless residents and residents on disability can afford us.

We also offer parenting classes (approved by the UK Family Court for mandated parenting classes), continuing education classes for clergy, and last resort Rx assistance for Monroe County Residents.

Of course, we ALWAYS accept donations. Please click on our donations page above.

Click here To purchase tickets to our High Tea Extravaganza! June 15th; 1-3 PM at MM 98.5 bayside – Pirates Cove Clubhouse

Looking forward to having fun with you!

Did you ever wonder why scientists get so excited when they find a planet with water? They regularly bypass all kinds of truly amazing planets, stars, galaxies and more with a plethora of valuable discoveries and go straight to the planets that include water. It turns out that scientists have never found any substance that sustains life better than water. Where there’s water there’s probably life.

Guess what amniotic fluid is. You guessed it, water. Did you know that the water of amniotic fluid does much more than protect the developing baby? As pregnancy continues, this water provides a way for electrolytes, proteins, carbohydrates, other nutritional and developmental elements to get to the developing child. Even more, when the fetus swallows this water, it  helps in the formation of the gastrointestinal tract. Water is vital to human creation.

Do you know why plants need water? Plants are about 90% water. When plants are not watered properly they wilt. This is because of something called turgor, which is water pressure inside the cells that make up the plant’s skeleton. When a plant is properly hydrated, there is enough water pressure to make the leaves strong and sturdy; when a plant doesn’t get enough water, the pressure inside the stems and leaves drops and they wilt. Plants also need water for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is what plants do to create their food, and water is critical to this process. Once in the leaves water evaporates, as the plant exchanges water for carbon dioxide. The water from the leaves evaporates through the stomata, and carbon dioxide enters the stomata, taking the water’s place. Plants need this carbon dioxide to make food. Transpiration – this exchange of water for carbon dioxide – only occurs during the day when there is sunlight. This is why you might find dew on plants in the morning. The plants contain a lot of water because all night long water has been entering through the stem and being pulled into the leaves where it can’t evaporate. Since the water doesn’t evaporate at night, the water has no where to go so it remains on the leaves as dew. When water evaporates from a plant during transpiration it cools the plant, in the same way the humans sweat to cool off in the heat. A mature house plant can transpire its body weight daily. This means it gives off a lot of water! If people needed that much water, an adult would drink 20 gallons of water a day. (UCSB ScienceLine)

Not only does water create life and sustain life, water can also be destructive, hurricanes, and beautiful, Niagara Falls. Water refreshes us, swimming, and provides a source for exercise and healthy nutrition (fish and seaweed).  Water cleans and feeds.

No wonder God choose water to be used in baptism. Water gives us rainbows. God led the Israelites to freedom through water. God provided safe passage through the river Jordan to the promised land. In creation, God swept across the waters and brought forth light.

Our lives are blessed by water in more ways than we know.

How has your life been blessed, changed, rearranged by water?

Here is a quote from my book: Becoming: A Spiritual Journey

“Jeremiah has a wonderful understanding of God as the fountain of living water that has so completely flowed through my life in the years since. It’s not even just a river of living water as John talks about, but an actual fountain. I picture a magnificent shower of water shooting up from the center, cascading down with its refreshing life-giving breath on everything willing to receive it. Dancing around the fountain, I see life flourishing and growing in a brilliant array of greens. A fragrance of joy and hope permeates the air as new life buds forth. This is the vision my Creator gave me as I struggled to reach out for just a drop, knowing that God’s right hand was holding me through it all.”

May you know God’s Blessings through water today and everyday.