Cecilia Eve

April 8, 2020April 8, 2020

Sorry NOT Sorry Konmari–In Search of Joy

A few years ago we decided it was time to get rid of some “stuff”. Early in this journey I was introduced to Mari Kondo’s “Komari Method” and the concept of minimalism. Mari Kondo says your things should “spark joy” and if they don’t you should get rid of them. Sounded simple enough so I tried to imagine what Konmari’s “sparking joy” should feel like. Did this lighted curio cabinet full of collectibles spark joy in me? Did any of these collectibles spark joy? “Oh I remember this! My 6 year old daughter won this trophy for her pet butterflies. It made her so proud and then…” Wait, that thing did not spark joy in me! It sparked my memory. The memory sparked my joy! I looked around. What is here that could spark joy in me? What’s wrong with me? Why doesn’t anything here spark joy? With my vast collection of physical “stuff” (about 3000 square feet and 10 years of postponing purging decisions) not one thing sparked joy? While I am a serious person, I am not a joyless person.

What even is joy? Joy: a feeling of pleasure that comes from a sense of well-being. From Healthypsychology.org we define Joy as an attitude of the heart or a belief that comes from within. Joy is an internal lasting emotional condition. At that moment I realized the fallacy of the Konmari method.

NOT ONE physical item in my life has the power to spark any lasting internal joy in me! If it did… IF my joy was dependent on any of my physical possessions, I am in grave danger of losing that joy. Any and all of my physical possession can be stolen, lost or go up in smoke at any given time and if they are the source or “spark” for my joy then my joy goes with them. I am sorry Mari Kondo but I need my joy to stick around through thick and thin. I need a lasting internal emotional condition of well-being even when the world around me falls apart. John 16:20-22 tells me I can have a joy that no man can take from me. I Peter 1:8 tells me that my joy can be unspeakable! I want that kind of joy! If not physical possessions, then what is the “spark” or source of this unspeakable joy that no man can take from me?

“Tinka” @oneeyedpanther helping with the piles on the desk

SPARKING JOY UNSPEAKABLE: I believe the first mention of joy in the Bible is found in I Samuel 18:6 when David brought victory over the oppressing Philistines and all the women of Israel come out of the cities singing and dancing for joy! VICTORY is a legit source of joy! David’s actions that brought victory were actions of being in the right place at the right time doing the right thing; a life of righteousness! NOT one of my possessions can bring me victory over the oppression of the enemy of mankind. The sacrifice of Jesus blood on the cross for my sins allows me to find victory! This victory is a spark of joy in my life. I truly was bound before I accepted His payment for my sin. I could not stop the cycle of doing the very things that I would shortly regret. This kind of victory cannot be achieved outside of the power of the Blood of Jesus. What Jesus did for me personally by dying on the cross in my place so I could be free from this oppression is amazing! This sparks overwhelming joy unspeakable deep within my heart! This is joy no man can take from me. This joy can only be sparked in a life surrendered to Jesus! If you accept the work of the cross you can walk in righteousness that comes from Him. You will have victory that comes from Him and that will produce JOY that comes from Him! Romans 14:17.

SPARKING JOY THAT NO MAN CAN TAKE AWAY: God’s word is a source of joy. Jeremiah 15:16 tells us that if we consume the word of God it will be joy and a delight to our hearts! When was the last time you heard good news and it made your heart skip a beat? Take in God’s word to your innermost part and it will spark joy in you! In fact Luke 10:38-42 tells us that “few things are needed” and things can cause distraction from what can truly spark joy – listening to the message of God’s love for us! This may be a good reason to minimize your home-purge things to have few distractions from “what is better and it will not be taken away”! This is the Joy that no man can take away! Matthew 6:33 tells me if I will just seek Him first I will have need of nothing anyway -so purge way! Through His word he makes known the path of life (Psalms 16:11) and fills us with Joy in His presence! What a great source of abundant Joy to go to the Word of God daily and find His overflowing love toward me! To read or hear that He has my back and has my best interest at heart! John 10:10 He wants me to live life to the fullest! This is the joy that no man can take away! The fact that the God of the Universe has my best interest at heart—It makes me giddy!

SPARK SOME ELSE’S JOY: While there are several other Biblical “sparks” for joy I want to talk about one more that brings it full circle! In Luke 15 there are three parables about lost items that were found. In each story the finding of what was lost was a spark for joy! We know that a blessing is doubled when it is shared with another! In I Thessalonians 2:19-20 Paul tells us that YOU are a source of JOY! If you have read this far then I have shared the Good news of what Jesus did on the cross for us. If you will accept His payment for your sin then you will be found! You can simply verbally acknowledge to Him that you needed that payment for your sin and accept it as a gift from Him. You have now become a beautiful spark of joy not only to me but to all the angels in heaven! Luke 15:10 ¹⁰In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Now go spark some joy in someone else! Maybe that spark will even reach Mari Kondo!

July 16, 2018April 8, 2020

#METOO!

When we arrive at Calico Jack’s we are in for an unknown adventure! Neither of us has ever done anything like this in the first half-century of our lives! Ziplining through the jungle? WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN US INTO? We decide to take the “Ultimo Explorer” tour. This 1.5 hour tour is over 2,900 feet of zip line comprised of 9 runs and 15 platforms that take you over and through the jungle. I am totally pumped! My husband on the other hand, having an aversion to heights, opts to go last! After eventually trusting his harness and brake, he begins to enjoy it as much as I! As we zip over and through the tree tops I ponder how many other “first time” adventures God has planned for us in our next half century. As we hike through the rainforest to the heights of new platforms I wonder what sort of terrain may lay ahead in our walk of destiny. By the time he reaches his last zipline run my husband is ready to yell “I ‘Belize’ I can fly!” My heart is full! As I unhook my harness I wonder, am I trusting God’s harness for me so that I can experience the fullness of His adventure for my life?

The drive through the wilds of Western Belize to and from this remote village of El Progresso, Cayo is an adventure of it’s own. Although our drive is less than 30 miles and judging by the map should be about 20 minutes, it takes about an hour each way. Along the way we watch the land transform from farms to dense jungle. Beside the dirt road the fence posts were made of hewn logs. Obvious from the sprouted branches from their tops, most of these logs have taken root! Some have even turned back into dense jungle thickets.

Gazing out the car window I ponder those fence posts. How much life those “logs” still had in them when they had been cut and set in the ground, essentially being transplanted. Their last bit of life was spent on propagation! These logs which had been healthy were now cut off from their supply and buried! Yet all their needs were supplied by the richness of the soil and tropical environment. While some simply became fence posts others spent their remaining life giving EVERYTHING to see LIFE propagated to the fullest again. They put down roots to draw life from the rich tropical environment and grow new branches and eventually bear fruit.

My husband and I came here to Belize for a week with the purpose of helping our long time friends as they pioneered a church in the District of Cayo. My husband was ministering to this new church! Adam and Lizeth are doing just as those “logs” are! They have the life of Christ in them and they are digging into God’s Word to bring life to citizens of Belize. They in turn will produce fruit and propagate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their own nation!

Those logs that did not grow into trees were planted in the same soil. Why did they NOT grow? Why were they content to be simple fence posts? What made the difference between them and the young tree posts? As a gardener I know a little about propagation. Those posts failed in the roots. They were unable to develop a new root system in a timely manner for whatever reason. Maybe they got dried out and lost their life while they waited to be “planted”. Maybe they were planted in a drier space or season and lost their life soon after planting. Perhaps they were not secured as well into the soil and had too little contact for roots to grow. I could not help but wonder, how much life do I have left? What will I spend the rest of my life on? Am I like the logs that did not have enough life within to propagate new life? Will I use ALL that is within me to grow roots that will draw on the Source of life to bring life to others? I don’t know how much life is left in me but I know that Christ lives in me and I want propagate the Life of Jesus Christ to the fullest in my life and in others even if that means being cut off and transplanted! I want to be a thriving & living fence post!

Mark 14:8 (NIV) “She has done what she could.” This is not a flippant sort of remark as if to say “oh that’s all she could do.” No! I believe Jesus is saying that she has done EVERYTHING she possibly could do! Don’t you want Him to say that of of you and I? Can I please be just like this woman with the alabaster box? She poured out ALL of her hopes and dreams to honor Jesus! What dreams and hopes am I still holding onto because they are too precious to give to Him? She traded all HER life for the unknown adventure that only He could give her! She trusted the harness! #METOO! How about you?

July 16, 2018April 8, 2020

Belize; Soooo Much More!

Belize is sooo much more than “the Blue Hole” or “the second longest barrier reef!” Away from the hustle and bustle of snorkelers, divers and the usual tourist attractions is a hidden gem in Western Belize.

On the worn brick pavers of Burns Avenue, downtown San Ignacio in the Cayo District, you will find a small unassuming door to jungle secrets and adventures. Family owned and operated Jungle Splash Eco Tours offers several tours that take you off the beaten path, and into the hidden beauty of Western Belize -deep in the heart of the Mayan Mountains. Husband and wife team, Robert & Christy Melendez, have been in the tour business for several years. Their passion to protect and share this beautiful wild space is apparent. Robert exhibited such care for these creatures and their habitat, as if they were personal pets in his own backyard; rightly so, considering he was raised in the area and his family still farms here. They treat their customers like family, and bend the tours to the needs of each specific group. Every tour is unique, as the living jungle chooses to reveal varying treasures on any given day.

We chose their signature tour “Waterfall Pontoon Adventure: a river cruise on a pontoon boat.” They also offer cave tubing, horseback riding, among other tours and vacation accommodations.

Rio Frio Waterfall near the Upper Macal River

Considering our visit was in July, at the start of the rainy season, I asked if the weather would impact our ability to tour. Christy informed me that they do have a canopy on the boat, and the rains would only “make the waterfalls more beautiful”. I must apologize for the quality of these photos, due to the rainy season the water was not it’s usual tropical blue!

Native Mayan Jose is a close friend with the owners, and is employed as a guide. We met him at their office on Burns Avenue at 8 am on the day of our scheduled adventure. He drove us out of town about an hour and a half, making a few stops to pick up fresh meal supplies and allow a bathroom break along the way. Meanwhile “Captain” Robert picked up another family from their hotel. We all met at the riverside where the pontoon boat was docked. The first river resident we met was “Komo”, the tropical cormorant. He was standing guard over the boat waving a welcome to us, when we arrived.

Jose informed us that, while most tours average 10 people, the boat could accommodate up to 20; Our group was a comfortable size of 9 passengers and two guides (Jose & “Captain” Robert). We each brought the advised insect repellent and sunscreen and our guides laid in supplies for the day of bottled water, soda, and lunch before we motored up-river smoothly.

The “Jungle Gyspsy” (as our pontoon boat was named) was equipped with life preservers, innertubes, benches, tables, an ice chest full of cold drinks, a grill for cooking lunch, and a hammock -all under a shade canopy!

“Komo” paddled alongside the boat for a bit before he took wing to scout ahead, zig-zagging upriver out of sight. “Captain” Robert soon introduced us to “Precious”, another river resident, who was effective at evading the paparazzi. As we approached, she slipped into the water and dove deep heading upstream. Robert pointed out a large sandy hill on the shore where she had just left as her nest; obviously she was distracting us away from her family. We never saw any more of this small shy native “alligator” nor any of her family the rest of the day. Although Jose and “Captain” Robert never ceased making jokes about alligators in the water, subtly reminding us we were in their space.

We eventually caught up to “Komo” standing on a rock in the mid-stream with his wings spread wide gently flapping as if warning of the shallows. Heeding this warning our “Captain” turned the boat around and cut the motor so we could quietly drift down river. Along the way he drew the boat near a flat rock surface and pointed out some more jungle residents “Insect Bats” clinging in their sleep to an overhang. Soon we docked the boat at a sandy inlet and began a short hike to the “Rio Frio” waterfall. You could hear the water falling through the trees and soon the jungle trail opened to a cool pool of water beneath a stunning waterfall spilling out of the jungle. We took our time relaxing in this pool, ventured behind the falls and jumped from the rope swing hanging high in a jungle tree! On the return hike, Jose took some time to point out some of the native fauna and show me a “Begonia” as he cut a stem for me to taste. Back at the boat Jose pulled the grill grate from the sandy bottom of the clear inlet waters where he had placed it to soak. He scrubbed it off and fired up the grill to start cooking our lunch.

As lunch cooked we drifted down river listening to the Cicadas in the jungle. Suddenly we heard them…. the elusive howler monkey conversing through the tree tops! Finally “Captain” Robert pointed them out in the trees high on the ridge! We arrived at the “Twin Falls” and the pool beneath them was deep enough for the boat to motor right up to the falls so as to enjoy the cooling spray and the refreshing sound from the hammock in the boat! Within the sight of these falls we docked again at a sandy shore and were fed a delicious lunch of grilled chicken, sausage, ribs, potatoes, plantains, and a tortilla!

Following lunch there was more blissful relaxing, swimming and jumping from another rope swing. At this course, sandy beach there were numerous tiny fish in the water. Unafraid of us in their river, they gave us all free “fish pedicures”. A stroll through the sand completed the exfoliation and my desert cracked feet were baby soft for the next week!

Since we had lingered long in relaxing & playing we cut the third waterfall from the trip and head back to the dock. “Komo” showed up to guide the boat back to his guard post. During the return trip up river Jose pointed out a very large orange Iguana sitting high in a tree top looking very much like a part of the jungle foliage. We motored up river quietly listening to the songs of the cicadas and howler monkeys, reveling in the peaceful late afternoon light glistening on the water in this untouched piece of paradise. During the entire day on the water we saw only one other boat of visitors. As Jose and “Captain” Robert tied up the boat and readied it for “Komo’s” watch, they spoke of the “Sunset Horseback tour” that would begin soon. We left the river with our hearts full of appreciation for God’s marvelous creation and immediately began pondering when we could go on that “Sunset Horseback tour”! Jose drove us back to town with a bathroom stop to change clothes. We settled our bill (worth every penny), wishing only that we had more time to linger in the beauty of Western Belize!

March 6, 2018April 8, 2020

20 Tips from Proverbs 31 for the Entrepreneur

I’ve heard it said that an entrepreneur is a problem solver. One who finds a need (or niche) and then finds a way to fill it. Proverbs 31 is a favorite scripture of mine and I have heard it studied, dissected and applied in many ways. Recently I was reading it again and saw it in a light of some business ideas I have been studying. I want to share how it can be helpful as a guide to an entrepreneur or business person. I am speaking here primarily to married Christian women that are married to Godly men. That being said, if that is not you please keep reading as you will still find many nuggets of truth to apply to your business. If you don’t see yourself as a business person or entrepreneur then read on and apply these truths to your job or career.

1) KNOW YOUR WORTH! The Entrepreneurial Christian woman has worth FAR ABOVE rubies (vs.10) and dollars too for that matter. Your entrepreneurial venture can not be simply a monetary venture. If your are going to just trade your time for cash you might as well work a job. You must have a deeper value and reason for becoming an entrepreneur. Consider carefully why you do what you do. Take some time to prayerfully write out a mission statement for your venture and review it often. You will see money in it’s proper place in a bit but you are worth so much more so impact your world in a younique way!

2) KEEP YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT! We see her relationship with her husband is stable for the long haul. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life (vs. 11-12). You cannot neglect your family relationships as you grow your business. You have to keep your priorities straight here. If the hubs doesn’t trust you to make wise decisions your business growth will be hampered at the very least. Cultivate and nourish that trust. Ask his advise when you need a second opinion. Be willing to accept his advice as well. Ask him to pray for you to have wisdom in your decision making. You are life partners and what you do will affect him.

3) THIS WILL REQUIRE WORK! Please don’t think you will go into business so you “won’t have to work”! This is a major reason why many “WANtrepreneurs” never get anything off the ground. Look at the verbs in these verses 13 & 14; “seeketh”, “worketh”, and “bringeth”. None of those words equate to “no work”! The “make-a-million-while-you-sleep” is not all there is to the story.I can assure you that there was work before that “million-while-you-sleep”. You must expect to do some diligent work, both with your hands and your head. You may need to seek out some new information to be able to do it.

4) PUT OTHERS FIRST! Verse 15 shows an entrepreneur how to keep the main thing the main thing. She is serving others! This is a review of the “why” in her venture. A daily reminder of why she is working so hard in what she is doing. She is bringing provisions to her family and those that have ministered to her. If we fail to put other’s first in our business our efforts will have no real value.

5) DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE! Verse 16 speaks volumes about doing your research. She “considers”, does her “due diligence”, worked her home-work! Don’t jump on board hastily with a new venture of any kind. However; once she has done due-diligence she moves on it and “buys (action) it” AND “plants (action) it”. You can not get “analysis paralysis”. Narrow your focus “consider” something that speaks to your soul and aligns with your “why”. At some point you have to quit reading, planning and considering and start taking some action.

6) MAKE YOURSELF STRONG! I believe this is two for one here. She not only takes care of herself physically in verse 17 but she adds to her mind and soul, strength and abilities. You must keep up the effort to maintain your own health and strength as well as grow in your spirit and understanding. Just be honest with yourself and do something about it. Sweeping dirt under the rug here hurts you the most in the end. It reduces your abilities to care for others and puts you in a position to be cared for by others sooner rather than later.

7) BE EXCELLENT! In verse 18 She “preceiveth that her merchandise is good.” She is able to encourage herself that her job is well done. Become excellent at something rather than good at many. You should not be selling something if you don’t believe in it’s value. She is maintaining her (and her husband’s) good name with a quality product. No seconds out the door!

8) EMBRACE YOUR FEMININITY! In verse 19 s we see her laying “her hands to the spindle and her hands holding the distaff”. These terms mean a bit more than just parts of an old fashioned spinning wheel. The spindle and the distaff have come to mean the “female side” and “women’s work”. Don’t let becoming an entrepreneur make you loose your femininity. Take hold of those parts of you and embrace them. Let them by part of what you do! Don’t try to “play the man”. Do your work in your youniquely feminine way! Bring your feminine mindset to the table. Remain under the authority of your husband always.

9) BE CHARITABLE! Verse 20 has her helping the poor. There should always be enough for you to share. You should always look for the needs of the needy that you can fulfill. Don’t get so busy that you don’t have the time to see the needs around you and meet those you are able. Don’t let your pursuit of success cause you to ignore the needs of others. Create solutions to their problems.

10) !!!!!!!!!!!!!This next one is of utmost importance. As you are working to build an inheritance for your children make sure you have helped them to secure their place in the Kingdom of Heaven. Verse 21 says she has no fear of the snow for her household is covered in scarlet. How can you be covered in a color? This is not a material for covering but is a the blood of Jesus. Do all you can to see to it that your family makes heaven their home. Do not give into worry and fear hear!

11) BE HONORABLE BEFORE ALL! I believe verse 22 – 25 speaks of more than simply wearing nice clothes. These verses are about honor. She has given honor to her husband and she herself walks in dignity knowing she is a daughter of the King. She not only represents her husband when she is seen in public but she also represents her King. You must watch how you portray yourself to others. Many decisions involving money are made without honor. Do not fall into that trap. A part of you goes into your product. Notice she is actually that quality product and making a profit here too!

12) SHARE YOUR JOURNEY! In verse 26 she is sharing her wisdom! You will always find someone who can benefit from your successes and mistakes. We are all created to make disciples. Find a way to share it with kindness!