Lots of reconciling & business learning

Ok at the end of the day I get weirded out by people bartering with me for services.
3 coffee shops,1 bookstore, city of Calgary & libraries and YMCA & Discovery House Shelter and nobody haggles prices with me but this huge conglomerate says:

We spend $5000 on advertising so we need you to do 10 shows for free to pay for advertising your kids shows. Meanwhile everyone else is like " cool do my coffee shop lets split advertising. Bye

As well I am learning about spiritual warfare and not slandering anybody.
James 3: True wisdom

Gonna read it now.

Stay blessed!

My Road to Publishing

4 out of 5 pucks

I awoke at 3:30am last night with a couple great writing ideas for books. Minaswell use the hypo-mania creative energy assists while I have it.

Jesus please bless my writing efforts, thanks for gifting me with this gift for words

FIrst Saturday of 2010

2 and then 4 out of 5 pucks

Happy New Year 2010 folks

Today a minor episode of low-end bipolar grumpiness came during a brief "marriage touch up" conversation. My wife & I are working on our relationship hard core and when it gets stressful, i first get bipolar grumpy and then bp drained and tired.
And there is just no way to avoid these transparent conversations if you wanna grow in love with your soul-mate.
So after I slept it off, I felt much better and we started having a decent relationship again.

Here's to all of us working through our real issues with God in hand so we can bring about growth and change and even deeper love to those we are called to be with.

Jesus: help us love like you do--in such openness and forgiveness that all who we embrace are changed. Thanks for your power, your heart and your presence to make this prayer a reality.
For your kingdom's sake, RV

Home & Happy again plus CBC TV here we come

4 out of 5 pucks

Well I seem to have hit the stratosphere again in a mere week:

We have a new home to move into in Woodbine which is a way nicer Townhouse than the crappy one we presently reside in---and it is cheaper---yaaay!

CBC TV's "Living Calgary" will be filming us on Friday and we are excited, nervous yet super pumped. Don't crash now! Gonna lock that BP Dragon up with as much salmon oil, lithium and good sleep that I can muster! Plus Weewelcome.ca has us booked for a 100 kids show at Stephen Avenue Art Gallery Downtown. They also want to advertise us nationally! so our heads are spinning and we are glad GOd is blessing this so much.

Only downer is I'm on day 5 of a bad cold, but oil of oregeno is doing wonders....and burning up my taste buds all the same...*sigh*

Thank you GOd, we worship and thank you for everything. Everything good is from your hands!AMen

New Guitar

4.9 out of 5 Pucks

Why so happy you ask? Well, yesterday I was incredibly blessed to find a mint condition Festival series Washburn Acoustic Electric guitar for a mere $200. This guitar retails at between $600-750 so it is an amazing find. I've also been praying about finding a guitar the washburn I was able to play over 15 years ago. Warm, bright sounds that I really like. So there. Not really any bipolar issues to talk about, but my mini concerts are going to sound amazing.


Thanks Jesus for honoringg the secret prayers and desires of our hearts.
I love you and am devoted to you.
Amen

Rings & Toddler Tunes in the Media

4.9 out of 5 pucks

Man has it been over 2 weeks scince my last post? Sorry guys!
But yes life has been really good so far and I haven'thad a down time yet, so BP is doing good.

The ring pic, is one we have been looking at today online. Y'see I lost my wedding band in BC just before we moved to Calgary, and have been feeling really naked without it! My wife & I have 8 years behind us and I want another reminder of the coveneant I made with her to be together 4ever.

ALSO in even bigger news:

a Lifestyle show called "Living Calgary" on CBC TV have approached us to do a story on Toddler Tunes:
"We love the idea of giving children their first concert experience..." and I almost fell out of my chair!

This is soooo an answer to prayer! We are only a few months old in Calgary and already God's favour is showing up everywhere. We don't have any money for marketing and print ads; all our business has come through cold calls and now we may be able to hit hundreds of people with our business and how we value children.

SO yeah I am super happy!

Jesus,
Thank you for all your goodness and providence. We love you , rever you & follow you.
Extend your hand of blessing on all those who need it now and draw them close because you are loving and you are REAL.
In your great name. AMen

The Grumpy Bipolar

2.5 out of 5 pucks.....riding the fence today...boyeezzzzz


"All of life is moving from resentment to gratitude"
-a quote from my friend quoting a modern christian monk

For the past couple days I have become aware, thanks to my loving wife of how grumpy and quick to anger I have become because of this illness. And she is right.

"You always seem disappointed and never happy....even when you are doing something you like"

I want to find out where this anger is coming from. Now don't get me wrong: I don't freak out and smash things around the house or spank my kids or anything...I am just kinda grumpy and pouty and "need to have my way"

Being thankful instead of being mad really does put another spin on things. That is why God says in his word to " be thankful in all things"....and it takes supernatural power to do that when you'd rather just be pissy.

It also must fire off some chemicals in your brain making you feel ...well....good because being generally thankful and grateful brings a sense of relief for having a little bit of satisfaction for whatever circumstance you find yourself in and with whatever friendships you have been blessed with.

I have a long upward climb to get to the Mountain of Thankfullness, but I am going to try...with lotsa prayer and probrably my good pal Lithium..

Jesus, make us thankful for all we have and all we do. There are many that do not have the privledges we live in today and we give you thanks.
amen

situational or chemical....the great BP debate

This is the Prodigal Son pic & how the Father welcomes back his son...just an inspiring picture I carry in my heart

The Puck system today went as follows:

2 out of 5 pucks for most of the afternoon as I was Mr. Grumpy-extraordinarie...
and now

3.5 out of 5 pucks as I have slowly pulled myself out of being depressed/grumpy
yaaayyy....but it shore was a battle pard'ner!

My new friend J brought this["is bp situational or chemical"] up at my new depression group meet up in Calgary. She has the unique distinction of being the first bp i have met in Calgary (besides my father in law)...Hi J if you are reading this.

Well I & J lean unanimously onto the 'chemically broken'theory that people with BP are mostly here because of a physiological disturbance in our bodies. When I have my yummy Lithium pills I feel goooooood!

But having said this, I have to say that working at a job you hate will most definately & situationally push all the BP buttons you have and send you over that dangerous cliff of despair.

This is part of the reason that I have decided to do what I know God has built me for as a f/t vocation: working with kids, or in my case toddlers (www.redleafdesigns.ca/toddler) and blending my very creative and pretty damn good musical side if I do say so myself :P

I have experienced much more "up" energy, peace and happiness with my new vocation and while it is still getiing up and going....it is very rewarding.

so the moral is: take your pills to help you chemically, but by all means do as much as you can to make sure you are happy situationally!

That is the best part of being a Christian. God lives inside you and goes whereever you go. So if you are having a bad bipolar day, he can rearrange your heart so that you can make the best of any situation. Believe me it works and it is cheap....it just costs putting your trust in something you can't see....
man am I preachy! anyhoo much love to all yous out there.

God who indwells and empowers us through your Son Jesus,
please bless all those whom we love and especially those
whom nobody loves

Amen

Building a Bipolar community

3 out of 5 pucks

So I just joined a depression meetup group in Calgary. Some of who may be reading this blog right now (if you are hi and welcome) and I have been thinking alot about how this facilitates healing. In the bible (yep i am a christian and it really really helps me walk through this life!) It says in 1st John1:7
"If we walk in the Light as He is in the light we have fellowship with one another"
and to me that talks about being transparent and real with each other. It is crazy how God has developed us for relational intimacy and if we bear our hearts to each other, accept and encourage each other we seem to get a whole lot of healing.
Speaking of which, i know my wife & I miss BK our counsellor extraordinaire tons. He was one who 'walked in the light' with us even when we couldn't see the light!
In short I am looking forward to building community hearing each other's stories and learning how to travel this bipolar journey together. Hopefully" misery enjoys company" gets turned upside down and we can instead have the motto that "everyone enjoys a good party!"

Be well and let me pray for you

May the Triune God bring light and life and transparency to the key relationships you have nurtured and trust so that you may grow more whole in your journey to mental wellness. Let the power of God's loving community be real and effectiver in your life.
In the strong name of Jesus