Happy Holidays John!

I know the holiday season can be tough for some.

Maybe for many.

Fortunately, Lisa and I got to have most of our kids here... minus one... who is in the States.

But we were ALL together a few weeks ago in Maine.

ALSO... I ended my sessions with my therapist.

I'll tell you why in a sec.

DAD JOKE OF THE WEEK

What did the drummer call his newborn twin daughters? Anna-One, Anna-two!

CARTOON OF THE WEEK

"An Excuse to be Bullies"

This is an older cartoon but an obvious favorite.

It's amazing to me how we can take anything at all, anything at all, and use it in our favor. Which convinces me that we believe what we prefer to believe which then becomes our preferred thoughts.

So we could ask ourselves: What comes first? The belief or the bully?

I think it's the bully who chooses bully-ish beliefs that then confirm his bullying personality and so on in a vicious circle.

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POST OF THE WEEK

"Shame-Free Free Shame" is one of my best cartoons because it's simple, direct, and right.

How we've converted a life-affirming humane message to an inhumane death cult still astounds me.

So many people love shame. They love to see people shamed. They love to feel shame. They even love to shame people. Why? Because they think it works.

Remember: shaming others achieves your goals. Encouraging them achieves theirs.

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PAINTING OF THE WEEK

"Coming Out into the Great Wide Open"

My original watercolor "Coming Out Into the Great Wide Open" is still looking for a good home.

There's something about both courage and solitude in this one. Is this you?

BUT... if you just want a print of it, you can get one by clicking the link below.

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINT

IT'S OKAY TO SAY "I'm done!"

This year comes to a close.

And so did my meetings with my therapist.

We had four meetings.

That's all it took for me to figure out what was going on.

I mentioned it last week. When I get in a funk, it's because deep down I'm frustrated about something.

And usually this something is that I'm feeling trapped or stuck or oppressed.

When I figured out that I wasn't really trapped at all (I mean... I KNEW this but couldn't see it yet)... then I felt the freedom I long for.

My mind fell into the trap of believing that my desire to be authentic could not co-exist with my desire to be loved and accepted and appreciated for who I am. In fact, my therapist and I helped me realize that this is totally natural and human and even healthy.

I walked out of my last session with her feeling my freedom again. And happy.

Realizing you're navigating life well... being yourself while also keeping yourself safe... is a good thing. And wise.

How about you? Do you feel this tension? And how do you deal with it?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"... do Christians simply find a personal comfort zone and construct a theological and cultural justification around it?" (Rapture Ready: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture)

YES! But I think EVERYBODY does.

A FINAL NOTE

I can't believe we're nearing the end of 2021 and two years of a pandemic.

But I'm very grateful for my online community... specifically YOU... for traveling through them with me.

I love you and thank you for subscribing. Invite your friends to do the same if you like or dare.

David

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Naked Pastor 564 Gondola Point Road Quispamsis, New Brunswick E2E1H6