Contents:

1. Reflection
2. Quote
3. Testimony

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1. Reflection

The Upside of Down

One day as I sat gazing out the window just before sunrise,
I sensed a troubling in my spirit. At first, I was tempted to
deny it. I have learned that simply because you have a
feeling, it doesn't mean you have to host that feeling.
So, I determined to lose my despondency by denying it
or simply ignoring it. I ended up doing something else entirely: 
I began pondering the hidden blessings of feeling down.

The "feeling down" I am referring to is not the deep depression
caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Nor am I
talking about long stretches of melancholy that can have
us becoming addicted to our own suffering. The "down-ness"
I am referring to is the momentary absence of living joy and
exuberance. It is the "just-not-with-it" feeling we all have from
time to time, no matter how "spiritual" we are.

Is there an upside to feeling down?  

"Down" helps us to empathize with the hurting.  I remember
several years ago sharing with a friend that I had a
headache. She immediately began urging me to deny
the pain I was feeling. Though she meant well, her solution
came across as insensitive and uncaring.

For a variety of reasons, some we understand and some we
do not, suffering is a part of our living experience. Gently
holding our own suffering, as opposed to denying or ignore it,
makes us more merciful amid the suffering of others.

In a time of widespread dislocation and dismay, hearing and
bearing the pain of others is one of the most holy and humane
sacrifices we can make.

To be continued....

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2. Quote

"I have been in sorrow's kitchen and licked out all the pots. Then
I have stood on the peaky mountain wrapped in rainbows,
with a harp and a sword in my hands."
 
                                                   Zora Neale Hurston
                                                  
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3. Testimony

"Having spent the early morning with your
B.R.E.W., I am with the Holy Spirit and ready to
go out into the world to see the Christ in everyone."

                                                     B.F., MA
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Keep Brewing,
Kirk

Email Address: Kjones58@aol.com

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