Hello and welcome to This Little Light of Mine, my name is James Powell and I'm so glad that you are able to join me for today's special episode entitled PAUSE.

This episode is special to me because I'm trying on some of the things that I've been the learning and sharing this season. I'm taking time to listen to my body, being gentle with myself, and giving myself the time and space to allow the natural ebbs and flows of life.

I'm thankful to be surrounded by a loving community that helped me reflect and following through when I asked myself the question "What do I need right now?"

I'm about to live through a busy time of change over the next couple of months and as I take time to listen inside and be with all the good that lays ahead I've made the decision to press pause before producing, editing, and sharing my final episodes for this season.

For most of my life, I've lived in a binary mode of all or nothing. Full steam ahead or quit and walk away. My normal way of operating would be to push myself and force out these last episodes but I'm going to practice what I preach and give myself permission to press pause and to give myself the space that I need right now.

I appreciate all of you who have been following along and sharing your love, support, and encouragement across this season so it was important for me not to just 'go dark' and disappear for a while.

So what about you? What do you need right now?

James

Hello and welcome to This Little Light of Mine, my name is James Powell and I'm so glad that you are able to join me for today's story episode entitled Grief, Loss, Hope, Love

One of the more surprising things I discovered during my time in rehab was the duality of recovery. Yes, recovery is learning to stop or let go of behaviours and actions that may no longer be serving you. AND, recovery is also about remembering behaviours and actions that I had almost given up hope for. 

For me, my recovery journey has been a twisting and winding road where I am being reminded and retaught that I am worthy of love, that I am lovable, and that I am capable of loving others.

In today's story episode, I take you back inside the walls of my rehab experience to share what I learned about grief and loss and about how avoiding pain was also helping me to avoid the one thing that I've been searching for my entire life. When I started to be with my grief and loss, I also started to find hope and love.

Episode links:

Commitment and Healing: Gay Men and the Need for Romantic Love

James

In today's episode, I'm joined with the incredible mother and son team, Candace & Riley. Candace and Riley are going to share part of their journey of unconditional love, acceptance, courage, strength & hope, and how they made a decision to come out as a family in the middle of the pandemic. 

It is conversations like this and humans like Riley and Candace that give me hope and help to build a vision of the world that I want to live in.

Riley and Candace are living examples of who we can become, the spaces we can create, and the relationships that we can foster when we embrace all of who God designed us to be.

Instead of living in spaces defined by control, separation, exclusion, and fear; Riley and Candace are charting a different way forward. What type of world will you choose to be part of?

The world I choose to be part of is one where we encourage, applaud, and provide all we can to support educators and parents like Candace. A world where we provide the tools, resources, and space for Candace to help ALL children know how loved and important they actually are.

The world I choose to be part of is one where we encourage, applaud, and provide all we can to support humans like Riley. A world where surround people like Riley with unconditional love, affirmation, and encouragement to be exactly who they were created to be.

The world I choose to be part of is one where we encourage, applaud, and provide all we can to support safe spaces similar to the environment that Dan, Candace, and Riley are creating in their own home. A world where all people have a space, community, and safe haven where they can receive the love, encouragement, help, and hugs that are their birthright.

The space that Dan, Candace, and Riley have created in their home is 'the church' or more accurately 'the community' that Jesus instructed us to build with each other.

What would it be like for you to live in that world? Who might you be today if you grew up in that world? What can you do today to create that world where you are right now? 

James