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Rollinson https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1606830196133-RZV67O0WJSB14UIHAM0P/OutsideIn.png COMPASSION - OutsideIn https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1607357794533-DCN1ANYXSA5ALN266Z4E/Parici+Logo.png COMPASSION - Par Ici https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1607340428080-GMWAYUGCX0W00J46PICB/Una+Rodden.png COMPASSION - Una Rodden https://www.centralbelfast.org/home-horizon daily 1.0 2026-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1736954993945-QYEO8QXHYGAFUO0JG4ZA/Central+Contacts.jpg Welcome https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1736955091619-QHEKQCQ2PAA0ZATZOZ8Z/Central+Navy.jpg Welcome https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1736955181405-FUM2ISA3HZO2Y79PESTM/Central+Home.jpg Welcome https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665581064427-V9K47DX74FQ3BJZE04IG/GATHER+BUTTON.jpg Welcome https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665581064582-ZTEK6Q6NL3P4IFM7H3O0/SCATTER+BUTTON.jpg Welcome https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665581066029-A4SSCOH8BY38GPLM9TAK/SERVE+BUTTON.jpg Welcome https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665581418705-A20R291BPQCMM93DT7YR/GIVE+BUTTON.jpg Welcome https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/15ad1f7b-35e4-47d1-9ce6-201a3746b297/Alpha+Banner+Online.jpg Welcome - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.centralbelfast.org/scatter daily 0.75 2023-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665581064582-ZTEK6Q6NL3P4IFM7H3O0/SCATTER+BUTTON.jpg COMMUNITIES - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.centralbelfast.org/serve daily 0.75 2023-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665581066029-A4SSCOH8BY38GPLM9TAK/SERVE+BUTTON.jpg GET INVOLVED - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.centralbelfast.org/give daily 0.75 2022-10-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665581418705-A20R291BPQCMM93DT7YR/GIVE+BUTTON.jpg GIVING - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.centralbelfast.org/gather daily 0.75 2023-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665581064427-V9K47DX74FQ3BJZE04IG/GATHER+BUTTON.jpg GATHERING - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.centralbelfast.org/new-page-2 daily 0.75 2019-07-23 https://www.centralbelfast.org/register daily 0.75 2021-06-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1622731034238-5RU9QWXSRD7VZAHOD1HV/KC+REG.jpg REGISTER https://www.centralbelfast.org/connect daily 0.75 2026-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665661370633-V223F1QD89P1P2A07TS3/I%27M+NEW+BUTTON.jpg CONNECT https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665661366295-48HWAMWWBLFOSU50OKO8/KC+BUTTON.jpg CONNECT - https://carnmoney.churchsuite.com/forms/hqmt6ksp https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665661370178-N4B1TRXZ049B8P05QDAV/JOIN+A+TEAM+BUTTON.jpg CONNECT https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665661366646-6XVRTNNZSHMS4VI149SZ/GIFT+AID+BUTTON.jpg CONNECT https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665661373684-TXE3N3KX2E9GBQEZDHC8/CONNECT+BUTTON.jpg CONNECT https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/1665661372310-IJAIUYX5NSB8TLVBHN11/GIVING+BUTTON.jpg CONNECT https://www.centralbelfast.org/fours daily 0.75 2025-06-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/91ed8b10-0520-4ce3-a113-0501f85dd1b8/FOURS+CARD+FRONT.jpg FOURS https://www.centralbelfast.org/easterdevotionals daily 0.75 2026-04-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/7c068d8e-4cb5-41ca-8fe0-4cba34435919/EASTER+DEVOTIONAL+HEADER.jpg EASTER DEVOTIONALS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/c52fc446-c8ab-48b3-ba05-f286bfd57fba/EASTER+DEVOTIONAL+5+Header.jpg EASTER DEVOTIONALS - Make it stand out 5 | FRIDAY | ELANA SHAW John:19 1-37 (NIV) 1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. 4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” 7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realise I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” 13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. 15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. 16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” 23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”[a] So this is what the soldiers did. 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[b] here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. 28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” I wonder where I would have found myself on that dreadful day, at noon. Where would I have stood while witnessing The single most profound thing That would ever happen upon this earth (Apart, of course, from the virgin birth) Lord, Would I have mocked you? Too blind to see the very thing I so sarcastically spewed at you Was the only thing completely and fundamentally true - "Hail. King of the Jews." Might I have found myself rallied up In that bloodthirsty crowd As part of your own people So obscured by our confining law Unable to break free and see That the One we have been yearning for (The Fulfillment of every prophecy) Was who we were shouting to crucify Hanging Messiah out to dry... Or, could I have been him Who knew of your righteousness Yet he "washed his hands" And shifted his glance To take in a stance of apathy. Oh Lord, my heart would hope to think That I would have stood beside your mum As you suffered through your bloodied sweats ripped to shards for others' debts And in your last moments, as you ensured she was provided for My heart would hope that, all the more I would have known that provision Reached much, much further Vastly deeper All encompassing... As you spoke forgiveness until the very end Father, I pray you will have called me “friend." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/ec18fd2d-5f09-4c64-8a20-87214b9be7dd/EASTER+DEVOTIONAL+4+Header.jpg EASTER DEVOTIONALS - Make it stand out 4 | THURSDAY | ARIA John 13:1-15 (NIV) 1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Diary of a disciple Peter (aged 32.5) Tonight was really strange. We were gathered in a room, and Jesus wanted to wash my feet. He wanted to wash all of our feet. He put on a towel and poured water in a basin, and started washing our feet. At first when he came to me, I was really against this, and I said 'no' strongly. 'You are my king Jesus. Why are you doing this?' I couldn't understand why he was doing this. My feet were so dirty and dusty. I wanted to wash his feet instead. But he said that even though we didn't understand now what he was doing, we would later. What will it mean? So I told him to wash all of me, but he said we are clean already, so it's only our feet that need washed. But then he said we are not all clean. Judas looked suspicious and I didn't know why. I thought something was going on between Jesus and Judas but I couldn't work it out. After he was finished, Jesus told us that we need to follow his example and wash other people's feet. If he is my teacher and my Lord, I was glad he washed my feet, and I need to do the same for other people, because I need to be like him. This is not just about washing feet, it's about being clean in your spirit. This means you try to not be sinful, and you make good choices, like how you treat other people, showing kindness, helping the helpless, and trying to be more like Jesus and share his love. I'll never forget what happened tonight and the lesson Jesus taught us. Even though he is king, he taught us to be servants. Even though we might not always understand what Jesus is doing at the time, we will later, and we just need to trust him. Simon Peter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/2c41237b-6132-4c86-a45c-77c89cc388e3/EASTER+DEVOTIONAL+3+Header.jpg EASTER DEVOTIONALS - Make it stand out 3 | WEDNESDAY | NIAMH TAYLOR Matthew 26:1-5 & 14-25 (ESV) 1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.” *** 14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. 17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” Jesus, You know what it is to be let down, betrayed by some of those closest to you. You have known grief, anguish & pain. Thank you Father for giving us a King who knows all these things yet chose to die for us. For our fullness of life. In v14-16 of this passage, Judas asks the high priests, “What will you give me if I hand him over to you?” Judas walked, ate, journeyed with Jesus, but he missed Him entirely. His heart was concerned with self, what he could gain, so he missed the beauty of the most gentle Saviour. And it can be easy sometimes to shift into “what can Jesus do for me?”, “what can I get from Him?” Jesus wants us to come close, to share our prayers, our thoughts, our worries, our desires. But I am reminded of this scripture from Psalm 109v21 (TPT), “But now, O yahweh - God, make yourself real to me like you promised you would! Because of your constant love and your heart-melting kindness, come be my Hero and deliver me!” Lord, show us your face, we want to see you. Jesus, in your presence, your Spirit shifts our hearts from what we can get from you to simply being with you. We don’t want to miss you, Jesus. Would our attention be focused on you in the midst of our daily routines, in joys or burdens, that we may glorify you & enjoy you forever. Lord, would you make us like the seeds in Matthew 13 who are cast on good earth, who take in the Good News and let you produce a harvest beyond our wildest dreams! Thank you Lord, that you come beside us, to carry the burdens & worries we hold so tightly. As we look to Easter and the Resurrection, let’s sit with Him at the lavish table He prepares for you and for me, to eat, drink, and remember our beautiful Saviour. Amen https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/b73eeba0-fe10-44d6-83e5-3b7f3c5c683c/EASTER+DEVOTIONAL+2+header.jpg EASTER DEVOTIONALS - Make it stand out 2 | TUESDAY | JOY DICKINSON Mark 11:15-19 (NIV) 15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. So here I am, flustered, agitated and rushing downstairs to see what all the ruckus is about. Doors slamming, tempers raging. Another sibling squabble to break up. I can hear myself shouting over the noise, “CUT IT OUT!” “That’s no way to talk to your brother!” “Don’t hit your sister!” I’m just adding to the noise and they aren’t taking a blind bit of notice. And then I catch myself and pause. I take a deep breath and crouch down to their level, lean in closer, and in a hushed tone I say, “In this house we speak kindly to one another. In our family we use gentle hands.” It isn’t a magic fix. There is no instant harmony. One kid mistimes a kick, narrowly missing their intended target whilst the other sticks out a tongue in provocative defiance. We can work on that. But it’s got me thinking. It’s just not enough to tick them off for these unpleasant behaviours without setting the bar, planting the seeds, and sowing the vision for the good fruit that we are hoping for in the long run. I want to say to them, “Guys… we love each other. This is NOT who we are.” And in the temple courts I can almost hear Jesus asserting, “Guys…. this is NOT who we are! What have we become?!” as he overturns the tables, shuts down the stalls and blocks the access of the merchants attempting to parade their wares through the Temple courts. How had it come to this? How had things strayed so far? In my more self-critical moments it is easy to hear Jesus’ words as an assertion of his total disappointment in the people gathered in the temple courts. His disappointment in me. A pointed finger and a loud and resounding, “You should know better than this!” But then too come his words of exhortation - “In this House… we are a people of prayer. In this family… we are set apart for God. And in this family… everyone is welcome.” THIS is who we are. He knows that flipping the tables is not enough, that getting them to ‘CUT IT OUT’ is not the point! And with his next words, quoting Isaiah, he is doing so much more than just calling them out for how far off track they’ve gone. He is making a declaration of faith. “My house WILL be a house of prayer for all nations.” No ‘should be’ or shaming. This is a prophetic proclamation about their (and by extension, our) identity as the people of God. It is a recommissioning of their call and a reminder of their purpose – “THIS is who we are!” A people of prayer. A house in which the Spirit of the Living God dwells. A welcome for everyone. So it is with hearts turned toward God in prayer, that we, together as the temple of God, can become a people of holy welcome who won’t get in the way of anyone wanting to come to him. I recently read a beautiful poem by John O’Donohue and it felt like a reminder of who we, the people of God, the ‘house’ in which he dwells, are called to be. "For A New Home", by John O’Donohue "May this house shelter your life. When you come home here, May all the weight of the world Fall from your shoulders. May your heart be tranquil here, Blessed by peace the world cannot give. May this home be a lucky place, Where the graces your life desires Always find the pathway to your door. May nothing destructive Ever cross your threshold. May this be a safe placeFull of understanding and acceptance, Where you can be as you are, Without the need of any mask Of pretence or image. May this home be a place of discovery, Where the possibilities that sleep In the clay of your soul can emerge To deepen and refine your vision For all that is yet to come to birth. May it be a house of courage, Where healing and growth are loved, Where dignity and forgiveness prevail; A home where patience of spirit is prized, And the sight of the destination is never lost Though the journey be difficult and slow. May there be great delight around this hearth. May it be a house of welcome For the broken and diminished. May you have the eyes to see That no visitor arrives without a gift And no guest leaves without a blessing.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5979fe02bebafb0a6250ec4d/e819af6c-b53b-4fae-9912-1484c0d2bd3d/EASTER+DEVOTIONAL+1+header.jpg EASTER DEVOTIONALS - Make it stand out 1 | MONDAY | MICHAEL MARECHAUX The Art of Loving Legend has it that Picasso was at a Parisian market when an admirer approached and asked if he could do a quick sketch on a paper napkin for her. Picasso politely agreed, promptly created a drawing, and handed back the napkin — but not before asking for a million Francs. The lady was shocked: “How can you ask for so much? It took you five minutes to draw this!” “No”, Picasso replied, “It took me 40 years to draw this in five minutes.” The lady failed to see the true value of what was in front of her, based upon the length of time it took Picasso. In today’s passage the opposite could be said to be true. Mark 14:3-9 (NIV) “While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Unlike the woman in the Parisian market, we have an example of recognition in the passage. At the table, the woman recognised the significance of who was before her. Her alabaster jar sealed to preserve the perfume’s fragrance. Breaking it was an act of love, of honour, of total devotion. There was permanency to this act. No means of closing the jar again to preserve the leftovers. She knew exactly how worthy the recipient of her gift was and without hesitation she paid in full. Her heart of worship is focused on Christ rather than on social expectations or material calculations. It’s offensive. Onlookers see it as a waste. It makes them uncomfortable. How often do we hold back devotion to conform to social pressures, or to our own interpretation of what is right or wrong, comfortable or convenient. To what feels worth it or not. Olivia Dean recently released an album entitled “the art of loving”. It opens with a 40 second intro track in which she sings; "Gotta throw some paint", “Something lost and something gained In the art of loving” Much like art, love and sacrifice is rarely neat and tidy. It’s messy and can be costly. You don’t have to look far in the bible to find that and todays passage doesn’t exactly try to hide it. It was said that the woman was wasteful but in the art of loving she gained something far more special. Prayer Father help us to see you for all you are worth. Break down our worldly notions of value. Help us to honour your sacrifice this Easter as we reflect on what sacrifice might look like in our own lives. I ask that we as a church family would love you unashamedly. That we would see your beauty afresh and have no choice but to throw some paint, “waste” some perfume and embrace the art of loving.