Posts
Bare feet running through soaked grass. The sound of the foot falls heavy into the ground as it releases its moisture. Heavy clouds drop light drops that fall quietly to the earth. It is dark. A blur of darker against the busy background of the forest moves quietly through the landscape of wet. His feet move quickly and without hesitation as he pounds out his trail, making it up as he runs along. He doesn’t fear rocks or stones or obstacles for he knows the groundskeeper and trusts him. Even though he cannot see what is in front of him, even though he does not know the way, he doesn’t worry, his rythmic footfall is unaltered, undeterred as it continues on and on, always forward. His very step is unknown, he knows no more than the stride he takes at that moment. He has no idea of what is further on the trail yet he is not overcome. He very well could be overtaken by fear, he could succumb to the dark and become paralyzed with the terror of the unknown... but he isn’t. Because he isn’t worried with the fact of not knowing where his next step will fall, he isn’t concerned that his path is dark, he doesn’t worry about later. He trusts the caretaker, and because he trusts him, because he believes him, and because he knows him, he will not fret, he will be perfectly content to just run, carefree, in the rain...
Trust Him.
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thoughts from a Graveyard
Today I went walking through a cemetery. Not for any particular reason did I feel the urge to walk and while walking sing many dirges but rather because when in a contemplative mood I like to walk, and a cemetery seemed the best place to muse.
Life my dear friends is an anomaly at best and at worst entirely unexpected. I found myself wandering beneath the trees ablaze with death and color while gazing on stones of cold and unearthly gleam. I thought of my life, how each and every day is filled with struggles and hopes and dreams and nightmares and how each and every minute differs so greatly that one would be hard pressed to look at two separate hours and try to draw a line between. I looked down upon the stones covered with the dead clipping of grass and the shells of leaves unrecognizable to their former glory. I knelt down and brushed aside the debris from two graves, small graves... two children, one died a year previous to the other, both lived only a few months. The hardest part of this tragedy to grasp was the fact that the entire story of a young couple trying to have children and having their precious offspring be taken from them twice in the course of two years was the fact that their entire lives were summed up in two phrases... Born... Died. Nothing was said of the hope deferred, of the hope again for a child that would live, of the joys and agony of carrying the children, of the planning of lives of the joy and ecstasy of childbirth and the sorrow and despair of loss, only two phrases... there were only four grave stones in the plot.
To think that in this one cemetery there are over one hundred and fifty six thousand stories all being reduced to two phrases, unless you were rich and could afford a eulogy, but if not only raw data was given. To think of all the monuments to death, the thousands upon thousands of pounds of stone used signify death and burial. And yet forgotten to the world are the vibrant lives of these countless men, women, children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, couples...
I was struck by the image of the trees... amongst all these monuments to death as monuments to life yet even then so truly alive still touched with death. And as I stood under the trees bridging the gap between earth and sky I saw myself, a monument to death and life, standing in mockery of death, but at the same time a mockery to life. I mused at the possibility of such a grand contradiction and realized that we as humans are in fact a greater contradiction and as Christians should be even more so...
We as humans stand as living dying beings. We die living and live dying, we are truly alive yet so strongly are we being drawn to the grave that its hard to keep in mind that we actually live. From the moment we start our existence we are working toward one ultimate unstoppable destiny, death. No matter what we strive for in this life no matter how vigorously we push ahead we will never avoid the inevitable. Our bodies are made to fall and fall they do "From dust to dust".
As Christians we too are bound to the inevitable we are firmly grounded in a graveyard our leaves are dead and dying a symbol of our temporary existence. Yet one thing sets us aside from the cold glossy monuments that point to death as well... We are alive, we have source of life, though we look as though we pass away and stand dormant there is something in us that gives us hope for spring. While we are firmly attached to the grave but we also lift our hands to the heavens because we know from where our help comes. What a beautiful contradiction, dead yet alive, alive unto death and death brings life, our live comes from a death from which comes the end of death and the beginning of life everlasting, where death everlasting is no more. What a contradiction, Now we can stand as a dying mockery of death, because in us dwells life everlasting.
Thursday
Today is Thursday... and Thursday inevitably is followed by Friday which is inevitably followed by saturday and so on and so forth... I am sitting here at my desk deciding where this leads when all of a sudden I am struck by the idea that time is no respecter of persons... It rolls along whether we want it to or not, our lives may stand still entirely but the sun moves on... so should we be subject to this thing which is subject to only God? I'm not sure...
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Perspective...
Another quick thought for you today.... When something is closer to our view it seems larger to us. It simply must, this is a law of perspective. Did you know that a penny can look larger than a mountain when held close. This is truly a strange phenomenon that something so small can dwarf a thing truly millions of times larger than it.... You know, sometimes I think we are this way with God... He seems so small in comparison to the things we are going through right at this moment, but that is simply because He and our problems have switched places. Our God is infinitely larger than anything in this world but see we have to place him first in our vision. And when we place Christ first in our life, even if our problem truly is the size of a mountain it will be dwarfed by the majestic splendor of our God’s never ending Love, Mercy and Grace....
Perspective.
Perspective.
He IS....
“He is my Light, My strength, My song.”
Ah.... I love that song. “In Christ Alone” A beautiful wonderful reminder of our Great Father. I find myself singing that oh so often. It has become second nature to me, I will be moving along in my daily routine when I find that I have been singing and no other song than that one. I was singing this today when I stopped to think about what I was saying. “He is my light.....” I had been singing that song for years but I think in my mind I never put what it was saying together, In fact I think I entered my own thought in that line “Lord be my light, my strength, my song”. Which Is a true heartfelt cry to our father, but isn’t he already? All along I had been asking God for something that he had already done. He already is my light and so on. I think that this, while not a radical idea, can be a life changing one. When we think about the fact that Christ has already accomplished all, that he was slain before the foundation of the earth, that all our days are written in a book before we were thought of. When we think about these facts Is it to much to think that christ is already our strength... Now at first though this sounds wrong... you will say that this thought supposes that it has nothing to do with us, that we don’t have to ask him and that it takes all the responsibility away from us and now we can live passively... Ok stop. Most of you have a family... and most of your families have homes. Now You as a child have this house at your disposal. Now when it is raining outside you have the choice to run inside for protection, you could stay outside but you don’t, you go inside and maybe even get a change of clothes if you had gotten wet. Now imagine how silly it would be for you to stand outside in the pouring deluge and ask “Home, will you be my protection?” Here is another thought. Would you stand outside an empty house lot and ask and yell and plead that “You will be my protection? Ha... well some might, but most sane people don’t make a habit of that. Sometimes I think we look at God like that though. We look at him like an empty house lot and ask and plead for him to become our protections and refuge when He already is a place that we can run, an “Ever present help in times of trouble”.
So what are the benefits of this kind of thinking? Well first I think it can totally change the way we respond to trials and hard times. For when we know that all things that we need have been provided for, we can walk in the new faith that comes with its security. Second I think (for me at least) it paints a much grander picture of our great God, For everything we might need, down to the smallest most miniscule thing has already been made and provided for me..... everything, strength when I am weak, my song when I need comfort, my light when things seem so dark and my fortress when I am vulnerable to the battle called life. This Is my God, and your God as well. Hallelujah.
But we have to realize this, and not only realize it but avail ourselves of this great grace and mercy that our Lord has provided for you and me.
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
Ah.... I love that song. “In Christ Alone” A beautiful wonderful reminder of our Great Father. I find myself singing that oh so often. It has become second nature to me, I will be moving along in my daily routine when I find that I have been singing and no other song than that one. I was singing this today when I stopped to think about what I was saying. “He is my light.....” I had been singing that song for years but I think in my mind I never put what it was saying together, In fact I think I entered my own thought in that line “Lord be my light, my strength, my song”. Which Is a true heartfelt cry to our father, but isn’t he already? All along I had been asking God for something that he had already done. He already is my light and so on. I think that this, while not a radical idea, can be a life changing one. When we think about the fact that Christ has already accomplished all, that he was slain before the foundation of the earth, that all our days are written in a book before we were thought of. When we think about these facts Is it to much to think that christ is already our strength... Now at first though this sounds wrong... you will say that this thought supposes that it has nothing to do with us, that we don’t have to ask him and that it takes all the responsibility away from us and now we can live passively... Ok stop. Most of you have a family... and most of your families have homes. Now You as a child have this house at your disposal. Now when it is raining outside you have the choice to run inside for protection, you could stay outside but you don’t, you go inside and maybe even get a change of clothes if you had gotten wet. Now imagine how silly it would be for you to stand outside in the pouring deluge and ask “Home, will you be my protection?” Here is another thought. Would you stand outside an empty house lot and ask and yell and plead that “You will be my protection? Ha... well some might, but most sane people don’t make a habit of that. Sometimes I think we look at God like that though. We look at him like an empty house lot and ask and plead for him to become our protections and refuge when He already is a place that we can run, an “Ever present help in times of trouble”.
So what are the benefits of this kind of thinking? Well first I think it can totally change the way we respond to trials and hard times. For when we know that all things that we need have been provided for, we can walk in the new faith that comes with its security. Second I think (for me at least) it paints a much grander picture of our great God, For everything we might need, down to the smallest most miniscule thing has already been made and provided for me..... everything, strength when I am weak, my song when I need comfort, my light when things seem so dark and my fortress when I am vulnerable to the battle called life. This Is my God, and your God as well. Hallelujah.
But we have to realize this, and not only realize it but avail ourselves of this great grace and mercy that our Lord has provided for you and me.
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Isaac and ropeburn....
“Ropeburn”
Dark skies, heavy breath
a wind that stills the motion
a rocky climb and lightning flashes
the thoughts of desperation.
A burst of thunder brings no rain
the wind dispersed the heat
the beads of sweat and tears of salt
fall down to ragged feet
the incline steep the dust it chokes
the rocks fall on their own
the heat in waves washes over doubt
and the heavy mood moves stones
The wood we have and the fire too
the knife is gleaming bright
but the sacrifice...atonement made
seems all by my own might.
Salvation seems just like a word
redemption redeems its own.
To the sacred place we bring ourselves
and to the altar of stone.
The altar stands against the sky
a sign of death and glory
and in defiance it raises itself
and brings the haughty lowly.
The bloodied stones cry out on high
of the tears and life all shed
of the offering made and the price that was paid
and the atonement that came when bled.
The silence is stifling as we arrive at the top
as the wood and the rope are let go
I sit and look over the mountain and vale
when I feel heavy rope on my wrists
I turn around and see my father
weeping with rope in his hand
I look in his eyes and there understand
The lamb we will sacrifice is me.
He binds my ankles and my wrists
yet beds the altar with hay
he lays my down like a newborn child
and brushes the hair from my face.
I feel a tear upon my cheek
And hear a stifled groan
down my face it quickly runs
and mingles with my own.
I feel the breeze from his raising arm
the breath is coming fast
the fire moves close on my neck
and the wind now blows in blasts.
I stop and think of lives now past
of the things I thought I knew
Of the rams that stayed where I now lay
And the thought I knew were true.
There was always a spotless lamb
from the beginning of the earth
God’s way was known to all who heard
But it now seems to have lost its worth.
And yet one thought pervades my mind
like water to the driest rock
That his mercy and love and grace remain
No matter the hard road we walk.
I clench my teeth and weep inside
“Provide a lamb Oh God!”
My father weeps and screams aloud
And his head bows in a nod...
Provide A Lamb Oh God Oh God!
Provide Oh Holy One!
Provide for us your chosen seed
Provide for us your sons.
Breath.
Heat
Tears
And sweat.
I give myself to Him.
I let it go and fall flat limp
And wait for the strike of steel.
I feel not the searing pain of steel
nor the cold pain fire brings
But instead I hear a bleating ram
and to the Lord I sing!
My father prostrate falls and prays
he weeps aloud with joy
the ropes he cuts and fire drops
as He lifts up his baby boy.
We kneel both down on the cold gray stone
and a rain begins to fall.
we lift up our voices praise the one
whose mercy always enthralls.
Atonement made, redemption gave
faith and hope was built
Mercy triumphs all day long
and Through Him we have no guilt.
The altar seemed a cold dark place
where life was taken and burned
but now I see that through the pain
True Life was gained in the end.
I look at my hands my ankles and wrists
I studied them long and hard
For any signs of fire or knife
and for any signs of harm.
Unscathed I passed through the fire and steel
laid on the altar and lifted away
tied up so I couldn’t lift even an arm
But then shown that The Lord Has a way.
Like I said... I was thinking.
Dark skies, heavy breath
a wind that stills the motion
a rocky climb and lightning flashes
the thoughts of desperation.
A burst of thunder brings no rain
the wind dispersed the heat
the beads of sweat and tears of salt
fall down to ragged feet
the incline steep the dust it chokes
the rocks fall on their own
the heat in waves washes over doubt
and the heavy mood moves stones
The wood we have and the fire too
the knife is gleaming bright
but the sacrifice...atonement made
seems all by my own might.
Salvation seems just like a word
redemption redeems its own.
To the sacred place we bring ourselves
and to the altar of stone.
The altar stands against the sky
a sign of death and glory
and in defiance it raises itself
and brings the haughty lowly.
The bloodied stones cry out on high
of the tears and life all shed
of the offering made and the price that was paid
and the atonement that came when bled.
The silence is stifling as we arrive at the top
as the wood and the rope are let go
I sit and look over the mountain and vale
when I feel heavy rope on my wrists
I turn around and see my father
weeping with rope in his hand
I look in his eyes and there understand
The lamb we will sacrifice is me.
He binds my ankles and my wrists
yet beds the altar with hay
he lays my down like a newborn child
and brushes the hair from my face.
I feel a tear upon my cheek
And hear a stifled groan
down my face it quickly runs
and mingles with my own.
I feel the breeze from his raising arm
the breath is coming fast
the fire moves close on my neck
and the wind now blows in blasts.
I stop and think of lives now past
of the things I thought I knew
Of the rams that stayed where I now lay
And the thought I knew were true.
There was always a spotless lamb
from the beginning of the earth
God’s way was known to all who heard
But it now seems to have lost its worth.
And yet one thought pervades my mind
like water to the driest rock
That his mercy and love and grace remain
No matter the hard road we walk.
I clench my teeth and weep inside
“Provide a lamb Oh God!”
My father weeps and screams aloud
And his head bows in a nod...
Provide A Lamb Oh God Oh God!
Provide Oh Holy One!
Provide for us your chosen seed
Provide for us your sons.
Breath.
Heat
Tears
And sweat.
I give myself to Him.
I let it go and fall flat limp
And wait for the strike of steel.
I feel not the searing pain of steel
nor the cold pain fire brings
But instead I hear a bleating ram
and to the Lord I sing!
My father prostrate falls and prays
he weeps aloud with joy
the ropes he cuts and fire drops
as He lifts up his baby boy.
We kneel both down on the cold gray stone
and a rain begins to fall.
we lift up our voices praise the one
whose mercy always enthralls.
Atonement made, redemption gave
faith and hope was built
Mercy triumphs all day long
and Through Him we have no guilt.
The altar seemed a cold dark place
where life was taken and burned
but now I see that through the pain
True Life was gained in the end.
I look at my hands my ankles and wrists
I studied them long and hard
For any signs of fire or knife
and for any signs of harm.
Unscathed I passed through the fire and steel
laid on the altar and lifted away
tied up so I couldn’t lift even an arm
But then shown that The Lord Has a way.
Like I said... I was thinking.
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Dark Knight... a study in depravity. sorta.
"Why so serious?"
Last night I went to the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight" It was perhaps the most beautifully dark, amazingly morbid and sensationally wonderful films I have ever seen. A pretty high order but when I think back on it I can only add more adjectives relative to the ones above. It was beautifully acted (Heath Ledgers Joker will be remembered for years to come) and written (a taut plot with amazing characters and startling twists and turns.) The visual style and sounds and everything was perfect. Oh yes and the depravity, you mustn't forget that. This film was dark, it gave a wonderful (if horrid) picture of man and where his depravity can lead. But perhaps more than the film I was startled by the audience in the theatre. There were moments in the film where I could barely help but avert my eyes away from some fiendish act being portrayed, But to my dismay and horror these were the parts the audience lived for. People would burst out in laughter as The Joker (a raving sado-masochist) would pull of antic after antic and watch wide eyed in delight as the body count was raised by another ten. At these moments I could barely watch and everyone else seemed transfixed in a state wonder and delight. This was sad to me, It reminded me that we don't need a "good film" to show us a perfect picture of man in his ungodly state, we have so many reminders all around. I walked out of the theatre perfectly aware of mans depravity but also not without a sense of wonder in a God who can take us in this state and make us like him. Imagine that.
Last night I went to the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight" It was perhaps the most beautifully dark, amazingly morbid and sensationally wonderful films I have ever seen. A pretty high order but when I think back on it I can only add more adjectives relative to the ones above. It was beautifully acted (Heath Ledgers Joker will be remembered for years to come) and written (a taut plot with amazing characters and startling twists and turns.) The visual style and sounds and everything was perfect. Oh yes and the depravity, you mustn't forget that. This film was dark, it gave a wonderful (if horrid) picture of man and where his depravity can lead. But perhaps more than the film I was startled by the audience in the theatre. There were moments in the film where I could barely help but avert my eyes away from some fiendish act being portrayed, But to my dismay and horror these were the parts the audience lived for. People would burst out in laughter as The Joker (a raving sado-masochist) would pull of antic after antic and watch wide eyed in delight as the body count was raised by another ten. At these moments I could barely watch and everyone else seemed transfixed in a state wonder and delight. This was sad to me, It reminded me that we don't need a "good film" to show us a perfect picture of man in his ungodly state, we have so many reminders all around. I walked out of the theatre perfectly aware of mans depravity but also not without a sense of wonder in a God who can take us in this state and make us like him. Imagine that.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Wandering...
Ah the promise land. A land that was told to be flowing with milk and honey. A land that the Israelites longed for and an inheritance the Lord desired to give. If you think about it, the whole promise land thing was an amazing thing. The israelites had everything going for them, why then did they wander so long?
I was thinking the other day (yes I do it quite often) when this story came to mind. I couldn't help but wonder and laugh at the children of Israel. They had alot going for them, On their pilgrimage to Canaan the Lord provided them with clothes and sandals that never wore out, a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, a wonderful supply of food each and every morning not to mention the countless other miracles He performed on their behalf. Yet they still ended up wandering in the desert for forty years, forty years! I thought to myself "What a group of ignorant people. If I had all those things I wouldn't even dream of grumbling and complaining."... and then it hit me, Hard.
As of late the Lord has been sending me through some trying situations and I have been guilty of the very same thing I condemned Israel for doing. Grumbling against the Lord, seems stupid doesn't it? But the Lord forgives and all is well. Then the other parallels started to out and things got a little more uncomfortable. I, like the children of Israel have a place I long to be in my life, it may be different for everyone but I think everyone has got one. I, like Israel have a God who has a place that he wants me to be, A place he has for me specifically. It may be a vocation, a marriage or anything and my desires might even coincide with it. I, like the children of Israel have so many thing provided for me. Just consider breath and food and not to mention the ever steady companion of his word! I, like Israel... the comparison could go on and on. And then I thought back and remembered the one thing that kept them from entering in when the Lord had planned. Grumbling and complaining. Can anyone say conviction?
Sometimes I wish the Lord would just teach me things that are easy. No such luck here. I find myself desiring so many things, things that I feel the Lord desires as well but I am never satisfied with the journey I must complete to get there. I find myself asking for meat, when he has given me all I need in manna. I ask for the leeks and onions of egypt, I ask for an instant teleportation to where I want to be. I ask for everything to be easy when a hard journey is what will make me appreciate the glory of where he is leading me. What I don't ask for is the Lords will to be done.
So is it possible for us to be on the road that the Lord has for us and make it take longer than it need? I think so... And I will try by the Lords grace to stop grumbling and complaining against His work in my life and the way he is working it out... I dunno just something to think about.
I was thinking the other day (yes I do it quite often) when this story came to mind. I couldn't help but wonder and laugh at the children of Israel. They had alot going for them, On their pilgrimage to Canaan the Lord provided them with clothes and sandals that never wore out, a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, a wonderful supply of food each and every morning not to mention the countless other miracles He performed on their behalf. Yet they still ended up wandering in the desert for forty years, forty years! I thought to myself "What a group of ignorant people. If I had all those things I wouldn't even dream of grumbling and complaining."... and then it hit me, Hard.
As of late the Lord has been sending me through some trying situations and I have been guilty of the very same thing I condemned Israel for doing. Grumbling against the Lord, seems stupid doesn't it? But the Lord forgives and all is well. Then the other parallels started to out and things got a little more uncomfortable. I, like the children of Israel have a place I long to be in my life, it may be different for everyone but I think everyone has got one. I, like Israel have a God who has a place that he wants me to be, A place he has for me specifically. It may be a vocation, a marriage or anything and my desires might even coincide with it. I, like the children of Israel have so many thing provided for me. Just consider breath and food and not to mention the ever steady companion of his word! I, like Israel... the comparison could go on and on. And then I thought back and remembered the one thing that kept them from entering in when the Lord had planned. Grumbling and complaining. Can anyone say conviction?
Sometimes I wish the Lord would just teach me things that are easy. No such luck here. I find myself desiring so many things, things that I feel the Lord desires as well but I am never satisfied with the journey I must complete to get there. I find myself asking for meat, when he has given me all I need in manna. I ask for the leeks and onions of egypt, I ask for an instant teleportation to where I want to be. I ask for everything to be easy when a hard journey is what will make me appreciate the glory of where he is leading me. What I don't ask for is the Lords will to be done.
So is it possible for us to be on the road that the Lord has for us and make it take longer than it need? I think so... And I will try by the Lords grace to stop grumbling and complaining against His work in my life and the way he is working it out... I dunno just something to think about.
Friday, June 20, 2008
"Stay your hand"
“Oh Lord stay your hand. . .
I was thinking about this today. I know for me when life gets tough and the remembrance of my peaceful existence is drowned in the brutal reality of life and its hardships it is easy to plead “Lord please stay your hand”. Recently I have gone through a time in my life where it seems that I and everyone I know have been bombarded with painful situation after painful situation. Situations alone monumental but when stacked up one after another seemingly insurmountable. It is in situations like these that we acknowledge God’s Omnipotence but question His motives. Last week I was at work in a miserable state of mind, I was worn out weary and weak from everything that had been happening and on top of that I was having issues with my job. Life sucked. I was praying for some of my friends and for the situations they were going through when I said in a despairing voice “Lord, please stay your hand I’m being crushed.” Then I felt as though I heard a voice saying “But how then can I hold you? Whether it was thought of my own or something else I don’t know but what I do know is it really made me think. Sometimes we forget that God is our Father as well as being ruler of all things. We see that He orchestrates situations but we fail to see how he cares for us in those same instances. Sometimes it is the hard times that brings us to the Lord, Sometimes life hurts so that we may be drawn closer to Our God, Sometimes we must fall so we may be lifted up higher. Sometimes hurt and comfort go hand in hand and to ask Him to stay one is asking to stay both. I know I was praying for comfort from my situations but also asked that he remove his hand for a moment. It cannot be done. I know I want the Lord to comfort me, so I must also bear through the hard times if only for the sweet moments of being held and comforted by Him who ordains the universe yet cares for one as small as me.
. . . “But how then shall I hold you?”
I was thinking about this today. I know for me when life gets tough and the remembrance of my peaceful existence is drowned in the brutal reality of life and its hardships it is easy to plead “Lord please stay your hand”. Recently I have gone through a time in my life where it seems that I and everyone I know have been bombarded with painful situation after painful situation. Situations alone monumental but when stacked up one after another seemingly insurmountable. It is in situations like these that we acknowledge God’s Omnipotence but question His motives. Last week I was at work in a miserable state of mind, I was worn out weary and weak from everything that had been happening and on top of that I was having issues with my job. Life sucked. I was praying for some of my friends and for the situations they were going through when I said in a despairing voice “Lord, please stay your hand I’m being crushed.” Then I felt as though I heard a voice saying “But how then can I hold you? Whether it was thought of my own or something else I don’t know but what I do know is it really made me think. Sometimes we forget that God is our Father as well as being ruler of all things. We see that He orchestrates situations but we fail to see how he cares for us in those same instances. Sometimes it is the hard times that brings us to the Lord, Sometimes life hurts so that we may be drawn closer to Our God, Sometimes we must fall so we may be lifted up higher. Sometimes hurt and comfort go hand in hand and to ask Him to stay one is asking to stay both. I know I was praying for comfort from my situations but also asked that he remove his hand for a moment. It cannot be done. I know I want the Lord to comfort me, so I must also bear through the hard times if only for the sweet moments of being held and comforted by Him who ordains the universe yet cares for one as small as me.
. . . “But how then shall I hold you?”
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Growing Pains.
"Blue, forty two hut hut. . ." It was raining hard. The mud under our feet was ankle deep and rising. It had been four long days since it had started this torrential downpour and it showed no signs of letting up. "Hike" The men on the line leapt forward sending a wall of dark water up behind them. As we tried to hold them back we lost our foothold and fell to the ground. "whoosh" the ball flew through the air and was caught by a virtual behemoth of a man. He stood head and shoulders above everyone there, and in addition to his height he was nearly three feet across. As He caught the ball and sent the mud flying up behind him I looked back on my team and found them floundering in the mud. It was all up to me. I leapt over the prostrate form of my team captain now disfigured beyond all recognition by the mud and sped after my quarry. The mud was up to my shins now, the effort in every step now burned in my calves as I pushed forward through the mire. The object of my exertion was now a mere three yards ahead of me. . now two. . . now less than a yard! I reached out and with the last of my strength made a flying leap toward my prey. The impact was treacherous, raw muscle, sweat and blood all poured from both of us as a last attempt was made to evade my clutch. It was futile, he was going down. The world seemed to stop turning and the rain to fall in slow motion as gravity started to work it's wonders. We were close to the ground and in a futile effort to break my fall I extended my right hand to the ground. . . Impact.
Well At least that was what it seemed like. In all actuality it wasn't raining and the ground was dry. Come to think of it Nick isn't three feet wide. I suppose the only thing that happened exactly as I said was the impact between the ground and my wrist. The result of said impact was extreme pain and swelling, slight discoloration and frayed tendons. Yep a sprain. Funny, now that I am sitting down typing ever so gently and wincing at the pain my thoughts stray to growing pains. Yeah, you know those glorious aches and pains that you were subject to as a child all because your body thought it fit to grow up. Yep now you remember, perhaps you remember waking up in the middle of the night because your legs hurt so bad, or maybe crying uncontrollably because your arm felt like it was gonna fall off. Ah, Glorious Growth.
Recently there have been several incidents in my life that have brought me great pain (apart from the above mentioned maiming) and pain always has a way of making you think. You know, as hard as it seems sometimes the greatest pain in our life can also be associated with the great times of growth. Today I was thinking about the difference between Growth and immediate Change. How many of us are not guilty of at one time or another wishing that things would just immediately be different, perhaps its an event in your life that you wish would just be over with and done. Maybe it is personal growth, the kind that really hurts, the kind that you wish would just be finished. Whatever it may be, no doubt you have wished it at some point or other. I was in that category this afternoon, wishing that I would be able to skip all the buggy beta versions of me (Yes I am a nerd) and jump right to the final product. Then my wrist started to ache and my mind somehow drifted from computer programs to growth pains. Could you imagine if one day you woke up from being a child and suddenly you were full grown? At first it might seem like a beautiful thing but now I ask you to recall those growing pains. The tightness in your chest the pain all over, the tears you shed. Could you imagine having those countless pains and trials and tears all condensed into one day? Don't forget, the pain has to be there, It is a natural response to the changes. My thought Is that our frail forms would not be able to handle it.
You know, I would be the first to say that growth sucks. In fact I would be the chief advocate of a facebook group trying to kill it and replace it with sudden change. But when seen in the light of physical growth with all the pain it entails it suddenly seems a mercy. I know I thought of it like that. For without it being a slow process the small trials we now have that seem so monumental, that seemingly bring us to the point of death, would come crashing down and crush us to a pulp. Wow would have thought that the Lord could even use such a painful thing and make it a mercy? You know. . . sometimes life is funny like that. And how did I get here from telling you about my wrist? Well it all started with a little ache and a wish that all would be well. . .
Well At least that was what it seemed like. In all actuality it wasn't raining and the ground was dry. Come to think of it Nick isn't three feet wide. I suppose the only thing that happened exactly as I said was the impact between the ground and my wrist. The result of said impact was extreme pain and swelling, slight discoloration and frayed tendons. Yep a sprain. Funny, now that I am sitting down typing ever so gently and wincing at the pain my thoughts stray to growing pains. Yeah, you know those glorious aches and pains that you were subject to as a child all because your body thought it fit to grow up. Yep now you remember, perhaps you remember waking up in the middle of the night because your legs hurt so bad, or maybe crying uncontrollably because your arm felt like it was gonna fall off. Ah, Glorious Growth.
Recently there have been several incidents in my life that have brought me great pain (apart from the above mentioned maiming) and pain always has a way of making you think. You know, as hard as it seems sometimes the greatest pain in our life can also be associated with the great times of growth. Today I was thinking about the difference between Growth and immediate Change. How many of us are not guilty of at one time or another wishing that things would just immediately be different, perhaps its an event in your life that you wish would just be over with and done. Maybe it is personal growth, the kind that really hurts, the kind that you wish would just be finished. Whatever it may be, no doubt you have wished it at some point or other. I was in that category this afternoon, wishing that I would be able to skip all the buggy beta versions of me (Yes I am a nerd) and jump right to the final product. Then my wrist started to ache and my mind somehow drifted from computer programs to growth pains. Could you imagine if one day you woke up from being a child and suddenly you were full grown? At first it might seem like a beautiful thing but now I ask you to recall those growing pains. The tightness in your chest the pain all over, the tears you shed. Could you imagine having those countless pains and trials and tears all condensed into one day? Don't forget, the pain has to be there, It is a natural response to the changes. My thought Is that our frail forms would not be able to handle it.
You know, I would be the first to say that growth sucks. In fact I would be the chief advocate of a facebook group trying to kill it and replace it with sudden change. But when seen in the light of physical growth with all the pain it entails it suddenly seems a mercy. I know I thought of it like that. For without it being a slow process the small trials we now have that seem so monumental, that seemingly bring us to the point of death, would come crashing down and crush us to a pulp. Wow would have thought that the Lord could even use such a painful thing and make it a mercy? You know. . . sometimes life is funny like that. And how did I get here from telling you about my wrist? Well it all started with a little ache and a wish that all would be well. . .
Thursday, April 17, 2008
astroturf. a thought.
You know in the age old pursuit of the grass on the other side of the fence (it being greener) eventually we shun the natural and embrace the plastic green of astroturf. And it really is not a good trade off.
Thought of the day.
Thought of the day.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Good Friday.
They will look on him whom they have pierced. John 19:37
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14-15
You all perhaps remember the story this second verse is referring to, The Israelites were in the desert and were complaining against The Lord, and in return were afflicted by broods of snakes that were biting and killing many of the people. God then told Moses to erect a pole and to place on it a brazen serpent. He was told to tell the people that whoever looked upon the serpent after he had been bitten would be saved. And they were.
Yesterday I was on my way to work when I realized that it was Good Friday, the day on which our savior was Crucified. When I realized this a verse immediately came to mind It was John 19:37. "And they looked upon him whom they had pierced." Him whom I had pierced. When this though occurred to me I was overwhelmed, I had been the cause of Christ dying, my sin, my lies, my thoughts had all been the reason why our saviour died. And while I was still thinking over this another verse came to mind. The verse about Moses.
The Israelites were being punished for their sin, for their rebellion and disbelief. Yet in his judgement God provided a way of grace. "And the LORD said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." Numbers 21:8 All they had to do was look upon it, for looking upon it was their testimony of faith. When I though about this, the first verse I had thought of came back with so much more meaning, They looked upon Him whom they had pierced.
Isn't that just like God? He is always looking for a way to save and draw people to himself. To provide a way to be saved and even to offer it unto those who had killed him. Those who had mocked Him and divided His clothes amongst themselves now had a way to draw near to the father, and it was sitting before their eyes, "raised up on a pole in the wilderness". Hallelujah what a Saviour.
They will look on him whom they have pierced. John 19:37
Sunday, March 9, 2008
A thought on John 9
The other day I was listening to the gospel of John over and over on my iPod, an exercise I would highly encourage anyone to take up. I think I was on my third time when something struck me as interesting. In John 9:5-7 the writer says, "Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing." The first thing I noticed in the verse was the heavy imagery used, We have some very common word pictures that are used throughout the scriptures. Basically what I got out of it was this:
When the Word of life (the product of Christ's mouth) comes in contact with unseeing man (who came from the dust) The only possible outcome is the healing of blindness.
Just a thought.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Is Art Practical?
Last week I was in a conversation with a group of friends when the subject of art was brought up. We were discussing a film we were doing and how many artistic corners we had to cut so we could get this done quickly. It was then that an idea struck me, "Can art be practical?" The thought amused me and I decided to ponder it awhile. What is art by definition and how does it relate to everyday life. It was said by an artist that "Life is a two way road separated by the median of art, It is always there but seldom appreciated, yet without it our entire system would collapse and become no more than a giant multi-car pileup." I am apt to agree, art is definitely a necessity in this life, for without time to stop and ponder without time express our feelings we would so quickly become a race of machines denying the soul that God put in us. Now onto the question about it's practicality.
In it's very essence art is never practical, how practical is it to pause and take time out of our busy days to appreciate something beautiful? How practical is it to stop what we are doing to sit and think about our lives in a different way? How practical is it to consider the world a dance when it seems like everything but? How practical can it be to ponder colors and their harmony? Funny thing about life, There are a lot of things that are necessary but totally unpractical. Consider sleep, why would someone stop their work, which provides them with a way to live, to lay down and dream of things that have nothing to do with reality? Ah you say, Sleep is absolutely vital to life, without it we all would perish. I think there is the problem, no one looks at art as being that important.
Granted, there were people groups that considered art as the highest goal to aim for and their nations suffered for it, most of the times they fell, so it is viable that it can become over important, but so can sleep, so can food, so can water. Think of every group of people ever recorded, they all had their own type of art, they all had a different way to express the things they went through, the feelings they had, the life they experienced. Be it music, paintings, stories, poems, or songs. It was a vital part to their life, without it life was monotonous and hard. So though it may not always seem practical, we should all take time out of our days to appreciate or create something beautiful. When we do I think we will find that life comes at us a little slower, and we have more time to appreciate the things the Lord has given us.
"Life is a two way road separated by the median of art, It is always there but seldom appreciated, yet without it our entire system would collapse and become no more than a giant multi-car pileup."
In it's very essence art is never practical, how practical is it to pause and take time out of our busy days to appreciate something beautiful? How practical is it to stop what we are doing to sit and think about our lives in a different way? How practical is it to consider the world a dance when it seems like everything but? How practical can it be to ponder colors and their harmony? Funny thing about life, There are a lot of things that are necessary but totally unpractical. Consider sleep, why would someone stop their work, which provides them with a way to live, to lay down and dream of things that have nothing to do with reality? Ah you say, Sleep is absolutely vital to life, without it we all would perish. I think there is the problem, no one looks at art as being that important.
Granted, there were people groups that considered art as the highest goal to aim for and their nations suffered for it, most of the times they fell, so it is viable that it can become over important, but so can sleep, so can food, so can water. Think of every group of people ever recorded, they all had their own type of art, they all had a different way to express the things they went through, the feelings they had, the life they experienced. Be it music, paintings, stories, poems, or songs. It was a vital part to their life, without it life was monotonous and hard. So though it may not always seem practical, we should all take time out of our days to appreciate or create something beautiful. When we do I think we will find that life comes at us a little slower, and we have more time to appreciate the things the Lord has given us.
"Life is a two way road separated by the median of art, It is always there but seldom appreciated, yet without it our entire system would collapse and become no more than a giant multi-car pileup."
Friday, February 22, 2008
Introduction
Today I observed a phenomenon that I had doubtless witnessed multiple times before but never processed. I was in a room that had no source of light save a window which faced the east. I was sweeping up when I noticed something, as I stood in the beams of light all the particles of dust showed up in startling detail. I began to hold my breath when I thought about what I was doing. "The dust is in the air all the time, Why is it now that I am refraining from breathing?" It was because I could see was in the air. Then a thought occurred to me, "Doesn't this apply to our Christian life as well?" If we are standing outside the light of God's word, how can we see that what we are doing is wrong? It is impossible, Psalms 119:105 says "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Thus if we are concerned about what we are actually being exposed to (which we should be) it is vital to remain in Christ's light. And if we stand in the light and see the state of things, maybe, just maybe we will consider what we expose ourselves to. My prayer for this blog is that by reading these posts you will be encouraged to place yourself in the light and consider all the things you do habitually. and when you see the imperfections in it you will be encouraged to remain more and more in the light and to consume less and less "Motes of Dust
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)