You ever want to tell someone about the surprise you're making for them but you know that it would ruin it and make the surprise way less special? Yeah, it's one of the most exciting headaches I've ever had wrestling with myself to not tell them. :)
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I have been given three years to run as fast and as far up the un-scalable mountain of Godly manliness as I possibly can with Jesus's help. That is an incredible gift right there.
I have been blessed enough to know two women my age who were (and are) so lady-like that their actions spurred me on - without me even realizing it - to become a better man. Yep, I'm blessed beyond belief. There's something wonderful about not having any control over what happens. It forces you to your knees in prayer before the throne of the only One who is in control of what happens. Marriage is like a magic trick (and it completely defies math for all of you who don't see the beauty in math ) 1 + 1 = 1. But the answer 1 is so much more than just the two people who make it up. And I'm not sure that I can or want to try explaining it any further. Go read Hosea, Revelation, and Song of Solomon if you want to try and wrap your head around it further. (The rest of the Bible is great for when you still have questions after reading those three books). There are certain words that, when included in your speech or writing, ought to make you double check that what you're saying is what you want to say. "I" and "you" (and all forms thereof) follow "God" at the top of my list for words that I have to be careful using. And no, the irony of this paragraph and what words I used to communicate this idea to you does not escape me. The secret project Phase 2 has been started. The road map is set but as Proverbs 16:9 says - A man's heart determines his way but the Lord direct his steps. So Lord, direct these steps for Your glory. I am one big pain in the neck to feed. But, having allergies has made me much more thankful for the food that I can eat. Why do I have to learn the hard way? Not being musically talented allows me to find other, less routine ways of leading others in worship to Christ. Once again, I am blessed. Approaching beauty, competing, public speaking and seeking God are some of the most rewarding and most nerve-wracking experiences I have ever had. It's amazing to see how Scripture applies when you read it with a situation in mind. Scripture is living and all of it is useful in our pursuit of God in whatever situation we find ourselves in. Nothing great or worthwhile was ever accomplished without risk. The only standard by which one can measure death is the life that preceded. Four years...wow. But in hindsight, it looks like but a few days. Three years...wow. But in hindsight, it will look like but a few days. (Even the other number of completion - seven - would look like but a few days). Lord, take my heart, take my will, take my desires and my cares. Lord, You already hold my life, You already steer my course, You determine my steps. Jesus, help me to accept that beautiful truth. Holy Spirit, give me the humility and meekness I need to surrender to You. I want to be in control but I'll only mess things up. Lord, Your will be done, Your kingdom shine through, Your love take the foreground. God, may I fade away. I can only receive what You give me so Lord, if it be Your will, give me the peace to accept Your lead. Lord, I ask for the patience to accept and love Your timing. Remind me today Lord of the importance, the bloodied beauty of Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. Lord, You humbled Yourself not just to being fully human but to dying for my sin. God I am so unworthy but it's not about worth...it's about love, Your love. Your love given with no strings attached, poured out for a sinful, hard hearted people. God change me. May I be selfless in Your strength, may You soften my heart to be sensitive to Your leading. God, I need You today.
A wise friend once told me "It's okay, the sun is still shining." Years later I still am in her debt for her softly spoken words. They are a reminder that our circumstances are not what is most important. And while the sun isn't what's most important either, the Son is what is most important. And He still shines as well. The Holy Spirit is here, working in the lives of people around us. Every heart is a garden waiting for the Spirit to make the soil ready, waiting for the seed to be planted, waiting for the rains and watering can to come, waiting for the fruit of faith sprouting from the one true vine to grow.
And here's the best part...there's nothing we can do to stop it. God works when life is amazing. God works when life is hectic. God works when life is stressful, agony, joy, torture, pain, and blessing. God is always working. So no matter what you're going through....the sun will still shine but more importantly God is still God. He is at work and life is easier when we stop fighting His will and instead enjoy the ride. I have a dare for you.
I dare you to go to people you've hurt and apologize. I dare you to go to people who have hurt you and forgive them. I dare you to ask someone whose been through your darkest moments with you how they've seen you grow and what areas you still need to work on. I dare you to recognize the undeniable fact that God is working currently in your life. I dare you to live different knowing that God is working, that God is active and powerful. I dare you to live knowing that God is after your heart, your spirit, your very soul and He will not be denied nor frustrated by the wills and whims of a creature such as man. I dare you to look people in the eye, people you might or might not know and pray for their soul: right there in front of them pray in secret for their eternal existence. I dare you to look at challenges and struggles in life as God's way of reminding you that this isn't home. I dare you to see answers to prayer - both good and bad - as God's divine will. I dare you to pray multiple times a day about only spiritual matters for a week. I dare you to pray after you sin with a remorseful heart. I dare you to ask for God's strength in the midst of battle to resist temptation. I dare you to forgive yourself when you mess up, seeking God and denying the devil. I dare you to be noble. I dare you to be excellent. I dare you to be humble. I dare you to be honorable. I dare you to have common courtesy. I dare you to think of others first. I dare you to admit when you're wrong. I dare you to be someone without all the answers. Ladies, I dare you to go without makeup or perfume - let your God given beauty shine through. I dare you to dress modestly. I dare you to value yourself as the pinnacle of creation. Men, I dare you to wield your power with dignity and responsibility. I dare you to not abandon your post. I dare you to never abuse your title. I dare you to love the way Christ loved - with humility and strength. and so we pass in the night
two lost souls out of sight i remember when our love was true when life was happy me and you and to that my heart will cling and for that my soul will sing though my eyes drown in tears though sorrow color all my years the the knife is ever twisted though my apology always resisted the happiness of memories remains unblemished midst all the stains You know when you call someone up and you know what you want to say? But then you hear the sound of their voice and everything eloquent, beautiful, or even remotely related to what you were going to say just flies out the window? So you end up saying the most trite, overused, ultimately meaningless well wishes? Yeah....
I haven't seen this movie but I think "A Man Called Peter" hits the nail on the head with this scene. The setting and the words might feel outdated but truth never goes out of style. I've included a copy of the script below the video. “If that’s because I’m a girl, thank you boys.
“And now, if you’ll let me, I’d like to talk as a girl, to the girls here this afternoon. I know if you boys will listen, they’ll listen too. And I’m just as sure that the reason they’ve been just as rude and silly as you’ve been, is because they had the mistaken idea that you wanted them to be. “I’d never thought much about being a girl until two years ago, when I learned from a man what a wonderful thing it is to be a woman. Until that Sunday morning, I considered myself lucky to be living in the 20th century. The century of progress and emancipation. The century when, supposedly, we women came into our own. But I’d forgotten that the emancipation of woman really began with Christianity. When a girl, a very young girl, received the greatest honor in history. She was chosen to be the mother of the savior of the world. And when her son grew up and began to teach His way of life, He ushered woman into a new place in human relations. He accorded her a dignity she’d never known before, and crowned her with such glory, that down through the ages, she was revered, protected and loved. Men wanted to think of her as different from themselves. Better… made of finer, more delicate clay. “It remained for the 20th century, the century of progress, to pull her down from her throne. She wanted equality. For 1900 years, she had not been equal. She had been superior. To stand equal with men, naturally she had to step down. Now, being equal with men, she has won all their “rights and privileges.” The right to get drunk. The right to swear. The right to smoke. The right to work like a man. To think like a man. To act like a man. We’ve won all this, but how can we feel so triumphant, when men no longer feel as romantic about us, as they did about our grandmothers? When we’ve lost something sweet and mysterious? Something as, as hard to describe as the haunting wistful fragrance of violets? “Of course, these aren’t my original thoughts. They’re the thoughts I heard that Sunday morning. But from them, some thought of my own were born. And the conclusion reached, that somewhere along the line, we women got off the track. “Poets have become immortal by remembering on paper a girl’s smile. But I’ve never read a poem rhapsodizing over a girl’s giggles at a smutty joke. Or I’ve never heard a man brag that his sweetheart or his wife could drink just as much as he, and become just as intoxicated. I’ve never heard a man say that a girl’s mouth was prettier with a cigarette hanging out of it, or that her hair smelled divinely of stale tobacco.I’m afraid that’s all I have to say… I’ve never made a speech before.” I won't rule it out entirely but it would take an act of God for me to even consider dating a girl who wears a bikini. The thoughts just seeing her in a bikini would trigger in my mind would permanently color my perception of her character.
Girls....grow up. Help your brothers in Christ out. Please. The most important thing in this world is people finding Jesus. Sunscreen is important. Someday I'll learn this fully. God is ridiculous (and I say that in the ridiculous because He just won't stop showing me that He loves me kin of way). I had a great morning, a rough afternoon, and then God hand delivered a gift to me this evening. Why? Because He loves me. That's the only reason I can think of. If knowing that the whole world is full of God's glory doesn't change the way you see everything else....then your heart isn't beating or your brain's stopped working. Prayer is powerful. I'm a skeptic. But God's working on my heart. I've lived a fairy tale life in so many ways. On the flip side, I'm one of Switchfoot's Dark Horses whose been to hell (living without Christ) and back again. "You start by doing the hardest thing Peter. You forgive yourself." -Aunt May
I might not be Spiderman, but every time I hear those words it's like Aunt May is talking to me. I struggle to forgive myself, I am far too quick to hang onto guilt like it's the last drop of water in the desert. It's the weakness in my hero complex. And it's crippling. But God healed the lame. Luke 5:17-26 (NIV) 17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” How awesome is that? Jesus saw the cripple's real need - the sin separating him from God - and Jesus healed that first. Then, to prove His authority, He gave the pharisees a physical, tangible example of His power. Since the man did get up and walk, since Jesus has that power...well, if He wasn't able to forgive sins, would He have been able to heal the physical need of the cripple? I am both. I am a sinner in need of forgiveness and a cripple in need of healing. Yes, I am able to walk but my heart has been crippled for months now because I couldn't forgive myself. The heart that I knew I was supposed to have was missing, I had given it away and it came back and didn't fit. But God in His grace, in His goodness, and in His mercy forgave my sins and then healed by broken, missing heart. Are there scars? Yes, there always will be. Heart scars never heal. "Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. " (Proverbs 4:23, HCSB) I have failed at that. I have failed to guard and treasure my heart the way I ought to have. But God, in His love, has guarded it for me in my absence. While I was busy wallowing in self pity and misery, God was reshaping my heart to fit again. "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:17, HCSB). Thank You God for giving me back my heart, for making it fit again. Lord, You are awesome. You are beyond compare. Thank You. Today, I watch in horror as my country runs, flees from God Almighty.
I am angry, I am ashamed, I am hurt, I am confused. My heart is filled with hatred for these lies that have permeated every fabric of society and seek to tear us away from God. I am reminded of a verse - "the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." There are no words to fully express the anguish, the rage, the violence I wish to unleash. "Man's anger does not accomplish God's righteousness." So I pray. God is big enough to handle my anger. And I am reminded that God calls the behemoth and leviathan by name...what chance does a mere lion have if even the leviathan must answer to God's voice, let alone God's mighty right hand? I would challenge you to pray as well. Anyone reading this. Pray for Satan's lies to be exposed as lies, as filthy as menstrual rags in the sight of God. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of everyone, both those who attack and those who defend God's sovereignty. Pray for what is unseen "for when perfection comes, the imperfect fades away." Luke 9: 27 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
Jesus was speaking to the twelve when He said this. I stumbled across it this morning. Now, follow my train of thought if you will...Jesus doesn’t lie and He knows all things. The twelve disciples are dead (either that or Methuselah needs to step aside from being the “oldest man” ever). So what on earth did Jesus mean when He said that some of the twelve would not taste death till they saw the kingdom of God? Well, there is John’s revelation recorded in Revelation. And that could very well be what Christ was referring to. Now, I’m not Greek scholar but in the English here I see “some who are...” which implies the plural. So far as I know from Scripture, only John saw Revelation, none of the other apostles did. Paul also saw heaven on the road to Damascus but he wasn’t there in Luke 9. So my conclusion to this is that yes, heaven is the kingdom of God but it is not the entirety of God’s kingdom. There is an aspect of God’s kingdom that is not confined to heaven the place. God’s kingdom transcends the physical space that heaven occupies. But how do we define heaven? Well, I would define heaven as being in the presence of God. Simplistic, yes; but I think it’s a fair definition for heaven. So in that sense, even if the kingdom of God is only limited to heaven, each of the twelve (and especially Peter, John, and James at the Transfiguration) saw the kingdom of God – they spent years in the very presence of God incarnate. Could that be all that there was to what Jesus said? Yes. Absolutely. But could there be more? I think so. Allow me to ramble for a bit. What defines a kingdom? A kingdom is where the king’s will is done, where his decrees are carried out. So God’s kingdom is where God’s will is done, where God’s decrees are carried out. Granted, mankind can not stop that from happening ever, but we can be a part of it. Instead of rebelling, trying to overthrow the kingdom, we can take part in the kingdom’s work. Now, does a kingdom squelching an internal rebellion look like much of a kingdom? Or does the kingdom where the citizens are willingly serving their king look like more of a kingdom? The latter. King implies authority and power, that authority and power are called into question in the midst of a rebellion and leave the kingdom closer to a state of anarchy than a state of peace. So if a kingdom looks like a kingdom when the king’s decrees are carried out, to see God’s kingdom and recognize it as God’s kingdom we have but to follow His decrees. Now, there are a lot of decrees that God gave and each of them are important and have their place but let me highlight just one decree here. Matthew 25:40, Jesus is talking to the sheep and telling them what they have done for Him: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Earlier Jesus listed specifics of feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned, etc. When we care for the “least of these”, we’re caring for Christ Himself, for His bride the church. That is when we can see the kingdom of God. Flip forward a few pages and let’s look at an example of Peter and John caring for “the least of these.” In Acts 3:1-10, Peter and John are walking the streets of Jerusalem when they have a divine encounter: One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Peter and John, right there, in that moment, saw the kingdom of God. So do you want to see the invisible today? Love “the least of these,” love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, love your neighbor as yourself, pray for your enemies, pray for those who persecute you. And then watch. Watch for God’s kingdom, for His work to be done. Watch expectantly, watch without ceasing. Focus on the invisible, not what you can see “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (1 Corinthians 4:18) This day will forever be bittersweet. The memories of what happened May 7th 2010 will never leave. But neither will the memories of what happened nearly two months later.
fard: verb (used with object) - to apply cosmetics to (the face). http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Fard Why do I let little annoyances bother me so much? I wish I could turn off my aggravation but there are times whenit's just too much. Fortunately, with God's help, I kept it inside. There's something inherently masculine about working the ground with your hands, about taming nature. Even when throwing tree bracnhes around cuts your hand, it still is oh so satisfying. The most important thing in life is people finding Jesus. Let that be the focus of everything you do for an hour and see how it changes you. I've been wondering what kind of attitude the Israelites had in the following passage (Exodous 17: 1-7). The most obvious attitude is their focus on their physical need. But what else was there? Was it a bitterness at God taking away something that they viewed as a blessing that led them to grumble and test God? "If You're still God prove it. You took something away from me, something I wanted so now give me a sign to show You're still God?" Or was their attitude just selfish, physical, base, and banal - entirely consumed with the need for water? Post your thoughts in the comments (please, I don't normally ask for comments but I'm really struggling with this right now and its direct application in my own personal life so I'd appreciate feedback). The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They're almost ready to stone me.” The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” |
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