God is Good.
Well...I have no choice, He backed me into a corner and I have to admit it.
God is Good.
Ok...granted it was not the hardest thing to admit to as I am a follower of Jesus... (ok...honestly it was...)
But lately I have been struggling with that...
Been wondering where God is at.
A marriage of 15 years down the tubes, a wrecked financial situation as a result, a house in need of repair with 20 years worth of mortgage to go, and a life alone...
(ok, not REALLY alone, God counts but read on...)
Yup, was really wondering where God was...
It looked like I was going through this all my my self, after all every day, I have to get out of bed, and make my life happen.
No one else is going to go to work for me, no one else is going to pay the bills, no one else is going to take responsibility.
Just me.
(oh yeah, and God)
With out Him I really would be in trouble.
Probably be staring at this screen through a whisky bottle or worse through a cloud of pot smoke...but I digress...
Oh, yeah, but God is Good...
Had a really bad day last week and came home all depressed about my situation when God tapped me on the shoulder and said hello.
A wise man once told me:
"It is not that you will fall down, because we all will fall down."
"It is the direction you are looking when you get up that counts."
I looked to Jesus and He was there.
He knew I needed to feel His presence and He showed up.
He did a miracle to boot...
Wow...humbled
In spite of my lack of faith, in spite of my unbelief, He showed up.
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords in MY livingroom.
...and in my heart.
God is never less, God is never more, God is enough.
He custom meets our needs in our exact situation precisely how we need to be met.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Exactly what we need.
Yes, God is Good.
Ramblings of a 50 something year old guy trying to figure out life and trying to make sense of his world.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Monday, August 22, 2005
I didn't die today...
I didn't die today...
I should of though, it would of been a lot nicer.
I know emotions are part of being human, and that God implanted them in our makeup, but I really wish I was Captain Spock from Star Trek some days.
Some days I just wish I did not care. Then I would not hurt. But then I would be unable to love.
In the immortal words of the band Nazareth "Love Hurts"
When it is broken it is painful. Today I felt that pain.
It has been a rough day and I did not walk it out in faith.
Instead I have relied on the old tapes, the old protective walls and gear.
I gave into the "old man" and that old man is a hurting unit.
I really wish I would of died to self today and kept focused on God. It would of been a much prettier sight.
Or would of it been?
Honesty with God...hmmm
I could ACT like everything is AOK, that I have my life together 24-7...
The Bulletproof monk...
But then I become something I despise, fake.
My desire to be real and transparent, but most of all righteous and to live my life with integrity HAS to over ride my desire to act like I have it "together"
So I am going to be real. I am choosing to share my reality with God. I suspect He is bigger than my pain.
My favorite person in the Bible shared his intimate pain.
David did with us.
David did with God.
David got depressed, David got angry, and David lost hope.
But he knew who to go to to get help, to repent to, and to change his life around.
Honesty with one's own self is critical.
"Know Thyself" but more importantly Know God.
David said some really bad things, pretty discouraging things, very disturbing things
The same guy who depressed and down told God that he wanted to smash the babies of his enemies against the rocks in Psalm 137 (not David's finest hour by the way):
Psalms 137 1 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 On the willows there we hung up our lyres. 3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" 4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! 6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy! 7 Remember, O LORD, against the E'domites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, "Rase it, rase it! Down to its foundations!" 8 O daughter of Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall he be who requites you with what you have done to us! 9 Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!
...was the same guy who cried out to God in repentence in Psalm 51 with one of the most beautiful prayers in the Bible:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
...was one of the most vivid worshippers of the old testament in Psalm 107:
O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever!
I desire to be real with God. To tell Him not just the good but the bad as well.
God is bigger than our anger, our pain, and our sin.
That is why I run to Him.
I have no choice. He is the only one who can do anything about this mess of a life.
I didn't die today.
I let my emotions rule me instead of God.
I didn't die today.
But God understands and forgives me anyways.
In the midst of pain there is mercy.
Praise be to God.
I should of though, it would of been a lot nicer.
I know emotions are part of being human, and that God implanted them in our makeup, but I really wish I was Captain Spock from Star Trek some days.
Some days I just wish I did not care. Then I would not hurt. But then I would be unable to love.
In the immortal words of the band Nazareth "Love Hurts"
When it is broken it is painful. Today I felt that pain.
It has been a rough day and I did not walk it out in faith.
Instead I have relied on the old tapes, the old protective walls and gear.
I gave into the "old man" and that old man is a hurting unit.
I really wish I would of died to self today and kept focused on God. It would of been a much prettier sight.
Or would of it been?
Honesty with God...hmmm
I could ACT like everything is AOK, that I have my life together 24-7...
The Bulletproof monk...
But then I become something I despise, fake.
My desire to be real and transparent, but most of all righteous and to live my life with integrity HAS to over ride my desire to act like I have it "together"
So I am going to be real. I am choosing to share my reality with God. I suspect He is bigger than my pain.
My favorite person in the Bible shared his intimate pain.
David did with us.
David did with God.
David got depressed, David got angry, and David lost hope.
But he knew who to go to to get help, to repent to, and to change his life around.
Honesty with one's own self is critical.
"Know Thyself" but more importantly Know God.
David said some really bad things, pretty discouraging things, very disturbing things
The same guy who depressed and down told God that he wanted to smash the babies of his enemies against the rocks in Psalm 137 (not David's finest hour by the way):
Psalms 137 1 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 On the willows there we hung up our lyres. 3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" 4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! 6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy! 7 Remember, O LORD, against the E'domites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, "Rase it, rase it! Down to its foundations!" 8 O daughter of Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall he be who requites you with what you have done to us! 9 Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!
...was the same guy who cried out to God in repentence in Psalm 51 with one of the most beautiful prayers in the Bible:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
...was one of the most vivid worshippers of the old testament in Psalm 107:
O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever!
I desire to be real with God. To tell Him not just the good but the bad as well.
God is bigger than our anger, our pain, and our sin.
That is why I run to Him.
I have no choice. He is the only one who can do anything about this mess of a life.
I didn't die today.
I let my emotions rule me instead of God.
I didn't die today.
But God understands and forgives me anyways.
In the midst of pain there is mercy.
Praise be to God.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Face to Face
I am not much of a people person.
Don't get me wrong. I like people ok, once I get to know them, but I am not what one would call an extrovert. I am the guy usually hanging out by himself in the corner, the wallflower at the dance, the loner on the road.
If I was to compare myself to animals socially I am probably more of a lone wolf than an ant.
I don't know if it is just because the way I am built, or the way I have just turned out through my experience with life.
New people, or, rather people that I do not know anything about frankly freak me out.
Don't get me wrong here, I do like people fine enough once I get to know them, some I even grow to love.
I study people for a long time before I just go and meet them for the most part. Some people I can hit it off with right away and others I have to study them for a while until I recognize something I can relate to.
I like studying people. In some instances I can almost predict what some people are going to do next. It is an interesting hobby. Sometimes I wonder if people even know what they are broadcasting.
Let me explain.
I find it amusing to play the highway game. You see someone coming up behind you in the rear view mirror and they haven't put on their signal light to pass you, but you just know by the way that they are riding your bumper, the way they are driving agressively, that they have already broadcasted their next move. You just know they are about to pass because you have studied their behavior. You haven't seen a signal light but you have read them. You just know they are about to pass. I love reading people like that.
Mabey I just don't know how to interact with or read large crowds and that freaks me out. I don't know. I have never been afraid of any man. I have never backed down from a fight.
Am I anti-social? Socially imbalanced? I don't know.
When I get face to face with people I don't know one of two things happens:
a) I get a little weird (I get really jumpy in large crowds)
or
b) They get a little weird (ok mabey not ALL the time)
Jesus had the same problem. People generally fear what they don't understand.
Let me explain...
Some people do not know how to take me and some people are initially a little afraid of me at first glance (I am 6'3, a biker and weigh in at 320lbs from what I understand there are adult bears smaller than me)
As one lady once commented to her family who came to visit "Don't be afraid of him. When we first met Moose we were really afraid of him but then we found out how nice of a guy he is"
I still have a laugh at that one.
I have been called a big teddy bear, a man of God and a gentle giant with a big heart.
I have a hard time seeing myself as any of that but apparently others don't.
I have fought many fights, have won some, lost some. I have left others on the same ground bleeding that myself have been left to bleed on.
I know what I am and what I am not. I try to be real and always try to see things from the other's perspective. Fake people annoy me. I am impressed by realness in real people who are not afraid to be transparent.
I don't know mabey that's because I seem to live my life guarded. I see that in me and it bugs me.
I do want to be transparent and real with all my heart.
Seems Realness and transparency require the courage of a cage fighter. That impresses me. (Not the cage fighter part, anyone can be a cage fighter see Napolean Dynamite the movie)
I have experienced the pain, love, passion, joy and disappointment of life on this earth. It takes me a while to trust, but if you have my trust, I will face the onslaught of Hell with you.
I do know that when I love, I love deeply, when I commit to a thing, I commit wholeheartedly, and when I worship God it is with my whole being. I have experienced that. I Know just by my experience that is what I do.
When I am faced with God I am in a whole different dimension.
I want to be face to face with God.
God is the epitome of Real and like David and Moses I want to see God face to face.
Isaiah Did:
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
John the Revelator Did:
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Moses was told that no man can look on the face of God and live.
I want to look on the face of God still. No I am not one of these crazy extreme sports guys who are jumping outta planes with wakeboards. (and they say riding a motorcycle is dangerous)
I do not care if it literally kills me or not. In fact I hope it does.
Yup you heard right. Ok. not physically, like right now.
But I want my flesh, the old nature to die.
The less of me, the more of Him there is.
To literally bathe in the holiness of God free from all pretense, sin, and failure. That is all worth it.
I believe that God is tired of playing games.
He says in Joel "And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day. And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
God is tired of His bride playing Church.
I had this song emailed to me today. I found the words to be of particular interest, even though the musical style I wasn't really into. It is called "Bride's Song" by the band Dead Artist Syndrome:
Bride's Song
Words & Music Brian Healy (C)1995
Jesus I love you
But I don't understand your wife
She wears such funny make up
And she always wants to fight
Every time I turn my back
She's waiting with a knife
In a world of black and gray
She argues shades of white
Chorus:
Jesus I love you
But I don't understand your wife
She wears such funny make up
And she always wants to fight
She loves capitol punishment
And nuclear arms
Then screams about the right to life
And the Grand Old Party's charm
She's always burning bridges
Even ones she's standing on
And when I try to tell her
She says with you I don't belong
Chorus
Always hear me complain
And you're listening once more
I know everything your bride's against
But I don't know what she's for
So don't mistake my anger for bitterness and strife
Cuz on bended knees
I'm begging you please
Jesus talk to your wife
Chorus
One more time
Jesus I love you
But I don't understand your wife
When she hears a funny song
It's letters she starts to write
I'll go to my mail box
And I'll end up in a fight
Just because another guy
Doesn't know how to take a joke
Chorus
Brian Healy - Vocals and other midi stuff
David Leonhardt - Guitars, keyboards, most of the midi stuff
Mike Roe - Guitars, BGV
Mark Harmon - Bass, BGV
God doesn't have any more time for our politically correct nicey nicey whitewashed tombs.
He is coming face to face with us.
God is creating a water shed and is winnowing his church.
His Bride will either stare at God and run away or stare at God in run to Him in worship.
Some will just stand there in disbelief.
But everyone will be affected.
Mankind will have no choice but to be real in the light of the One that created them.
To peer into the face of God. Our Father. Our daddy.
Better is One day in your courts Oh Lord than Thousands elsewhere.
Better Is One Day
Matt Redman
How lovely is Your dwelling place,
Oh Lord Almighty
My soul longs and even faints for You
For here my heart is satisfied,
within Your presence
I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings
Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere
One thing I ask and I would seek,
to see Your beauty
To find You in the place Your glory dwells
My heart and flesh cry out,
For You the living God
Your spirit's water for my soul
I've tasted and I've seen,
Come once again to me
I will draw near to You
I will draw near to You
Will we draw near to God or run away?
I want to cast my crown onto the glassy sea in exchange for His Robe of Righteousness washed white as snow with the blood of our Saviour.
To feast with the author and finisher of our faith.
To look upon our Redeemer's face and say Thank You.
That is our reward.
That is what is real.
That IS Reality.
I have to go and get ready. I hope you are too.
My brothers below seem to be on the same wavelength. Check out their blogs here:
http://coffeewithgod.blogspot.com/
http://consumingflames.blogspot.com/
Don't get me wrong. I like people ok, once I get to know them, but I am not what one would call an extrovert. I am the guy usually hanging out by himself in the corner, the wallflower at the dance, the loner on the road.
If I was to compare myself to animals socially I am probably more of a lone wolf than an ant.
I don't know if it is just because the way I am built, or the way I have just turned out through my experience with life.
New people, or, rather people that I do not know anything about frankly freak me out.
Don't get me wrong here, I do like people fine enough once I get to know them, some I even grow to love.
I study people for a long time before I just go and meet them for the most part. Some people I can hit it off with right away and others I have to study them for a while until I recognize something I can relate to.
I like studying people. In some instances I can almost predict what some people are going to do next. It is an interesting hobby. Sometimes I wonder if people even know what they are broadcasting.
Let me explain.
I find it amusing to play the highway game. You see someone coming up behind you in the rear view mirror and they haven't put on their signal light to pass you, but you just know by the way that they are riding your bumper, the way they are driving agressively, that they have already broadcasted their next move. You just know they are about to pass because you have studied their behavior. You haven't seen a signal light but you have read them. You just know they are about to pass. I love reading people like that.
Mabey I just don't know how to interact with or read large crowds and that freaks me out. I don't know. I have never been afraid of any man. I have never backed down from a fight.
Am I anti-social? Socially imbalanced? I don't know.
When I get face to face with people I don't know one of two things happens:
a) I get a little weird (I get really jumpy in large crowds)
or
b) They get a little weird (ok mabey not ALL the time)
Jesus had the same problem. People generally fear what they don't understand.
Let me explain...
Some people do not know how to take me and some people are initially a little afraid of me at first glance (I am 6'3, a biker and weigh in at 320lbs from what I understand there are adult bears smaller than me)
As one lady once commented to her family who came to visit "Don't be afraid of him. When we first met Moose we were really afraid of him but then we found out how nice of a guy he is"
I still have a laugh at that one.
I have been called a big teddy bear, a man of God and a gentle giant with a big heart.
I have a hard time seeing myself as any of that but apparently others don't.
I have fought many fights, have won some, lost some. I have left others on the same ground bleeding that myself have been left to bleed on.
I know what I am and what I am not. I try to be real and always try to see things from the other's perspective. Fake people annoy me. I am impressed by realness in real people who are not afraid to be transparent.
I don't know mabey that's because I seem to live my life guarded. I see that in me and it bugs me.
I do want to be transparent and real with all my heart.
Seems Realness and transparency require the courage of a cage fighter. That impresses me. (Not the cage fighter part, anyone can be a cage fighter see Napolean Dynamite the movie)
I have experienced the pain, love, passion, joy and disappointment of life on this earth. It takes me a while to trust, but if you have my trust, I will face the onslaught of Hell with you.
I do know that when I love, I love deeply, when I commit to a thing, I commit wholeheartedly, and when I worship God it is with my whole being. I have experienced that. I Know just by my experience that is what I do.
When I am faced with God I am in a whole different dimension.
I want to be face to face with God.
God is the epitome of Real and like David and Moses I want to see God face to face.
Isaiah Did:
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
John the Revelator Did:
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Moses was told that no man can look on the face of God and live.
I want to look on the face of God still. No I am not one of these crazy extreme sports guys who are jumping outta planes with wakeboards. (and they say riding a motorcycle is dangerous)
I do not care if it literally kills me or not. In fact I hope it does.
Yup you heard right. Ok. not physically, like right now.
But I want my flesh, the old nature to die.
The less of me, the more of Him there is.
To literally bathe in the holiness of God free from all pretense, sin, and failure. That is all worth it.
I believe that God is tired of playing games.
He says in Joel "And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day. And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
God is tired of His bride playing Church.
I had this song emailed to me today. I found the words to be of particular interest, even though the musical style I wasn't really into. It is called "Bride's Song" by the band Dead Artist Syndrome:
Bride's Song
Words & Music Brian Healy (C)1995
Jesus I love you
But I don't understand your wife
She wears such funny make up
And she always wants to fight
Every time I turn my back
She's waiting with a knife
In a world of black and gray
She argues shades of white
Chorus:
Jesus I love you
But I don't understand your wife
She wears such funny make up
And she always wants to fight
She loves capitol punishment
And nuclear arms
Then screams about the right to life
And the Grand Old Party's charm
She's always burning bridges
Even ones she's standing on
And when I try to tell her
She says with you I don't belong
Chorus
Always hear me complain
And you're listening once more
I know everything your bride's against
But I don't know what she's for
So don't mistake my anger for bitterness and strife
Cuz on bended knees
I'm begging you please
Jesus talk to your wife
Chorus
One more time
Jesus I love you
But I don't understand your wife
When she hears a funny song
It's letters she starts to write
I'll go to my mail box
And I'll end up in a fight
Just because another guy
Doesn't know how to take a joke
Chorus
Brian Healy - Vocals and other midi stuff
David Leonhardt - Guitars, keyboards, most of the midi stuff
Mike Roe - Guitars, BGV
Mark Harmon - Bass, BGV
God doesn't have any more time for our politically correct nicey nicey whitewashed tombs.
He is coming face to face with us.
God is creating a water shed and is winnowing his church.
His Bride will either stare at God and run away or stare at God in run to Him in worship.
Some will just stand there in disbelief.
But everyone will be affected.
Mankind will have no choice but to be real in the light of the One that created them.
To peer into the face of God. Our Father. Our daddy.
Better is One day in your courts Oh Lord than Thousands elsewhere.
Better Is One Day
Matt Redman
How lovely is Your dwelling place,
Oh Lord Almighty
My soul longs and even faints for You
For here my heart is satisfied,
within Your presence
I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings
Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere
One thing I ask and I would seek,
to see Your beauty
To find You in the place Your glory dwells
My heart and flesh cry out,
For You the living God
Your spirit's water for my soul
I've tasted and I've seen,
Come once again to me
I will draw near to You
I will draw near to You
Will we draw near to God or run away?
I want to cast my crown onto the glassy sea in exchange for His Robe of Righteousness washed white as snow with the blood of our Saviour.
To feast with the author and finisher of our faith.
To look upon our Redeemer's face and say Thank You.
That is our reward.
That is what is real.
That IS Reality.
I have to go and get ready. I hope you are too.
My brothers below seem to be on the same wavelength. Check out their blogs here:
http://coffeewithgod.blogspot.com/
http://consumingflames.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
So Amazed
I am blown away God.
I am amazed by Him. Not by what He has done, not by what He is going to do, but HIM.
I am amazed by a God whose love transcends all dimensions, time and space and yet FEELS.
When our mouths burst with praise, His heart rejoices.
When our hearts break with worship, His heart cries out to us.
A God who knows our every hurt, every happiness and our very being.
A God who calls us by name.
A God who answers by fire, and yet calls us in a still small voice.
What a God!
He designed a way to have fellowship with us and when we messed it up, it was HE not us who designed the solution to repair our relationship.
He sent His son.
Not one of our sons, HIS son.
So that we could have fellowship with Him.
Amazing.
He no longer calls us servants, but Friends, joint heirs with Christ.
And HE did all the work.
What did we do to deserve THAT?
Absolutely nothing.
He should of toasted us like so much marshmallow on an open fire.
But He didn't.
I can see what I would do in a situation like that. I would of zapped all those no good things I created. What heartache, what a disappointment. Good thing I am not God.
Mercy? No way. My creation rebels against me? I think not. That's it, Pack it in humanity, you are done. Fini, the End, Hosta La Vista Baby.
But not God.
While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. What kind of a God is that?
wow.
While we were cursing Christ on Golgotha, nailing God's boy, His pride and joy to a rough wooden cross, mocking Him, beating Him and tearing His body apart...
God whispers "this is how much I love you."
amazing.
A God who literally left EVERYTHING to come down here and die for us.
Voluntarily.
But that is the thing that most amazes me.
His love.
The embodiment of Love. The very nature, the very source, the very essence of love.
"I am that I am"
And He is.
I am amazed by Him. Not by what He has done, not by what He is going to do, but HIM.
I am amazed by a God whose love transcends all dimensions, time and space and yet FEELS.
When our mouths burst with praise, His heart rejoices.
When our hearts break with worship, His heart cries out to us.
A God who knows our every hurt, every happiness and our very being.
A God who calls us by name.
A God who answers by fire, and yet calls us in a still small voice.
What a God!
He designed a way to have fellowship with us and when we messed it up, it was HE not us who designed the solution to repair our relationship.
He sent His son.
Not one of our sons, HIS son.
So that we could have fellowship with Him.
Amazing.
He no longer calls us servants, but Friends, joint heirs with Christ.
And HE did all the work.
What did we do to deserve THAT?
Absolutely nothing.
He should of toasted us like so much marshmallow on an open fire.
But He didn't.
I can see what I would do in a situation like that. I would of zapped all those no good things I created. What heartache, what a disappointment. Good thing I am not God.
Mercy? No way. My creation rebels against me? I think not. That's it, Pack it in humanity, you are done. Fini, the End, Hosta La Vista Baby.
But not God.
While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. What kind of a God is that?
wow.
While we were cursing Christ on Golgotha, nailing God's boy, His pride and joy to a rough wooden cross, mocking Him, beating Him and tearing His body apart...
God whispers "this is how much I love you."
amazing.
A God who literally left EVERYTHING to come down here and die for us.
Voluntarily.
But that is the thing that most amazes me.
His love.
The embodiment of Love. The very nature, the very source, the very essence of love.
"I am that I am"
And He is.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Expectancy in life
Expectancy...
Another name for hope, waiting with baited breath for some opportune moment, person, or thing we believe will appear.
I am expectant tonight. I am expecting the Saskatchewan Roughriders to give their heads a shake and actually WIN a game...MABEY I am shooting just a LITTLE high, but That is what I am expecting.
I am expecting to hang out with my bros CWG and Firestarter for some solid guy time in the Word with God and each other and fellowship as we hang out where ever that may be...
I expect God to always be there for me whenever I need Him.
"I will never leave you or forsake you" He says.
I expect Jesus is going to come back like He left.
Faith itself is evidence of things not seen, expected for even though not present.
I guess you could say Christians are supposed to be expectant people.
In the midst of trouble we sometimes expect the same results we had before we became Christians / became too logical / became too hurt / became broken people.
But..Thank God HE doesn't work that way.
"I will never leave you or forsake you" He whispers.
Thank You Jesus. I expect you to have the best for me and I have faith you will see me through.
I sure do hope the Riders win :)
Another name for hope, waiting with baited breath for some opportune moment, person, or thing we believe will appear.
I am expectant tonight. I am expecting the Saskatchewan Roughriders to give their heads a shake and actually WIN a game...MABEY I am shooting just a LITTLE high, but That is what I am expecting.
I am expecting to hang out with my bros CWG and Firestarter for some solid guy time in the Word with God and each other and fellowship as we hang out where ever that may be...
I expect God to always be there for me whenever I need Him.
"I will never leave you or forsake you" He says.
I expect Jesus is going to come back like He left.
Faith itself is evidence of things not seen, expected for even though not present.
I guess you could say Christians are supposed to be expectant people.
In the midst of trouble we sometimes expect the same results we had before we became Christians / became too logical / became too hurt / became broken people.
But..Thank God HE doesn't work that way.
"I will never leave you or forsake you" He whispers.
Thank You Jesus. I expect you to have the best for me and I have faith you will see me through.
I sure do hope the Riders win :)
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Miracles and the Wonderous
Miracles
What defines a miracle? Are miracles every day occurances or something that only happens to the spiritually elite? The Lucky? The seeking?
I am learning to find miracles in every day little things to the largest things in life.
I am blown away that Airbus A340 accident on August 3rd 2005 at Lester B. Pearson Toronto airport did not claim any lives. As AOL.CA reported:
Air France said 22 people were injured, while Toronto airport officials said 43 were hurt. The wreckage of the jetliner smoldered Wednesday near a busy highway in what a Paris newspaper called ''The miracle of the Air France Airbus.''
At Air France headquarters in Roissy, France, airline chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta praised the crew.
''I don't know if we should speak of a miracle ... but above all the professionalism of the crew,'' Spinetta said Wednesday.
Whatever Spinetta believes, yes this was a miracle on a grand scale. The chances of anyone escaping a fiery plane crash are usually slim to none.
What makes us believe that miracles don't happen?
Lack of faith that someone other than ourselves intervened on our behalf? Refusal to believe in the supernatural? Failure to acknowledge the miraculous?
What constitutes a miracle?
I submit that a miracle is anything that we as humans could not control, predict for, manipulate, or create. A miracle is something we know deep down inside could not of been swayed one way or the other by human intervention.
It is a brush with a purpose and design far above our mortalism.
It is a brush with God.
From the airbus A340 to the stars flung into the sky, to the miracle of conception, to the miracle of daily life, waking up every day still breathing, we are all touched by the miraculous every day.
God says that life is a miracle. We were knit in our mother's womb by His hands, He knows every hair on our heads, we can hardly state that. He calls every star by name. Did you ever try to count the stars? Try. When you lose track of where you started, and you will, remember he calls each by name and keeps track of every single one. Even NASA cannot even boast of that one accomplishment.
Every day we will be impacted by the miraculous if we will peer through the eyes of wonder and faith.
Max Lucado is a favorite author of mine and he said something that really impacted me to this day (my paraphrase)
A miracle is about to happen. As you hit your alarm clock and stagger into your bathroom to meet the day a miracle is about to happen. As you stand and your eyes begin to focus on the unshaven unkempt visage before you a hallelujah chorus has just been intiated, angels are singing and rejoicing and God is pleased. His image stares back at you through the mirror and He says of you "This is my son with whom I am well pleased! This is my child, my pride and joy and I am so very happy with how I created you!"
A miracle has just happened. Did you see it? His fingerprint just was visible. His creation, His idea, His miracle.
Every breath is a miracle from God. Every day we have to impact our world is a gift from the hand of God. How are we going to use that? How do we respond to something that wonderful?
Luke 11:33-35 says, “Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live in wide-eyed wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.”
Albert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is.”
If I were to ask if you’ve ever experienced a miracle I’m guessing that, depending on your definition, some of you would say “no.” I beg to differ.
By the time you finish reading this you will have inhaled and exhaled approximately 250 times. And most of you won’t give it a second thought, but I want you to stop and consider the journey of an oxygen atom.
The journey begins when air passes through your nose where unwanted dust and debris is filtered out.
For what it’s worth, the average person moves about 440 cubic feet of air per day. Air travels through the trachea and into the lungs. The surface area of your lungs is forty times greater than the surface area of your body—compressed within the tiny space between your ribs. The oxygen atoms then hitchhike with hemoglobin and travel throughout the entire human body via blood vessels. If those blood vessels were laid end to end they would be approximately 100,000 miles long. The blood vessels in your body could wrap around the equator four times! At the end of the journey, oxygen enters individual cells, bonds with the food we eat and releases energy. Biologists call it cellular respiration.
In his article “The Miracle of Breath,” James Robinson writes, “Webster's Dictionary defines a miracle as ‘an extraordinary, unusual wonder or marvel.’ Isn't a bloodstream 100,000 miles long, in a small body, an unusual wonder? Isn't the journey of an oxygen atom a true marvel? We don’t need supernatural events to experience a miracle. All we need is breath. The human breath is Sacred. Cherish your breathing: it is the miraculous gift of life.”
Acts 17 says that God “gives all men life and breath.” Job 34 says that if God were to withdraw his breath we would return to dust.
The bottom line is this: every breath we take is miracle. The average person takes approximately 23,000 breaths per day. That means you owe God about 23,000 thank yous every day!
We are surrounded by miracles, but we have a choice to make. We can live as if nothing is a miracle. Or we can live as if everything is.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”
Yes, God is a God of Miracles. Look for them through the eyes of your faith and you will find them.
What defines a miracle? Are miracles every day occurances or something that only happens to the spiritually elite? The Lucky? The seeking?
I am learning to find miracles in every day little things to the largest things in life.
I am blown away that Airbus A340 accident on August 3rd 2005 at Lester B. Pearson Toronto airport did not claim any lives. As AOL.CA reported:
Air France said 22 people were injured, while Toronto airport officials said 43 were hurt. The wreckage of the jetliner smoldered Wednesday near a busy highway in what a Paris newspaper called ''The miracle of the Air France Airbus.''
At Air France headquarters in Roissy, France, airline chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta praised the crew.
''I don't know if we should speak of a miracle ... but above all the professionalism of the crew,'' Spinetta said Wednesday.
Whatever Spinetta believes, yes this was a miracle on a grand scale. The chances of anyone escaping a fiery plane crash are usually slim to none.
What makes us believe that miracles don't happen?
Lack of faith that someone other than ourselves intervened on our behalf? Refusal to believe in the supernatural? Failure to acknowledge the miraculous?
What constitutes a miracle?
I submit that a miracle is anything that we as humans could not control, predict for, manipulate, or create. A miracle is something we know deep down inside could not of been swayed one way or the other by human intervention.
It is a brush with a purpose and design far above our mortalism.
It is a brush with God.
From the airbus A340 to the stars flung into the sky, to the miracle of conception, to the miracle of daily life, waking up every day still breathing, we are all touched by the miraculous every day.
God says that life is a miracle. We were knit in our mother's womb by His hands, He knows every hair on our heads, we can hardly state that. He calls every star by name. Did you ever try to count the stars? Try. When you lose track of where you started, and you will, remember he calls each by name and keeps track of every single one. Even NASA cannot even boast of that one accomplishment.
Every day we will be impacted by the miraculous if we will peer through the eyes of wonder and faith.
Max Lucado is a favorite author of mine and he said something that really impacted me to this day (my paraphrase)
A miracle is about to happen. As you hit your alarm clock and stagger into your bathroom to meet the day a miracle is about to happen. As you stand and your eyes begin to focus on the unshaven unkempt visage before you a hallelujah chorus has just been intiated, angels are singing and rejoicing and God is pleased. His image stares back at you through the mirror and He says of you "This is my son with whom I am well pleased! This is my child, my pride and joy and I am so very happy with how I created you!"
A miracle has just happened. Did you see it? His fingerprint just was visible. His creation, His idea, His miracle.
Every breath is a miracle from God. Every day we have to impact our world is a gift from the hand of God. How are we going to use that? How do we respond to something that wonderful?
Luke 11:33-35 says, “Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live in wide-eyed wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.”
Albert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is.”
If I were to ask if you’ve ever experienced a miracle I’m guessing that, depending on your definition, some of you would say “no.” I beg to differ.
By the time you finish reading this you will have inhaled and exhaled approximately 250 times. And most of you won’t give it a second thought, but I want you to stop and consider the journey of an oxygen atom.
The journey begins when air passes through your nose where unwanted dust and debris is filtered out.
For what it’s worth, the average person moves about 440 cubic feet of air per day. Air travels through the trachea and into the lungs. The surface area of your lungs is forty times greater than the surface area of your body—compressed within the tiny space between your ribs. The oxygen atoms then hitchhike with hemoglobin and travel throughout the entire human body via blood vessels. If those blood vessels were laid end to end they would be approximately 100,000 miles long. The blood vessels in your body could wrap around the equator four times! At the end of the journey, oxygen enters individual cells, bonds with the food we eat and releases energy. Biologists call it cellular respiration.
In his article “The Miracle of Breath,” James Robinson writes, “Webster's Dictionary defines a miracle as ‘an extraordinary, unusual wonder or marvel.’ Isn't a bloodstream 100,000 miles long, in a small body, an unusual wonder? Isn't the journey of an oxygen atom a true marvel? We don’t need supernatural events to experience a miracle. All we need is breath. The human breath is Sacred. Cherish your breathing: it is the miraculous gift of life.”
Acts 17 says that God “gives all men life and breath.” Job 34 says that if God were to withdraw his breath we would return to dust.
The bottom line is this: every breath we take is miracle. The average person takes approximately 23,000 breaths per day. That means you owe God about 23,000 thank yous every day!
We are surrounded by miracles, but we have a choice to make. We can live as if nothing is a miracle. Or we can live as if everything is.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”
Yes, God is a God of Miracles. Look for them through the eyes of your faith and you will find them.
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