Choices...

Choices…

What I do when I hurt.

I have noticed an uneasy amount of “fluff” entries lately on my blog.

Yes, they are all mine, but none really shares my heart.

That is because I am not sure what is going on in my heart right now.


The Christmas season is upon us and I am numb.

I have gone to the Christmas parties, been moved by Christmas concerts and worship, but my heart appears to be numb to the whole Christmas thing right now.

I have listened to Christmas carols till I am blue in the face and feel quite “unable” to “get” into the “Christmas Spirit”

It may be that I am unable to get to “Christ” right now.

I do not know if this is some kind of emotional depression, or mental grieving.

I cannot seem to care about anything right now.

Just going through life is big enough.

I do know that my heart is vacillating between weeping and stone and I do not know why.

Well…I do in part.

I have come to realize through a very courageous and honest lady at my church:

walkingagain

That I am not properly grieving a few things in my life.

Mentally, Spiritually, and Emotionally

It is like a ton of garbage on my back, and my heart is breaking, melting, and solidifying into stone all at the same time.

I am numb.

I know all the theological arguments; I know what I should be doing, but seem to lack the capacity to do so.

It is like the wind has gone out of sails, and my ship has ceased to move. Without the wind I am unable to steer as the currents of life wash me in some unknown direction.

I see people with their trees up, doing things with their holidays, spending time with family, and as Christmas gets closer, I find myself more and more depressed.

It will be the first Christmas without my wife.

Remembering the loss of my friend Lisa.

I am not sure if I have completely grieved the first.

I know I have not grieved the last.


The angry injustice that binds my heart,

To let the dead fly free,

To know that I may return to them,

But they may not to me.


God this hurts, but again it doesn’t. What is wrong with me?

Why do I live my life in such extreme valleys and mountains?

Why no consistency in my life.

I see others who appear to be so constant in their spirituality.

I appear to be on some kind of roller coaster ride…

I have been up and down more times than the dollar.

Screwup-Repentence-Restoration-Screwup-Repentence-Restoration

Please let me off the merry go round please.

Just for a few rounds at least.

Seems every time I deal with something, God brings another to deal with right after.

Enough already! Give me a break.

God…I know you want my faith.

I know you want me refined.

But the material you are refining is vaporizing.

It is tired, it is beaten, it is done.


Did you know that with extreme pressure and heat that a lump of coal becomes a diamond?

Or that with extreme heat, gold can be purified, separating the impurities to the surface to be skimmed off leaving pure gold?

I used to work in a nickel smelter.

The rock from underground is crushed, superheated, melted with electrodes in a furnace that uses more power than most cities per day, and is liquefied into molten lava.

As the liquid is further heated, silica sand and quartz is added to bind with the impurities.

Nickel does not bind to silica sand and quartz.

Iron and everything else does.

The silica and quartz is lighter than the nickel and floats to the surface.

Continued heating and skimming off the silica and quartz with the impurities leaves mostly nickel content at the bottom.

But it is not finished there.

It is poured out into huge brick lined ladles hoisted by 60-ton cranes and poured into things called converters.

See the nickel at this stage still has sulfur in it, which naturally occurs in nickel deposits, but does not all float to the surface like other impurities.

Weird thing is this impurity purifies the nickel further.

As air is introduced into the lava, it reacts with the sulfur causing the sulfur to burn autogenously, that is to say, you do not have to add more heat to the lava, the sulfur mixing with the air causes the lava to heat up as you add more air to it.

The temperature of the lava is determined by the air, so the more air you add, the hotter it gets.

To refine nickel, you blast as much air into the lava as possible.

The nickel lava gets so hot that if it were not for the bricks inside the converter, the nickel lava would flow right through the steel, like water through a mesh, even though it is two full feet thick.

I have seen a furnace breached by lava. It flows like water and is deadly.

After the sulfur is expended and more silica and quartz is added for the final skim, the nickel is still only 98% pure.

The nickel is then poured out again into the 60-ton ladles and poured into the anode line ladle.

The nickel is then poured into anodes, flat sheets of nickel rock, 3 feet by 4 feet long.

These anodes then go over to the refinery where they are placed in acid and the nickel is drawn out of the anodes by electrical charge onto host plates where pure nickel accumulates.

These pure nickel plates are then removed and cleaned of acid and then are sent out.

All this to say, that my heart literally feels like it is in this process…

The pain of crushing, heating, melting, skimming, re-heating, re-skimming, poured out, re-heated, re-skimmed, re-heated, re-skimmed, poured out, charged, molecularized, and plated…

Sometimes I, as a nickel atom just want to say STOP!

Let me off this thing.

Get me the heck outta dodge.

Sianara, Arieve derchi, Hostalaweigo, Hostamanaro Moochachos, Bon Voyage, Happy Trails, Nice Knowing ya!…

I probably did not spell the exotic goodbyes of the above properly but you get the picture…

Seems that God is not content to leave us where we are.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing.

Good thing: Get closer to God, know Him better, build relationship with Him, Faith Trust….

Bad thing: Owch. Did I mention owch? Yeah. Pain. Brokenness, Heart smashed to bits, melted into liquid, refined…

It is interesting as I read this again, that air (interestingly pnuema is the greek word for Spirit where we get the word pneumatic or needing air) is both needed in the sails to make them fly and is needed in the refining process to make nickel…things that make you ago hmmm…

But this is the way God created it…whoever says Christianity is a crutch, is easy, and the opiate of the masses…should have their head examined.

They obviously ain’t been there.

A crutch isn’t supposed to be knocked out from underneath ya every few minutes to see if you will stand on your own two feet, if this is easy, then I ain’t doing something right, and if this is the opiate of the masses…let me get stoned rather than deal with this (I would love to be oblivious to life)

For obvious reasons, getting stoned is not really dealing with life, it is just a metaphor, but knowing the truth can be a burdensome thing.

You have to live it. You have to choose it.

In the movie The Matrix, the main character is given a choice to take the red pill or the blue pill. One would open him up to the truth, one would leave him in la-la land where he already was.

The central character of the film, Neo, is presented to us in the opening part of the film as a loner who is searching for a mysterious character called Morpheus (named after the Greek god of dreams and sleep).

Neo is also trying to discover the answer to the question "What is the Matrix?"

Morpheus contacts Neo just as the machines (posing as sinister 'agents') are trying to keep Neo from finding out any more. When Morpheus and Neo meet, Morpheus offers Neo two pills.

The red pill will answer the question "what is the Matrix?" (by removing him from it) and the blue pill simply for life to carry on as before.

As Neo reaches for the red pill Morpheus warns Neo "Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more."

The film as a whole and especially the choosing scene is deeply compelling, why is the choice between what you believe you know and an unknown 'real' truth so fascinating? How could a choice possibly be made? On the one hand is everyone you love and everything that you have built you life upon, on the other hand the promise of truth.

The question then is not about pills, but what they stand for in these circumstances.

The question is asking us whether reality, truth, is worth pursuing.

The blue pill will leave us as we are, in a life consisting of habit, of things we believe we know.

The blue pill symbolises commuting to work every day, or brushing your teeth.

The red pill is an unknown.

We are told that it can help us to find the truth. We don't know what that truth is, or even that the pill will help us to find it.

The red pill symbolises risk, doubt and questioning. In order to answer the question, you have to gamble your whole life and world on a reality you have never even experienced yet.

However, in order to investigate which course of action to take we need to investigate why the choice is faced. Why should we even have to decide whether to pursue truth?

One answer in short, may be inquisitiveness.

Many people throughout human existence have questioned and enquired.

Most of them have not been scientists or doctors or philosophers, but simply ordinary people asking 'what if?' or 'why?'

Asking these questions ultimately leads us to a choice.

Do you continue to ask and investigate, or do you stop and never ask again? This in essence, is the question posed to Neo in the film.

Unfortunately, once you have experienced truth there is no going back to the lie.

Some days I wish that God was not the only path. But He is.

Some days, I wish I did not have to go through this all. But I do.

Some days I just wish I would of taken the blue pill…

Blessings -Moose

How it happened...a shameless plug / review

How it happened...a shameless plug.../...Review

Further down on my blog you will find an entry with a series of links to an awesome Christmas light show.

The band that plays the music is Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I have just discovered them myself.

I bought the their Cd called "The Lost Christmas Eve" that that song, "Wizards of Winter" is on.

The music is not your typical Christmas music. The rest of the album is interesting, some pieces stick out more than others, the interesting thing is a side story they tell along the story telling of Christmas, and what seems to me to be all the the right things of this season....

Not sure if they are Christian or not for all of you Secular v.s. Sacred purists, but a lot of the music has the right message, utilizing a mix of metal, jazz, blues, and various other styles...in a rock opera style...

This is actually one of a trilogy of their Christmas albums...

The album I really like in the trilogy has the song below off my last post. I love the entire album.
It is called "The Christmas Attic" and I actually like it better than "The Lost Christmas Eve"

Again, they mix up jazz, with metal, with full orchestration, Beethoven, Bach, and other classical christmas carols and pieces in ways you have never heard them before, and again a parallel story follows the music in rock operatic style as it proceeds through the album leading us through the various facets of Christmas.

I ordered both off Amazon.ca where you can hear the clips of the songs. I would encourage you to take a listen...

The third album in this trilogy is called "Christmas Eve and other Stories" which I am waiting for with anticipation.

Very cool music. I was blessed. Again, I do not know if these guys are Christians, but their music really spoke to me.

Here is the link to their website with all their lyrics and music:

http://www.trans-siberian.com

Here are the lyrics to two more songs that blessed me:

FIND OUR WAY HOME

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

He believed in the things

That he always thought he knew

And had done all the things

That he always wanted to do

Collecting

Each thing reflecting his worth

But now he pondered

How he had wandered this earth

For we all seem to give our lives away
Searching for things that we think we must own
Until on this evening
When the year is leaving
We all try to find our way home

He had time or at least then he
Always thought he did
And mistakes, well, he thought that time

Always would forgive
Each transgression
For his intention
Forgetting
Years he squandered
On things he now was regretting

For we all seem to give our lives away
Searching for things that we think we must own
Until on this evening
When the year is leaving
We all try to find our way home

For we all seem to give our lives away
Searching for things that we think we must own
But on this evening
When the year is leaving
I think I would be alright
If on this Christmas night
I could just find my way home

There is something about this night
That the Lord has arranged
That reaches deep into our souls
And causes us to want to change

And angels know things about us
That no else can know
And this Angel's heart it formed a plan
And then caused the night to snow

THE SNOW CAME DOWN

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

A railway station
On a long forgotten line
No destination
But it always leaves on time

He buys his ticket
As the train prepares to leave
Don't want to miss it
On this night Christmas Eve

He stared into the night no expectations
He watched the world go by without a sound
He saw the city lights arrive and fade away
While all that night
All that night
The snow came down

No conversation
As the snow fell from the sky
His consolation
That the world is well disguised

He stared into the night no expectations
He watched the world go by without a sound
He saw the city lights arrive and fade away
While all that night
All that night
The snow came down

He stared into the night, no expectations
But in his heart he wanted to believe
That somehow someone would be waiting there
Upon this Christmas Eve

And when his train it pulled into that station
He saw there was a single pair of tracks
Within the snow and leading to that
Station door
And he followed those steps back

And on this night of our salvation
Where dreams that have been lost
Can there be found
They walked away together
On that Christmas Eve
While all that night
All that night
The snow came down

In this last season of the year
This season that we trust
It's not only important to know for whom we wait
But to know who waits for us

And as they walked home together
To the light of Christmas trees
They could not help but wonder
About how this night came to be

While back inside the attic
The girl saw them walking through the snow
And she smiled with a child's delight
Thinking how they would never know

And suddenly she realized
Beneath this night of stars
Sometimes Christmas uses its own hands
And sometimes it uses ours

Blessings -Moose

The Three Kings and I - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

THE THREE KINGS AND I
(WHAT REALLY HAPPENED)

Tran-Siberian Orchestra
(The Christmas Attic)

O Holy night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear savior's birth

Now you all heard the story about Bethlehem
How the child was born and the three wise men
Heard the preacher tell it like the preacher does
But let me tell you, children,
That's not how it was

Now you might ask me what I'm talking about
But I know the part that they all left out

Now do you hear what I said
That Herod wanted those wise men dead
But on that blessed evening
My great great great great great great granddad
He saved those kings

Now granddad made his living
Playing jazz you see
But jazz wasn't big around one A.D.
So he got himself a job in the palace band
Where he heard about three kings
In the desert sand

Let me tell you children that at any time
Three kings in the desert that's a real rare find

But Herod heard of it too
And when he heard his curiosity grew
So he asked those kings to drop by
And my great great great great great great
Granddad
He wondered why

So the Magi told old Herod
That they had come here
To find a newborn king of kings
Who'd heal our sins
Then herod told his guards
To follow those Magi
And that the only king around here
Was gonna' be him

Then he told his soldiers as I recall
When they found that child, to kill them all
But granddad overheard what Herod said
And he had to act fast or else they'd all be dead

So granddad got to those kings
Filled them in on the plan, told them everything
When they heard what he had in store
They grabbed the gold
The frankincense
The myrrh, the jewels
The desert tents
And when they found
His plan was sound
They followed granddad out the back door

And what a night
It must have been
But when God is on your side
You kinda' know that in the end
You're gonna win

They traveled fast
They traveled far
And in the end they found
That they were standing with the Child
Beneath the star

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

And so you see we've reached the end
Of our story
When granddad and the kings
Reached that stable on the hill
And while I said that
Three kings in the desert is a rare sight
Angels singing in the desert that's far rarer still

Now I ain't sayin' that the bible was wrong
But ya' see the whole tale
Would have taken too long
'Cause way back then in the promised land
Every copy they sold,
It had to be written by hand

And granddad lived a long life
Stayed friends with those kings
And found a good wife
And eventually I came along
But that my children
That my children
That's another song

The next letter included a receipt
For one toy stuffed bear
Donating it to a small thrift shop
But somehow it was left there

For attics have their secrets
And toys will have theirs, too
Like who once held or loved them
When they last were new

Whether they were made of metal
Or they were cotton stuffed
Or how they had been left here
When they were not enough

And so it's here that they must wait
Between reality and dream
Hoping all will be remembered
And that all can be redeemed

Then in the sound of the wind
Whistling through a door
She thought she heard the sound of children
That had held this toy before

And she then thought to herself
As she now held it in her hand
That no one could save all the world
But we should save who we can

So she placed it near her candle
For she had decided in her mind
That when she left this attic
He would not be left behind

Wheel in the Sky

Lyrics by Journey

Winter is here again oh lord,
Haven’t been home in a year or more
I hope she holds on a little longer

Sent a letter on a long summer day
Made of silver, not of clay
I’ve been runnin’ down this dusty road

(Chorus)
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin’
I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin’

I’ve been trying to make it home
Got to make it before too long
I can’t take this very much longer

I’m stranded in the sleet and rain
Don’t think I’m ever gonna make it home again

The mornin’ sun is risin’
It’s kissing the day

(chorus)
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin’
I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin’

So many things spoke to me through this song as I listened to it.

Winter is here again, looks to stay. Man I hate winter. I could settle for summer all year long...

If it just snowed on Christmas then melted away, I would be exuberant.

I can only pray that Global warming is a reality, I would love for where I live to become Florida :)

Ok..ok...I don't Really wish that...I know that global warming is causing things like Tsunamis, and what happened to Louisianna,

But I digress...

Oh yeah, the wheel in the sky...

Seems like I haven't been home in such a long time. I miss my family. They all live in the same little town and have most of their lives, I however have always had a restless heart and always longed for the big city amenities even though I really cannot stand living in a city. Dunno, never really felt there were ever many opportunities in my home town of Carrot River, Saskatchewan (which incidentally has no river nor carrots :) But I miss the people, my family, and every time I leave to come home it is that much more harder to leave.

Seems I have been running down this dusty road for a very long time.

But the morning sun keeps kissing the day, and with every sunrise, I know that God has given me one more day to do something with my life, and one more day closer to being who He has called me to be and more more day to be with my family both physical and spiritual.

I have been through so much sleet and rain in my life figuratively and physically and spiritually, and down so many desert, dusty roads, when I get home, on this earth, and in the next, even though I don't know where I will be tommorrow, I know that God does. This is what I was ultimately reminded of.

Yeah, its not a Christian song, but it reminded me of God. Kinda has a motorcycle riding feel to it. When the song takes off, I imagine my self taking off, shifting gears, the engine winding up...When it hits the chorus, I can just imagine cracking the throttle through turns...at one with the machine, feeling it respond to the lightest touch.

Those who ride will understand, those wo do not won't.

Mabey a part of me is still on the run. Even though this Mustang is in the corrall, my heart sometimes still feels wild and wants to run.

I don't know, I am the most free when I am blasting down the highway on my Harley, banging gears, leaning into turns, chasing the wind, breathing in the smells of nature, with a kalediscope of sky from horizon to horizon as my own personal art gallery, and life coursing through my veins.

Some of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had was on my Harley, running with others down the highways of life, the headlights bouncing in the pale moonlight, with a carpet of stars from horizon to horizon, on a warm summers night, with the wonderful drone of a V twin singing out its metallic song. The sound of straight pipes harmonizing to beautiful Harley music. Setting up camp to the headlight of a motorcycle, and going to sleep under the stars to the ping, ping, sounds of an old shovelhead cooling off in the dew filled night.

It is those times, that I am reminded that God is indeed good, and I am truly free.

Thanks for letting me bend your ear. Blessings -Moose

Curtain Call

Curtain Call

Tonite is our last night for our Annual Christmas Dessert Concert of the Heart.

This is an opportunity to bring in others who do not know God or who have not been to our church a chance to learn about Him and hear our churches' heart.

It is the first one I have sang in and most definitely the first time I have ever played a Jamba :)

Was so blessed last night to see how God moved very differently through the exact same set of music, dance, drama, and worship.

God met everyone exactly how each different audience's needs were. What an awesome God we serve!

Was nervous because I haven't sang in church for a very long time. I used to be a worship leader in a couple of churches but basically have been just soaking in God's Spirit, healing and learning.

This was the first time that I have stepped out like this in my church.

And God was there.

I noticed that every time we sang, (I sang two songs with my Bible Study group and once with my Junior Youth Group each seating) that the songs changed from us performing to us worshipping Him in Spirit and in Truth.

In short. God showed up. And it was amazing. Each act signified an aspect of God and His Word.

Eternity: The show started with a power point "Love Song" about God, His love, and His plan. Wow Christopher, great job bro!

Creation: Then I sang with my Transformations group God of Wonders. Awesome job guys! You guys are such a blessing!

Moses & Passover: Then Pastor's wife Wanda, Tanya (From our Transformations group), and Krista sang O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming Accapella with accompaniment by Arianna and Janet! Incredible! A little bit of our Angelic host on Heaven guys!

Then there was a music video by Kelly (My accountability partner and freind from my Transformations group) from the Prince of Egypt. The song There can be miracles if you believe was powerful set against short clips from the movie especially the parting of the Red sea, and Moses meeting with God at the burning bush! Wow...gonna have to watch that movie again!

Then there was a short intermission, with of course, desserts.

Angel: Then Tanya (Transformations...again :) Sang a song called Who Would Imagine a King with a video of baby Jesus on the screen...Powerful that that little baby was born a King, of this earth and the next! What an incredible reminder!

Star: Then my man Jessie :) did a monologue as the Innkeeper watching the Wisemen show up and worship Jesus...wow...that was awesome! Jessie was one of my Junior youth last year and man he is growing in God! Good job little brother!

Birth of Jesus: This was followed by an incredible song by Aline and Jamie. How Mary felt being with Jesus, the handmaiden of the Lord, the immaculate conception. WOW...Aline and Jamie are wife and husband respectively and between them they made up a considerable Dianna Krall in style at least! The song was called The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. It was simply amazing!

Then there was a question and answer time with the question how has God changed / affected your life. Man, I was blessed by the answers of our church. The testimonies of God's power were undeniable!

Light of the World: Next Dale, Andrew and myself got to do our song Joy the the World 60's rockin style with our Junior Youth. I played the Jamba and sang. Wow was that fun! Dale got ahold of these goofy Santa hats and the kids did actions / dancing to the song. What a Blast! I sure am proud of our Junior Youth they did a bang up job!

Crucifixion: Next Kevin, Tobi, and Corey did the Sticky chair routine drama short...man that was great. It started really funny and then got really serious as we ponder what Christ did for us. The chair was not supposed to be touched as it singnified sin, and as Tobi got more and more stuck to it, Corey kept reaching out to him. To the side Jesus was being crucified and as He died, Tobi was freed by praying with Corey...wow...what an awesome picture. The song this was done to was Jesus is still all right by DC talk...What a great Job guys!

As Corey and Tobi scoot off stage we were left to see Kevin as the crucified Christ, as the spotlight darkened on him,

God's Heart: Kelly and Lani were illuminated and started to sing Love Crucified Arose...what a powerful song. The words and the Title really hit me. Love Crucified Arose as in Jesus the embodiment of Love arose, and as Love Crucified a Rose, how God sent His Son, the Rose of Sharon to die for us. Incredible. Lani and Kelly are also husband and wife, and I was so blessed by their ministry.

The Church: Next was Lloanne, Aline, Stevie, Natasha, and Sonya who performed ballet dance to I Love the Lord...wow...that is all I have to say...that was the most incredible worship in dance I had ever seen...blew my mind.

Heaven: Our wonderful pastor then sang a song called This Little Child. Wow...I could not help but weep every time I heard this. The heart of God is so much in this song. As Pastor Terry sang the chorus the second time which goes "I Believe, and I wall always sing, this little child, Is a King, I Believe, and I will always sing, this little child is the King of Kings!" everyone involved in the concert stood up where ever they were and sang this chorus. What a powerful proclaimation. As we all stood and sang I felt in my Spirit a soaring and nearness of God that overpowered me. You could not have said you did not meet God if you were in that sanctuary...it was incredible!

At the end for conclusion and dismissal our transformations group sang Prince of Peace. Wow...that was amazing. We just worshipped...

After two sets of this last night, I basically floated home in God's Spirit, I got to hang with some incredible people from my church before I did, but wow...what a blessing. To say I had a good night is an understatement!

God is so Good! Well gotta go...having supper with my brother Chuck and going back to church tonite to let God do it all over again! Lord I am so Blessed! God Bless You. -Moose

Remember, however cliche it may sound, it is still truth : Jesus STILL IS the Reason for the Season!

So Encouraged

So Encouraged...

Today I had a pretty good day at work. Got lots done, but that was not what made it a good day. It was a good day because I felt no pain today.

I was so encouraged last night and tonite by God.

I have been going to practices for our annual Christmas Concerts of the Heart last couple nights.

There are a lot of incredible people there with a lot of talent. I am so blessed to be in such a church.

I am singing in 3 songs, one with our wonderful junior youth I help lead, and two songs with my Transformations Bible Study group.

As I saw and heard through the hearts of the people sharing, I was so blessed and encouraged by how much our people in our church love God and others.

You know, it almost seemed like the fellowship of doing something together as a church almost seemed to eclipse the concerts coming up.

It was so encouraging to feel the love one for another our church has.

Of course we are going to do our best for the concert, there are actually 3 of them, two on Friday, one on Saturday.

We are going to worship God with everything we do. Our focus is God.

And then...

After I went and met my brothers Joe, Darcy, and Ryan down at Joe Dogs, our favorite sports bar / restaurant.

Man the encouragement when brothers dwell together in unity!

It was such a blessing to hang with other brothers who can encourage and pray and share struggles openly with each other, to know that you are not alone, and be encouraged that God can meet all our needs.

Watching some good hockey on the big screen did not hurt either :)

I am amazed lately how God has shown up at our meetings and ministered to one another 's hearts.

To share one another's burdens, to not have to be perfect, being real and open with one another without condemnation but only love and encouragement is awesome.

So here I am, I am physically exhausted, but spiritually blessed. I basically floated home tonite in God's Spirit :)

And no it ain't the root beers, the chicken wings, nor the ice cream baseball mits taking :)

God is Good!

Bless yas. -Moose

Sometimes I feel so good, I gotta scream...

Sometimes I feel so good, I gotta scream...

I had a GREAT Day today. Sometimes a rare thing...

Thank God!

Was listening to one of my favorite bands, the Tragically Hip and they said it exactly how I felt it...

Their website is on my links if ya want to check them out.

Bless Yas -Moose

New Orleans is Sinking
Lyrics by the Tragically Hip

Bourbon blues on the street, loose and complete
Under skies all smokey blue-green
I can't forsake a dixie dead-shake
So we danced the sidewalk clean
My memory is muddy, what's this river that I'm in?
New Orleans is sinking man and I don't wanna swim

Colonel Tom, What's wrong? What's going on?
You can't tie yourself up for a deal
He said, "Hey north you're south shut your big mouth,
You gotta do what you feel is real"
Ain't got no picture postcards, ain't got no souvenirs
My baby, she don't know me when I'm thinking bout those years

Pale as a light bulb hanging on a wire
Sucking up to someone just to stoke the fire
Picking out the highlights of the scenery
Saw a little cloud that looked a little like me

I had my hands in the river
My feet back up on the banks
Looked up to the lord above
And said, "Hey man thanks"
Sometimes I feel so good, I gotta scream
She said Gordie baby I know exactly what you mean
She said, she said, I swear to god she said...
My memory is muddy what's this river that I'm in?
New Orleans is sinking man and I don't wanna swim

Hosea and Gomer - John Piper

Like Gomer, "dark harlotry" runs in our blood. But God's love cascades over our crude lives. He makes us his wife, "blood-bought and beautified by grace." John Piper's poem "Hosea and Gomer" declares the glorious truth that "the steadfast love of the Lord is better than life."

The old man and his wife sat by
The winter fire and looked out high
Above the plains of Ephraim,
And saw around the last regime
Of Israel the shadows snake
Their way from east to west and take
Possession of Samaria.
"How long until Assyria,'
They thought, "would break Hoshea's rod,
And violate the wife of God?"

But strange as it may seem, the doom
They saw across the land left room
For hope. And when they looked into
Each other's eyes, as they would do
At night, they knew, as none could know
But they, that God would bend his bow
Against the charms of foreign men,
And take his faithless wife again.
They knew it could and would be done,
As surely as the rising sun
Drives darkness back unerringly,
And drowns it in the western sea.
They knew, because they had rehearsed
The tragedy and played it first
Themselves with passion and deceit.

"It's true that life is far more sweet,"
Hosea thought, "when it is lost,
Then bought again at dreadful cost;
And love grows strong when it must wait,
And deep when it is almost hate."

Such things as these he often said
To Gomer as they watched the red
And crimson echoes of the sky
Descend Mount Tabor's cliffs and die
In darkness far below. And she
Would say to him, "Your love for me
Was like a mountain waterfall,
And I the jagged stone. Of all
The knives and hammers once applied
None made me smooth or clean. They tried,
But harlotry was in my blood,
Until your love became a flood
Cascading over my crude life
And kept me as your only wife."

They knew as none but they could know
What it would mean that long ago
The Lord allowed his love to swell,
And married faithless Israel.

The passing of the years now found
The children grown and gathered 'round
This night: Jezreel and Loammi,
Hosea's sons, and at his knee
Loruhamah. The room was sweet
With memories, and each replete
With pleasure and with ample pain.
Among the memories one main
Experience above the rest
Embraced them all. It was the best;
Indeed it was the mountain spring
Of every happy stream from which
The family ever drank, and rich
With hope. It was Hosea's love.
The children stood in wonder of
The way he loved, and Gomer too.
But this had not always been true.

Hosea used to say, "It's hard
To be a seer, and prophet bard.
The price is high when he must sing
A song of ruin over everything
In lyrics written with his life
And lose his children and his wife."

And so it was, Hosea heard
The Lord. It was the strangest word
A holy prophet ever got:
And every pointed precept shot
Like arrows at Hosea's life:
"Go take a harlot for your wife,"
Thus says the Lord, "And feel with me
The grief and pain of harlotry.
Her father's name is Diblaim;
He makes fertility with cream
And raisin cakes. He will not see
Her go without a price, for she
Has brought him profits from her trade.
Now go, and let her price be paid;
And bring her back and let her bear
Your son. Call him Jezreel. For there
Is coming soon a day when I
Will strike and break the bloody thigh
Of Jehu's brutal house, and seal
With blood the valley of Jezreel.

And after that, though she's defiled.
Go in, and get another child,
And make your tender face like rock.
Call her Loruahmah and lock
Your heart against all sympathy:
`Not pitied' is her name. No plea
From faithless Israel will wake
My sympathy till I forsake
My daughter in the wilderness.

Now multiply once more distress:
Hosea, go beget a son,
For there is yet one child to shun,
And call him Loammi, in shame,
For `Not My People' is his name."

Hosea used to walk along
The Jordan rim and sing the song
His father Beeri used to sing.
Sometimes the tune and truth would bring
Him peace, and he would pause and look
At all the turns the Jordan took,
To make its way down to the sea,
And he would chant from memory:

Think not, my son, that God's great river
Of love flows simply to the sea,
He aims not straight, but to deliver
The wayward soul like you and me.
Follow the current where it goes,
With love and grace it ever flows.

The years went by, the children grew,
The river bent and Gomer knew
A dozen men. And finally
She left and traveled to the sea,
And sold herself to foreign priests
Who made the children serve at feasts
Until they had no shame.

And then

The God of grace came down again,
And said, "Hosea, go, embrace
Your wife beside the sea. And place
Your hand with blessing on the head
Of Loammi, and raise the dead
Loruhamah to life in me,
And tell Jezreel that I will be
For him a seed of hope to sow
In righteousness. Hosea, go,
The gracious river bends once more."

And so the prophet loved these four
Again, and sought them by the sea,
And bought them with the equity
Of everything he owned.

That was

The memory tonight, because
Hosea loved beyond the way
Of mortal man. What man would say,
"Love grows more strong when it must wait,
And deeper when it's almost hate."

Jezreel spoke softly for the rest,
"Father, once more let us be blessed.
What were the words from long ago
That gave you strength to love us so?
Would you please bless us with your rhyme,
And sing it for us one more time?"

"Think not, my son, that God's great river
Of love flows simply to the sea,
He aims not straight, but to deliver
The wayward soul like you and me.
Follow the current where it goes.
With love and grace it ever flows."

"And children," Gomer said with tears,
"Mark this, the miracle of years."
She looked Hosea in the face
And said, "Hosea, man of grace,
Dark harlotry was in my blood,
Until your love became a flood
Cascading over my crude life
And kept me as your only wife.
I love the very ground you trod,
And most of all I love your God."

This is the lamp of candle four:
A bride made ready at the door.
A shabby slave waits her embrace,
Blood-bought and beautified by grace.


©Desiring God

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Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. ©Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 888.346.4700.

Ryder Blog Dude

Hey all...just added another Austrailian Brother to my blog links. He has some very interesting posts, this one was a great read and really made me think:

http://ryderboy.blogspot.com/2005/11/new-kind-of-christian.html

Check his website out. Goodstuff.

I also added another link to this site here: http://leadershipblog.blogspot.com/ Great reading with pastor interviews.

And lastly I added another link to this site here: http://philbaker.net/ A great news article style blog on Christianity today.

Blessings and good reading -Moose

The Best Christmas Light Display Ever...

The Best Christmas Light Display Ever…

You have got to check this out…

http://members.cox.net/transam57/lights.wmv
Wizard in Winter

http://www.msftlabrat.com/funstuff/jingle.wmv  
Jingle Bells


http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/xmaslights.asp
Snopes Information on the Display

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002ZDVGS
Order the Music

http://www.wonderlandchristmas.com/wizardsofwinter.php  
Instructions on How to Do It Yourself

Very Cool! It is amazing what ya can do with some X10 stuff
a computer and a LOT of light bulbs!!!

Blessings! -Moose