O to the One upon whom I wait
Let my mouth resound with glorious praise
As Your ear has been inclined to my cry
You cover with peace my every longing and sigh
In the folds of Your arms there my heart rests
As You shape me into the one You know best
How precious is Your love to every part of my being
The joy that fills inside allows me to walk by faith, rather than seeing
For who am I to know all the ways of above?
Not today, but forever will I be covered by Your love
It is You alone who is the giver of all good things
Worthy of my whole life, to You will I bring
A melody that stirs within, a beginning of a freedom song
And now will I sing, today, tomorrow, and forever long
O to the One upon whom I wait
Let my mouth resound with glorious praise
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
What do you say?
"What do you say to an unbelieving friend who has a loved one who is dying? I am speechless, not knowing how to deal with the hard things in life. I may not have the arguments to "prove" God's existence. All I got is faith though some call me crazy for believing in something intangible, it's all I got. There is a peace in my heart and a joy in my soul when I choose to worship Christ, and I continiue to do it because the love I feel is more than I can bear to ignore." -Colin
What do you say to an unbelieving friend who has an unloved one who is dying? I didn't have the answer for that tonight, and haven't had the answer at all. As he told me and others around me of the latest news of his mom, all we could do was sit in silence. After a couple of minutes he begged us to break it. But what do you say when the one thing that you know will help him he isn't ready or willing to hear?
Wouldn't the silence speak louder than any words that can be said? Wouldn't it speak that there is nothing any one of us can do to fix it? Wouldn't it point him to the necessity of a Savior, the King of Kings who knows and understands his pain in ways we never can?
Why are we so quick to speak, to try to solve problems and offer words that harm rather than help? Or even toss out words that have no purpose? Can't we let the silence speak louder than any words ever will?
It seems that the incident tonight finally helped me to see part of what this past week and especially this weekend has entailed. And that is silence.
I find irony in the fact that tonight the silence both embraces me and comforts me and at the same time makes me a bit lonesome. There were so few words spoken this weekend and it was beyond refreshing. How good it is to sit in our Father's presence, for He is altogether lovely, altogether worthy of our praise and adoration!
As I write this, my apartment rings of boisterous noise by my roommates and visitors alike. I don't want their company tonight. I want to be wrapped in what the silence can bring and what God can do through it. He's already done so much. This is my time of restoration, renewal, and rest, and it will soon be coming to an end; I predict tonight will be the last night of rest. Then it's a time of preparation.
I've been fascinated with the birds flying above the hills outside my window over the past couple of days. They've been flying in place, and it's remarkable to watch. The wind catches them ever so in order that they barely have to flap their wings in order to be suspended in mid-air. All they have to do is keep their wings in the correct position in order that they may let the wind carry them. How this describes what God has been doing with me as of late...getting my heart inclined to Him in such a position that His breath of life will carry it, suspend it, embrace it. All I've had to do is remain in the position He wants me to be in.
And soon the winds will change and it will be time to fly, to soar around to the adventures that lay ahead. For once I think I'm not concerned with the destination but rather the journey. A walk with Jesus on the wild side. It should be quite a ride.
As for now? I'll let the silence embrace me and prepare to fly.
What do you say to an unbelieving friend who has an unloved one who is dying? I didn't have the answer for that tonight, and haven't had the answer at all. As he told me and others around me of the latest news of his mom, all we could do was sit in silence. After a couple of minutes he begged us to break it. But what do you say when the one thing that you know will help him he isn't ready or willing to hear?
Wouldn't the silence speak louder than any words that can be said? Wouldn't it speak that there is nothing any one of us can do to fix it? Wouldn't it point him to the necessity of a Savior, the King of Kings who knows and understands his pain in ways we never can?
Why are we so quick to speak, to try to solve problems and offer words that harm rather than help? Or even toss out words that have no purpose? Can't we let the silence speak louder than any words ever will?
It seems that the incident tonight finally helped me to see part of what this past week and especially this weekend has entailed. And that is silence.
I find irony in the fact that tonight the silence both embraces me and comforts me and at the same time makes me a bit lonesome. There were so few words spoken this weekend and it was beyond refreshing. How good it is to sit in our Father's presence, for He is altogether lovely, altogether worthy of our praise and adoration!
As I write this, my apartment rings of boisterous noise by my roommates and visitors alike. I don't want their company tonight. I want to be wrapped in what the silence can bring and what God can do through it. He's already done so much. This is my time of restoration, renewal, and rest, and it will soon be coming to an end; I predict tonight will be the last night of rest. Then it's a time of preparation.
I've been fascinated with the birds flying above the hills outside my window over the past couple of days. They've been flying in place, and it's remarkable to watch. The wind catches them ever so in order that they barely have to flap their wings in order to be suspended in mid-air. All they have to do is keep their wings in the correct position in order that they may let the wind carry them. How this describes what God has been doing with me as of late...getting my heart inclined to Him in such a position that His breath of life will carry it, suspend it, embrace it. All I've had to do is remain in the position He wants me to be in.
And soon the winds will change and it will be time to fly, to soar around to the adventures that lay ahead. For once I think I'm not concerned with the destination but rather the journey. A walk with Jesus on the wild side. It should be quite a ride.
As for now? I'll let the silence embrace me and prepare to fly.
Redefining
What would happen if we would rediscover love? What would happen when we see the way of Jesus as a journey, constantly evolving? Rob Bell has got me thinking...
"The most powerful things happen when the church surrenders its desire to convert people and convince them to join. It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display. To do this, the church must stop thinking about everybody primarily in categories of in or out, saved or not, believer or nonbeliever/ Besides the fact that these terms are offensive to those who are the ‘un’ and ‘non,’ they work against Jesus’ teachings about how we are to treat each other. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor, and our neighbor can be anybody. We are all created in the image of God, and we are all sacred, valuable creations of God. Everybody matters. To treat people differently based on who believes what is to fail to respect the image of God in everyone. As the book of James says, ‘God shows no favoritism.’ So we don’t either.
Often times the Christian community has sent the message that we love people and build relationships in order to convert them to the Christian faith. So there is an agenda. And when there is an agenda, it isn’t really love, is it? It’s something else. We have to rediscover love, period. Love that loves because it is what Jesus teaches us to do. We have to surrender our agendas. Because some people aren’t going to become Christians like us no matter how hard we push. They just aren’t. And at some point we have to commit them to God, trusting that God loves them more than we ever could. I obviously love to talk to people about Jesus and my faith. I’ll take every opportunity I can get. But I have learned that when I toss out my agenda and simply love as Jesus teaches me to, I often end up learning more about God than I could have imagined.
And one thing to keep in mind is that we never arrive. Ever. One of the illusions of faith is that at some point we get it all mapped out and things get smooth and predictable. It is not true. The way of Jesus is a journey, not a destination. On a journey, the scenery changes. A lot. We can prepare for some things but not all. We make mistakes, figure it out as we go along, and try new things. Failures are really just opportunities to learn. If you are part of a church, is the dominant understanding of faith in your church that of journey or destination?
I am learning that the church is at its best when it is underground, subversive, and countercultural. It is the quiet, humble, stealth acts that change things. I was just talking to a woman named Michelle who decided to move into the roughest neighborhood in our city to try to help people get out of the cycle of poverty and despair. She was telling me about the kids she is tutoring and the families they come from and how great the needs are. Some other women in our church heard about Michelle and asked her for lists of what exactly the families in her neighborhood need. They then circulated the lists until the found people who could meet every one of the needs. It’s like an underground mom-mafia network. Michelle told me at last count they had helped 430 families, and they are making plans to expand their network.
‘Jesus lives; here’s a toaster.’
These are the kinds of people who change the world. They improvise and adapt and innovate and explore new ways to get things done. They don’t make a lot of noise and they don’t draw a lot of attention to themselves.”
Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell, Movement Seven, pgs. 167-168
"The most powerful things happen when the church surrenders its desire to convert people and convince them to join. It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display. To do this, the church must stop thinking about everybody primarily in categories of in or out, saved or not, believer or nonbeliever/ Besides the fact that these terms are offensive to those who are the ‘un’ and ‘non,’ they work against Jesus’ teachings about how we are to treat each other. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor, and our neighbor can be anybody. We are all created in the image of God, and we are all sacred, valuable creations of God. Everybody matters. To treat people differently based on who believes what is to fail to respect the image of God in everyone. As the book of James says, ‘God shows no favoritism.’ So we don’t either.
Often times the Christian community has sent the message that we love people and build relationships in order to convert them to the Christian faith. So there is an agenda. And when there is an agenda, it isn’t really love, is it? It’s something else. We have to rediscover love, period. Love that loves because it is what Jesus teaches us to do. We have to surrender our agendas. Because some people aren’t going to become Christians like us no matter how hard we push. They just aren’t. And at some point we have to commit them to God, trusting that God loves them more than we ever could. I obviously love to talk to people about Jesus and my faith. I’ll take every opportunity I can get. But I have learned that when I toss out my agenda and simply love as Jesus teaches me to, I often end up learning more about God than I could have imagined.
And one thing to keep in mind is that we never arrive. Ever. One of the illusions of faith is that at some point we get it all mapped out and things get smooth and predictable. It is not true. The way of Jesus is a journey, not a destination. On a journey, the scenery changes. A lot. We can prepare for some things but not all. We make mistakes, figure it out as we go along, and try new things. Failures are really just opportunities to learn. If you are part of a church, is the dominant understanding of faith in your church that of journey or destination?
I am learning that the church is at its best when it is underground, subversive, and countercultural. It is the quiet, humble, stealth acts that change things. I was just talking to a woman named Michelle who decided to move into the roughest neighborhood in our city to try to help people get out of the cycle of poverty and despair. She was telling me about the kids she is tutoring and the families they come from and how great the needs are. Some other women in our church heard about Michelle and asked her for lists of what exactly the families in her neighborhood need. They then circulated the lists until the found people who could meet every one of the needs. It’s like an underground mom-mafia network. Michelle told me at last count they had helped 430 families, and they are making plans to expand their network.
‘Jesus lives; here’s a toaster.’
These are the kinds of people who change the world. They improvise and adapt and innovate and explore new ways to get things done. They don’t make a lot of noise and they don’t draw a lot of attention to themselves.”
Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell, Movement Seven, pgs. 167-168
Friday, February 23, 2007
Tears
It hasn’t rained like this in a while.
Not outside, and definitely not with me.
Not outside, and definitely not with me.
But today it poured outside, and this week it poured with me.
I must say, the tears have never quite fallen in the way they have this week.
They have been tears of pain, tears of anguish, tears of exhaustion, tears of surrender, tears of emotion, tears of love.
It has been through these tears that I felt extreme pain in letting go the one I never wanted to in order that we may both be found again.
It has been through these tears that I lost myself to emotion in surrender to God’s will.
It has been through these sobs that I have been held by my sister who embraced me over and over again and wouldn’t let me go.
It has been through the cries of the night that my other sister pulled me out of the miry pit and helped me to rest.
It has been through these tears that I met with my dear brother and his watchful care he poured over me.
It has been through these tears that my dear sisters prayed with authority over me that God’s will be done and His face seen.
It has been through these tears that when I lost everything, including myself, I found so much.
It has been through these tears that God has covered me with His truth and watchful love every moment.
It is through these tears that I cried out to God and He has answered and is answering.
It has been through these tears that I have seen His sovereign sway in ways never conceived before.
It has been through these tears that has aligned my heart to my Creator in a way unlike any other.
And tonight, the tears turned into ones of praise of the One who is unspeakably good…
Right now…all of it, my tears say, and I will cease to speak.
Other than this…
Praise be to Him, the One who never lets me go…
I must say, the tears have never quite fallen in the way they have this week.
They have been tears of pain, tears of anguish, tears of exhaustion, tears of surrender, tears of emotion, tears of love.
It has been through these tears that I felt extreme pain in letting go the one I never wanted to in order that we may both be found again.
It has been through these tears that I lost myself to emotion in surrender to God’s will.
It has been through these sobs that I have been held by my sister who embraced me over and over again and wouldn’t let me go.
It has been through the cries of the night that my other sister pulled me out of the miry pit and helped me to rest.
It has been through these tears that I met with my dear brother and his watchful care he poured over me.
It has been through these tears that my dear sisters prayed with authority over me that God’s will be done and His face seen.
It has been through these tears that when I lost everything, including myself, I found so much.
It has been through these tears that God has covered me with His truth and watchful love every moment.
It is through these tears that I cried out to God and He has answered and is answering.
It has been through these tears that I have seen His sovereign sway in ways never conceived before.
It has been through these tears that has aligned my heart to my Creator in a way unlike any other.
And tonight, the tears turned into ones of praise of the One who is unspeakably good…
Right now…all of it, my tears say, and I will cease to speak.
Other than this…
Praise be to Him, the One who never lets me go…
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
In Light of What is to Come
A newborn cry is heard in the morning
Struggling to breathe in the midst of her tears
She labors all the while, trying to be heard
Not knowing what she needs or wants
There's a fight for her existence, a fight through her pain
Not knowing whether to give up or press on
She can barely see the world around her through her tears
As she struggles through the core of the night
It's beside her to know or ask why
For it's beyond her understanding she can have at the present time
All she knows how to do is simply cry
And somehow hope to be heard
And out of the shadows something emerges
Something penetrates through the sudden burst of light
A pause from the presence of pain
As someone reaches down and pulls her from the dark night
She still doesn't know or understand why
This onset of pain had to occur
But somehow through the depths of the night
At last, her cries were heard
And in this person's arms an overwhelming peace falls upon her
As she surrenders her tears, exhausted, and finds rest
In her daddy's arms, he knows best
Her cares, worries, and needs he can fulfill
The memories of pain begin to fade in looking to the promise of the dawn
Realizing that though the night seems forever long, it too will pass
And what once existed in the night will no longer remain
For the promise of a new day and beginning brings to light
What will eventually come
Struggling to breathe in the midst of her tears
She labors all the while, trying to be heard
Not knowing what she needs or wants
There's a fight for her existence, a fight through her pain
Not knowing whether to give up or press on
She can barely see the world around her through her tears
As she struggles through the core of the night
It's beside her to know or ask why
For it's beyond her understanding she can have at the present time
All she knows how to do is simply cry
And somehow hope to be heard
And out of the shadows something emerges
Something penetrates through the sudden burst of light
A pause from the presence of pain
As someone reaches down and pulls her from the dark night
She still doesn't know or understand why
This onset of pain had to occur
But somehow through the depths of the night
At last, her cries were heard
And in this person's arms an overwhelming peace falls upon her
As she surrenders her tears, exhausted, and finds rest
In her daddy's arms, he knows best
Her cares, worries, and needs he can fulfill
The memories of pain begin to fade in looking to the promise of the dawn
Realizing that though the night seems forever long, it too will pass
And what once existed in the night will no longer remain
For the promise of a new day and beginning brings to light
What will eventually come
Monday, February 05, 2007
Who am I to Come?
My 200th post here. Wow.
Written 1-31-07
You say come and rest a while
My yoke is easy and light
Though I will continue to bring you
through my refining fire
there is nothing more than your heart that I require
But I say, “Oh Lord, who am I?”
Who am I to enter into Your presence and be transformed
Who am I to bear the name as Your own
And how do I simply stand still
And just simply come?
I know it is by grace I have been saved
And in You at last I have found my home
Yet You say to work out my salvation with fear and trembling
In that, how do I approach Your altar and simply be?
I know the questions just keep on coming
And those questions are not what You require of me
As You have said, You require my heart
And I need to let my silence speak
Dear Lord, will You do this in me?
Still me so that Your face I humbly seek?
Written 1-31-07
You say come and rest a while
My yoke is easy and light
Though I will continue to bring you
through my refining fire
there is nothing more than your heart that I require
But I say, “Oh Lord, who am I?”
Who am I to enter into Your presence and be transformed
Who am I to bear the name as Your own
And how do I simply stand still
And just simply come?
I know it is by grace I have been saved
And in You at last I have found my home
Yet You say to work out my salvation with fear and trembling
In that, how do I approach Your altar and simply be?
I know the questions just keep on coming
And those questions are not what You require of me
As You have said, You require my heart
And I need to let my silence speak
Dear Lord, will You do this in me?
Still me so that Your face I humbly seek?
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