We are his...

A friend sent these lyrics to me today. Her friend wrote them...(CD is just newly out: check out Karla Adolphe: Enter the Cirlce of Worship: Chair and Microphone Vol3). Even though I have yet to hear the song, her words encourage me:

maybe i don't have the strength
maybe i don't have the faith
you brought me here in forty years
when i know this trip should take a week
i've shed my tears and shed my blood
been outran some by the flood
and winter steals my songs away
in all of this i've come undone

when you walk through the water
i will be with you
when you pass through the river
those waves they will not overtake you
when you walk on the fire
those flames they will not touch you
you are mine
you are mine

i've been a child
i've been a slave
and i've grown bitter
and learned to pray
i've packed my bags and started back
the cost is just too high to pay

when you walk through the water
i will be with you
when you pass through the river
those waves they will not overtake you
when you walk on the fire
those flames they will not touch you
you are mine
you are mine

you are mine

[We are His. Psalm 63. My soul thirsts for him. We are His. We belong to Him.]

Surprises in little packages...

Today was a challenging day at work. A project hasn't been going well. Extra long hours, covering vacations. Still trying to bring things back on track. Daily check points. All of that.

So, at the end of this crazy day there were three little packages in the mail. Not the one I was looking for, but part of the story that seems to be unfolding. A gift from Israel, and a couple of other little fun things. Reminders of the bigger picture...

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires you to fear him, to live according to his will, to love and worship him with all your heart and soul, and to obey the Lord's commands and laws that I am giving you today for your own good." Dueteronomy 10:12-13

Seasons of change...

In many ways, wherever you attend church, there is always talk of the seasons changing. That God is doing something new and fresh. We pray for fresh wind or fresh fire to fall upon us. We pray to be included in whatever that new thing is going to be. We get excited and are drawn into the future.

Recently, I've heard myself saying some of those words as well. Several of my friends are dreaming prophetic dreams and hearing from the Lord in new ways. That is there testimony. Their dreams are quite profound, intensely detailed and courageously described, so I believe they are more than just the psychologial working out of my friends' unresolved emotions. But I'm finding myself looking for the interpretation as well. Not just of the details of my friends' dreams, but why there seems to be an increase in this activity? Why are there so few who can interpret these dreams? Why we are left with the excitement and curiosity that there must be some deeper meaning? (Where is Joseph or Daniel these days?)

Prehaps my friends have just reached an age in their lives (or spiritual journeys) where we want something new, something different than the routines we've created for ourselves. Perhaps the dreams stem from that...but there is a lot of buzz these days, or there seems to be about certain angels and other spiritual conversations.

The book called The Shack has many people talking about conversations with Jesus, Father God, and Holy Spirit. I'm glad for that dialogue. I'm glad for the dialogue about dreams, and visions...and seasons of change.

But I'm mindful that the seasons have always changed. Every few months they change, as the earth spins around the sun. Has every generation seen these winds of change? Do some pick up on them and others don't? What sparked the changes in our worship led by Charles Wesley, or Martin Luther (or whomever you would choose to name)? And were their views bringing new vitality to the church, or division?

I'm just really learning some basic church history. Individually Charles and Martin (and many others) are thoroughly impressive. And as much as some of their teachings echo the 'seasons of change' that seem to be upon us again, I'm caught between wanting something new myself, and seeing the benefits of the simple life...and a simple routine....where the change is in my understanding rather than the world around me.

The particular quote that follow has haunted me for a little over two years now. It was shouted out by a random fellow in Toronto's business district...over and over again, until it struck a cord deeply in my spirit (and perhaps several of those standing with me): "What day is this?"

"What day is this?"

Eventually, that fellow was forceably removed. But I'm thankful to have stood in that moment, listening to his cry, because his words helped me through so many of the dark days since then.

Since that day, I've stopped looking for the seasons of change and started appreciating the beauty of God in the little moments in each day. Fresh Mana. New every morning. Especially... as... the seasons change.

This is the Lord the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

Only a person who risks is free....

(read this today...it has me thinking....)

• To laugh is to risk being a fool.
• To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
• To reach out to another is to risk involvement.
• To express feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
• To place your idea's and your dreams before the crowd is to risk their loss.
• To love is to risk not being loved in return.
• To live is to risk dying.
• To hope is to risk despair.
• To try is to risk failure.
• The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing and is nothing.
• They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live.
• Risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
• Only a person who risks is free.

Summer Reading List....

(In no particular order:)

- The Tipping Point - Malcom Gladwell
- The Challenge of Jesus - N.T. Wright
- Evil and Justice of God - N.T. Wright
- The Attentive Life - Leighton Ford
- New Birth or Re-birth - Ravi Zacharias
- Girl Meets God - Lauren F. Winner
- Well-Intentioned Dragons - Marshall Shelley
- In the Vineyard of the Lord - Marco Bardazzi


I've started several others. Not certain which ones will get finished.
Not worried about it. I read what I can absorb...

I have a few more on the list. Mostly books loaned or given to me by friends.

Seems that I'm slower at turning the pages these days...
but that's okay. I have some of these on CD!

[..and don't worry. The scriptures come first.]


Happy reading all!

Jesus...

How is it that we miss you in the simplest of moments?
How is it that we long for you, and yet cannot touch you?

You are the creator of all that is good
You are the light and hope of our dreams
You know us
and yet
you choose
to meet
us

because you love us

still...

"Lord, we are not worthy to receive you.
Jesus, i am not worthy to receive you...
but only say the word and i will be healed."


Today, I heard the confession of a man who is free of a 20+ year struggle with a particular addiction. It wrecked his life, though he deeply loved Jesus throughout his journey. He taught me much about mercy. In his talk, he spoke of this psalm....and that psalm quietly touches my heart tonight...and I'm thinking that even thought i repent of sin, I am clean. Such a strange contrast. Joy in Christ, knowing full well, that judgement is warranted...and yet, there is grace....sufficient, even for me...bless you tonight... or whenever you read this...

I pray you know the deep love of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 51

simple things...

Tonight I'm very tired. Work has been challenging lately. A key
project has not gone well, and has to be re-planned again. Success
is a must, but the deadlines are difficult. And we're all quite tired.
Glad for a break this weekend. It's much needed and long overdue.

My plans are simple - laundry, cleaning, and time in my garden.
Maybe read one of the books on my summer reading list.

Tomorrow is Tisha B'Av, and while I like to follow holy days on
the calendar, I won't follow the ritual fast or other observances.
I will remember with my jewish friends, the destruction of the
holy temple, but I will also think of the resurrection of Christ.
I will think about the return of the 12 scouts from Canaan, and
celebrate with milk, honey, and almonds.

As the world watches events in China, and families wander about their
regular days, I will be quiet, and very much enjoy simple things...

The altars you make for me must be simple altars of earth.
Offer on such altars your sacrifices to me-your burnt offerings
and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle.
Build altars in the places where I remind you who I am, and
I will come and bless you there ... (Ex.20:24)

Tonight I am praying...

- for friends who seem far away
- for new life, so pink and cute
- for someone celebrating a birthday
- for a dear friend going through a divorce
- for my parents who worry a bit too much
- for my cousin who lives in the north
- for friends in kigali, aceh, malta, macau
- for friends downtown


Jesus, You know the words that will come from my lips before I speak them. They seem so feeble to me sometimes, and yet there is little else I can do when my heart overflows with sentiment for those you have placed in my heart...those near and far...I pray they are your words...For those precious people you've invited me to know. And I pray to know You more...

Praying the Catechism, still...

It's been a busy weekend. Two special visits with dear friends. Sisters in Christ. One was quite long, the other quite short, but both moments really blessed me. Much needed refreshing and rekindling. It was great to simply see them, share hugs, and a few tears.

While I spent much of the rest of the weekend recouperating. I also had to go back into work to deal with a project that isn't going well at the moment. Coming home tonight, getting ready to sleep, I was struck again by this simple prayer book. One of the prayers, jumps off from a short passage of scripture that has been running over and over in my head. (Perhaps this one will eventually land so deep in my spirit, that I really rest in it for a while...).

"Apart from me, you can do nothing..." (Jn 15:5) [CCC2732]


In this little prayer book, the response to this passage is a quote from St. Bernard of Clairvaux:

Draw me after you:

The bride has great need to be drawn onward, and drawn by no other than he who says, "Without me you can do nothing" (Jn15:5)...

She knows that your ways are blessed and that anyone who follows you does not walk in darkness. But if she prays to be drawn onward, it is because she cannot attain to your righteousness on her own strength. She prays... because no one comes to you unless the father draws him (Jn 6:44)....

We often feel like we can accomplish a lot.

In our own strength, we can and do get a lot of things done.

But, unless we are with Jesus... with Him... Him in us, nothing we do is good. Nothing will survive the burning away of the chaff. All we do on our own is wood, hay, and stubble. Perhaps glorious in our own eyes, but ultimately, it's just lifeless dust cast out of the kingdom.

Maybe I'm just taking too long to learn this particular lesson, but I am struck by those few words...still. Tonight I want to be drawn onward toward Him, who is everything.

+++

Jesus, I don't want to do anything without you.
Without you, I am nothing...
With you, I have everything, because of you.

(Psalm 139)

+++

Look up! (Psalm 121)

This picture is from this mornings solar eclipse, over St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia.

I've seen lots of these photos today, from those who were gazing at the sun through special lenses and to beautiful photos of total eclipse. But this partial one is the one that catches my attention. The sun growing dark and the shadows creating this evening-like scene, in a city that captures my imagination....

I'm always curious about who's attention gets drawn to the skies, and what those beautiful pictures mean for them...do they just stare in amazement at the beauty of the heavens? Do they imagine what it's like for science to let us imagine worlds beyond? Do they worship the sun and moon as gods? Or do they know the Jesus, and the Shalom of God?

Today's eclipse started in our Arctic north, and then passed over Greenland, western Siberia, Mongolia and China. The first Russians to witness the eclipse were on the Arctic island of Spitzbergen north of Norway. It's a path to China that I'd rarely consider, even though I once flew from Heathrow to Singapore. And yet today, I find that path comforting. I've imagined today the view from the Heavens towards earth as the globe spins, and so many eyes looking upwards....

And I prayed, for those whose faces stopped to see the uniqueness of this day...and for those who didn't (because of the clouds, or because of disinterest, or more pressing matters that may have consumed them).

I wondered about how Jesus sees and knows each one...
- those turned towards him.
- those who are shielding their eyes with filters
- those who risk seeing, maybe becoming blind physically in the process.
- those who are busy with other things.

I like days like today. They make me think about those who walk this earth with me. And as I trim my hedges, and fix my car, and call some friends... I can remember that there's an entirely different perspective. That we're sharing this rock, in all of it's glorious beauty with so many people. Many tribes, many nations, many tongues. (Isa.45:23)

When I think about that, I'm so thankful...(Isa.45:18)