It all matters a little more than we think.
that short moment where you give your day over to God.
that conversation.
that thing that is teaching you patience.
those minutes spent in prayer.
the giving up of yourself.
it all matters a little more than we think.
"show me a love that never fails, some compassion, and attention, midst confusion, and dissension, like small ramparts, for the soul, why it matters" - sara groves
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
More Grass than Flowers
Life is like that old oak tree,
that stands outside my house,
Life is like the golden sky,
when morning wakes in wonder,
All in all, it's not a bad thing,
this life in a far country.
But every time the curtain rolls,
and our eyes get bigger,
and our minds get captured,
is a moment fraught with meaning.
Life is like an open field,
with way more grass than flowers,
Life is like a burning flame,
that needs the wood and tinder,
Tiny shoots of life surround me,
sleeping at the banquet,
Oh for new eyes,
a heart with passion,
and the confidence to love.
mark.
that stands outside my house,
Life is like the golden sky,
when morning wakes in wonder,
All in all, it's not a bad thing,
this life in a far country.
But every time the curtain rolls,
and our eyes get bigger,
and our minds get captured,
is a moment fraught with meaning.
Life is like an open field,
with way more grass than flowers,
Life is like a burning flame,
that needs the wood and tinder,
Tiny shoots of life surround me,
sleeping at the banquet,
Oh for new eyes,
a heart with passion,
and the confidence to love.
mark.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Unbelief
I'm having to do a lot of reading for my classes this semester, and most of the times, the readings blur together across the lines. I'm taking a Bible class and a theology class, a speech class and a rhetoric class (which analyzes speeches). And they all seem to have foundations in the same time period. I'm not sure that I enjoy or get great truths from these readings most nights, but just the rigorous nature of the exercise of stretching my mind has proven to be a blessing.
God reaches to the highest of our academic pursuits and meets us there. He also meets us in our most basic daily tasks. He is the God of the everyday and the God of highest knowledge. That just amazes me.
There is also something else to be said along those same lines. One giant question has dominated my mind this week as I've been inundated with Old Testament readings: When and why did we stop believing in the God of the Bible? The living Logos. The God of miracles. The God who changed lives radically, and who could be trusted to Provide. When did we start putting God in a box and treat Him like all the other commodities out there in the world today?
Do we, in our heart of hearts, truly believe in God's power, strength, love, justice, and mercy? Where has our faith gone?? Jesus spoke to an unbelieving generation when He walked this earth and He was amazed at their unbelief (Mark 6:6)
It is repeatedly shown in the Word that faith is an essential ingredient for change. Just a few chapters after that wonderment of unbelief in Mark 6 is another revealing passage about belief. In Mark 9:23, Jesus responds to the crowd around him as he attends to a demon-possessed boy. He first bemoans their unbelief: "Oh unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you?" Then a few verses later, when the boy's father says "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us!", Jesus hits home and says "If You can? All things are possible to those who believe."
I'm stunned at the disbelief I see in my own life. I'm stunned at how long I've been held in a comatose state of low expectations. And I'm amazed that we as a culture of believers can't seem to really awake and become people who believe that God will bring change and revival and a consuming fire to this generation.
God reaches to the highest of our academic pursuits and meets us there. He also meets us in our most basic daily tasks. He is the God of the everyday and the God of highest knowledge. That just amazes me.
There is also something else to be said along those same lines. One giant question has dominated my mind this week as I've been inundated with Old Testament readings: When and why did we stop believing in the God of the Bible? The living Logos. The God of miracles. The God who changed lives radically, and who could be trusted to Provide. When did we start putting God in a box and treat Him like all the other commodities out there in the world today?
Do we, in our heart of hearts, truly believe in God's power, strength, love, justice, and mercy? Where has our faith gone?? Jesus spoke to an unbelieving generation when He walked this earth and He was amazed at their unbelief (Mark 6:6)
It is repeatedly shown in the Word that faith is an essential ingredient for change. Just a few chapters after that wonderment of unbelief in Mark 6 is another revealing passage about belief. In Mark 9:23, Jesus responds to the crowd around him as he attends to a demon-possessed boy. He first bemoans their unbelief: "Oh unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you?" Then a few verses later, when the boy's father says "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us!", Jesus hits home and says "If You can? All things are possible to those who believe."
I'm stunned at the disbelief I see in my own life. I'm stunned at how long I've been held in a comatose state of low expectations. And I'm amazed that we as a culture of believers can't seem to really awake and become people who believe that God will bring change and revival and a consuming fire to this generation.
Monday, February 11, 2008
You knew this day long before
Song for today: Table for Two - Caedmon's Call. It's just been a good reminder to me that its not my job to get tangled up in the silly little stresses of life while missing the point of it all. As Derek Webb says, "You knew this day long before you made me out of dirt".
It seems like the biggest battle everyday is staying connected to God, like John talks about in his famous 15th chapter. It's such a basic concept, yet its the most pivotal part of my day. And it seems like I trip over this concept more than I should. I'm realizing that if I'm to grow deeper in my relationship with the Lord, its not a matter of more this or more that, but less distraction, less clutter.
I'm learning to take notice when God whispers something to me throughout the day or shouts at me inside my head to care more for that person I'm talking to than I care about myself.
It's good to have balance and to learn to laugh at yourself. I've been laughing a lot more recently, and it's a lot more fun than being serious all the time.
a good verse to end the day with: "Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my sheild; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped." - Psalm 28: 6-7
It seems like the biggest battle everyday is staying connected to God, like John talks about in his famous 15th chapter. It's such a basic concept, yet its the most pivotal part of my day. And it seems like I trip over this concept more than I should. I'm realizing that if I'm to grow deeper in my relationship with the Lord, its not a matter of more this or more that, but less distraction, less clutter.
I'm learning to take notice when God whispers something to me throughout the day or shouts at me inside my head to care more for that person I'm talking to than I care about myself.
It's good to have balance and to learn to laugh at yourself. I've been laughing a lot more recently, and it's a lot more fun than being serious all the time.
a good verse to end the day with: "Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my sheild; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped." - Psalm 28: 6-7
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Athletes
Okay, this deserves a post. As I was doing my daily browsing of ESPN.com, I came across a poll question on Page 2 of its website. The question was simple: What is the worst thing an athlete can do? There were 4 possible choices: 1) cockfighting 2) dogfighting 3) steroids 4) not hustling
Guess what America picked as the worst thing an athlete can do? you guessed it, not hustling. Our society would rather see its athletes commit crime before they gave up on hustle. This is truly sad. And quite humorous too...
Guess what America picked as the worst thing an athlete can do? you guessed it, not hustling. Our society would rather see its athletes commit crime before they gave up on hustle. This is truly sad. And quite humorous too...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)