The mighty presence of the Lord has again swept across the barren wasteland of my heart, making dead fields come alive with the green of spring. His presence is like the rain that brings newness and life to the dry earth, and my soul is that dry earth. Each day as the sun rises, my arid soul is in need of the fresh rains of God’s presence. Who am I to think that I am fine on my own? What kind of arrogance has so gripped my entire being that I would think that I am not desperately in need of God’s grace, mercy and love each new day? How many lies have I let take root in my heart that I would be content with 15 minutes with God in the morning, brazenly dipping merely my hands and my feet in the pools of the presence of God without submerging my whole body?
I am like a child that comes to a banquet feast and eats only candy. I am in continual need of time with the Lord, time to let Him shape and mold my character and yet I do not carve out the time necessary for this to happen. This is where the mercy of the Lord is so evident in my life, because He takes even my meager offerings of time and blesses them beyond measure. How deep is His love that He would put up with all my wavering and wandering. Praise the Lord his grace does not depend upon my actions, because that would just be dreadful.
Isn’t it amazing that God wants to pursue us? That He wants a deep and personal relationship with us? And the even more astounding thing is that He wants us this very day to come to Him and find refuge and peace.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Fall
I saw Fall today. Driving to school this morning was like driving through a national geographic photo feature, replete with falling leaves and a steady rain. It was one of those moments that I could so tangibly sense God calling out to His world through creation. I wasn't really even fully awake, but my senses came alive through the simplicity of seeing something beautiful. It was like putting flesh and blood to the Psalms which proclaim the greatness of God.
It is so good and so necessary to have those kinds of moments. Especially in the middle of a busy time of year when I'm rushing through my days. Being reminded of the awesome power of God has been so encouraging to me this week.
mark.
It is so good and so necessary to have those kinds of moments. Especially in the middle of a busy time of year when I'm rushing through my days. Being reminded of the awesome power of God has been so encouraging to me this week.
mark.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Forever
The stock market may have fallen fast,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever
America may seem like it is more divided than it is unified,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever
Fear and negativity may be pervading the media all around us right now,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever
Character may seem to be losing out to selfishness,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever
Hope and Trust may be hard words to realize right now,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever
You and I may think that our actions don't really matter,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever
There is still Hope out there. There is still Goodness out there. There is still Love, and Faith, and Courage.
because the Word of the Lord endures forever
don't. lose. heart.
because the Word of the Lord endures forever
but the Word of the Lord endures forever
America may seem like it is more divided than it is unified,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever
Fear and negativity may be pervading the media all around us right now,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever
Character may seem to be losing out to selfishness,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever
Hope and Trust may be hard words to realize right now,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever
You and I may think that our actions don't really matter,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever
There is still Hope out there. There is still Goodness out there. There is still Love, and Faith, and Courage.
because the Word of the Lord endures forever
don't. lose. heart.
because the Word of the Lord endures forever
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Ground into Coffee
I had a boss who used to drink 8 or 9 cups of coffee a day. Seriously. And even though I love coffee, I'm praying that I never become that addicted to its effects. A good cup every once in a while is still keeping me satisfied.
But i love watching different coffee makers make coffee. There are the kinds like mine that take about 5 minutes, where the ground coffee and water get pressed together and out comes the trickling result in the coffee pot. Then there are the One Cup kinds, where you put in a little packet of coffee and a little water and it immediately shoots out a small or large cup of coffee. All within a matter of a few minutes. It amazes me.
Whatever coffee machine the coffee comes from, though, it is still made by the same general method. The coffee gets squeezed and water gets added and it gets heated up along the way, creating coffee.
It's a little bit like life. I don't want to run too far with this analogy, but good coffee takes heats and pressure to get a good result. If the coffee beans just sit around, they just smell really good, thats about it. But when they are ground up, mixed with water and heat, out comes a wonderful beverage.
I think I run away too much from the things that are hard. I, like most of the rest of us, don't like it when the pressure comes and the rain falls down, and things get a little toasty. It's just much easier to deal with life in measured amounts.
But I'm being made into something better, by a God who is refining my heart and thus my life. And for that to happen, I've got to be willing to face the pressure and heat, trusting that God really is in control and knows what He's doing.
As eric peters would say, "to trust is the hardest part".
mark.
But i love watching different coffee makers make coffee. There are the kinds like mine that take about 5 minutes, where the ground coffee and water get pressed together and out comes the trickling result in the coffee pot. Then there are the One Cup kinds, where you put in a little packet of coffee and a little water and it immediately shoots out a small or large cup of coffee. All within a matter of a few minutes. It amazes me.
Whatever coffee machine the coffee comes from, though, it is still made by the same general method. The coffee gets squeezed and water gets added and it gets heated up along the way, creating coffee.
It's a little bit like life. I don't want to run too far with this analogy, but good coffee takes heats and pressure to get a good result. If the coffee beans just sit around, they just smell really good, thats about it. But when they are ground up, mixed with water and heat, out comes a wonderful beverage.
I think I run away too much from the things that are hard. I, like most of the rest of us, don't like it when the pressure comes and the rain falls down, and things get a little toasty. It's just much easier to deal with life in measured amounts.
But I'm being made into something better, by a God who is refining my heart and thus my life. And for that to happen, I've got to be willing to face the pressure and heat, trusting that God really is in control and knows what He's doing.
As eric peters would say, "to trust is the hardest part".
mark.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Pursuits
It's been easy for me to mix up my purposes these past few weeks. The purpose of being an intentional person around campus. The purpose of bringing community to a community-starved place. The purpose of listening before speaking...
And all those purposes are amazing. They are all important and I need to engage in them, but I think I have been missing a larger purpose: the purpose of being found in Christ, of being His child. It is, of course, our primary connection in everything we do as believers, but I wonder how much we really think about it?
I know that what usually happens with me is that I acknowledge God's prominence in my life, but then proceed to go through the days and weeks as if I'm really steering the ship. What would it look like to really give that primary connection in my life more power than I give it now? What would it look like to let those other purposes flow from the inner strength of a deep, growing relationship in Christ?
That's exactly what I want to pursue, so that all my other "pursuits", if you will, happen more naturally.
And all those purposes are amazing. They are all important and I need to engage in them, but I think I have been missing a larger purpose: the purpose of being found in Christ, of being His child. It is, of course, our primary connection in everything we do as believers, but I wonder how much we really think about it?
I know that what usually happens with me is that I acknowledge God's prominence in my life, but then proceed to go through the days and weeks as if I'm really steering the ship. What would it look like to really give that primary connection in my life more power than I give it now? What would it look like to let those other purposes flow from the inner strength of a deep, growing relationship in Christ?
That's exactly what I want to pursue, so that all my other "pursuits", if you will, happen more naturally.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Emptying the Buckets
It's a new month, and one of my favorites at that. The freshness of school is giving way to homework and meetings, and I'm thankful to still be a student. The years have crept by and this is my last college year, and it's funny how much you appreciate being a relatively irresponsible college student when you're standing so close to the edge of whatever it is that is next.
For me that means seminary. It's always been an idea that has seemed so distant, like the video game level you never think you'll reach or the way you felt as a 13 year old wanting to be 16 so badly. It just seemed so far away. Well, now it's not so far away, and the idea that was once so distant is slowly coming into view.
With that said, i don't want to get ahead of myself. Or take myself too seriously here. I've still got 25% of my college experience, and I have so much time left. I just don't think it's a good idea to end anything by spending the last significant portion of that time saying how much you'll miss it. That's not really the way I want to live life, jumping from one set of years to the next, wishing I could "bring back the glory days", whatever that means. No, life is to be lived with a healthy appreciation for the past, and a good dose of hope for the future, all the while enjoying THIS season of life.
So that's what I'm trying to do, enjoy this time. Take it for all its worth, and squeeze all the good times I can out of it, realizing that the road ahead is not necessarily what I can see, but what my Master and Guide can see. He knows the way, and so for now, I'll try to trust that.
So it seems that all that is left to do is to empty the buckets of whatever I am carrying around, allowing God to fill me up with His love and His strength for this new part of the journey. The old water just won't do, it's been getting a little muddy and it's time for some fresh water in the bucket.
For me that means seminary. It's always been an idea that has seemed so distant, like the video game level you never think you'll reach or the way you felt as a 13 year old wanting to be 16 so badly. It just seemed so far away. Well, now it's not so far away, and the idea that was once so distant is slowly coming into view.
With that said, i don't want to get ahead of myself. Or take myself too seriously here. I've still got 25% of my college experience, and I have so much time left. I just don't think it's a good idea to end anything by spending the last significant portion of that time saying how much you'll miss it. That's not really the way I want to live life, jumping from one set of years to the next, wishing I could "bring back the glory days", whatever that means. No, life is to be lived with a healthy appreciation for the past, and a good dose of hope for the future, all the while enjoying THIS season of life.
So that's what I'm trying to do, enjoy this time. Take it for all its worth, and squeeze all the good times I can out of it, realizing that the road ahead is not necessarily what I can see, but what my Master and Guide can see. He knows the way, and so for now, I'll try to trust that.
So it seems that all that is left to do is to empty the buckets of whatever I am carrying around, allowing God to fill me up with His love and His strength for this new part of the journey. The old water just won't do, it's been getting a little muddy and it's time for some fresh water in the bucket.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Only When Remembered
Admittedly, it took great effort this lazy saturday to get up from the overstuffed chair i've been planted in most of the day to crank up my computer, but that's beside the point. It's also beside the point that i've spent a good amount of time this week re-reading a certain book series (ahem, harry potter). And you know what, it's also beside the point that I got to have an entirely enjoyable afternoon and evening last night watching a braves game with two of my favorite people, finishing off the drive back with a rotating game of "play your favorite tune on andy's ipod". No, those are all great things (well, i dont know how much you can legitimize sitting in an overstuffed chair...), but they're only the tip of the surface of a bigger pool of blessings.
That's right, blessings. I'm inclined to think that some things in life are blessings, and that if we take the time to recognize and enjoy them, the bad stuff loses a little bit of its bite. It's just the whole recognizing part is awfully hard for me to do, because i'm so accustomed to running through each day with my blinders up, only noticing whats happening in and around me. It takes a little more awareness, though, for these things to be noticed.
So i'm working on doing just that. Recognizing the blessings, both big and small, that surround me every day. Whether they are friends, opportunities, moments, or gifts, they are worth being grateful for. It's no fun to live like a cup of soured milk, always desiring something new. I've spent too many days living like that. It's harder, but better, to take these thoughts captive to Christ, and to let my eyesight be filtered through him, so that I'm living in recognition of all the blessings around me...
Now, back to the overstuffed chair.
That's right, blessings. I'm inclined to think that some things in life are blessings, and that if we take the time to recognize and enjoy them, the bad stuff loses a little bit of its bite. It's just the whole recognizing part is awfully hard for me to do, because i'm so accustomed to running through each day with my blinders up, only noticing whats happening in and around me. It takes a little more awareness, though, for these things to be noticed.
So i'm working on doing just that. Recognizing the blessings, both big and small, that surround me every day. Whether they are friends, opportunities, moments, or gifts, they are worth being grateful for. It's no fun to live like a cup of soured milk, always desiring something new. I've spent too many days living like that. It's harder, but better, to take these thoughts captive to Christ, and to let my eyesight be filtered through him, so that I'm living in recognition of all the blessings around me...
Now, back to the overstuffed chair.
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