Friday, October 12, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
To think about
“The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you.” --Frederick Buechner
“Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.” --Frederick Buechner
“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love” --Martin Luther King Jr.
“If any man ascribes anything of salvation, even the very least thing, to the free will of man, he knows nothing of grace, and he has not learned Jesus Christ rightly” --Martin Luther
“Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.” --Frederick Buechner
“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love” --Martin Luther King Jr.
“If any man ascribes anything of salvation, even the very least thing, to the free will of man, he knows nothing of grace, and he has not learned Jesus Christ rightly” --Martin Luther
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
God's Handwriting
He writes in characters too grand
For our short sight to understand;
We catch but broken strokes, and try
To fathom all the mystery
Of withered hopes, of death, of life,
The endless war, the useless strife, --
But there, with larger, clearer sight,
We shall see this -- His way was right.
.: John Oxenham
We are never the victim of nature or the prey of fate. Chance is eliminated. Would God truly abandon us to the whims of this fallen world? If we do not believe this than we are left to believe what Rabbi Kushner concluded in his book "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" that God is strong. Or God is good. But God is not both. If God cares, he isn't strong; if he is strong, he doesn't care. He can't be both. We are left to choose between "...a good God who is not totally powerful, or a powerful God who is not really good."
But the Bible tells us a different story:
"I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times & bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things." (Isaiah 45:7)
"God...is the blessed controller of all things, the king over all kings and the master of all masters." (1 Timothy 6:15)
and finally,
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God." (Isaiah 43:2-3)
We will go through the floods and fires but at the end of the day, the Lord is still over all things and completely in control.
I would not dare presume to tell someone who is going through trials that God is in control so it's all good. I have been through enough fires and floods in my life to know that that is not the answer. Personally, those people who told me that, I wanted to punch in the face and never speak another word to me. (Not the most Christ-like response I'll admit)
It is rather my own personal experience that God has provided comfort and peace where none should exist. Hope where none should exist. And when I read these scriptures, I am comforted as they seem to leap off the pages. I still do not know or understand God's ways. But I choose to accept His sovereignty.
For our short sight to understand;
We catch but broken strokes, and try
To fathom all the mystery
Of withered hopes, of death, of life,
The endless war, the useless strife, --
But there, with larger, clearer sight,
We shall see this -- His way was right.
.: John Oxenham
We are never the victim of nature or the prey of fate. Chance is eliminated. Would God truly abandon us to the whims of this fallen world? If we do not believe this than we are left to believe what Rabbi Kushner concluded in his book "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" that God is strong. Or God is good. But God is not both. If God cares, he isn't strong; if he is strong, he doesn't care. He can't be both. We are left to choose between "...a good God who is not totally powerful, or a powerful God who is not really good."
But the Bible tells us a different story:
"I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times & bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things." (Isaiah 45:7)
"God...is the blessed controller of all things, the king over all kings and the master of all masters." (1 Timothy 6:15)
and finally,
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God." (Isaiah 43:2-3)
We will go through the floods and fires but at the end of the day, the Lord is still over all things and completely in control.
I would not dare presume to tell someone who is going through trials that God is in control so it's all good. I have been through enough fires and floods in my life to know that that is not the answer. Personally, those people who told me that, I wanted to punch in the face and never speak another word to me. (Not the most Christ-like response I'll admit)
It is rather my own personal experience that God has provided comfort and peace where none should exist. Hope where none should exist. And when I read these scriptures, I am comforted as they seem to leap off the pages. I still do not know or understand God's ways. But I choose to accept His sovereignty.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Everyday
Everyday, Lord, I'll
Learn to stand upon Your word
And I pray that I
That I might come to know You more
That You would guide me with every single step I take, that
Everyday I can
Be Your light unto the world
Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord
--Hillsong United; 'Everyday'
I shall miss YC this year (www.ycnewfoundland.org) Pretty much, everything...the kids, the late-night parties, just the worship & fellowship. I know we can worship God everyday and anywhere, I guess it's just those mountain-top experiences that you revel in and want to soak in forever. But I am here and will do my best to worship everyday not just when I am in the midst of thousands worshipping but when I am alone in the quiet of my flat.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Gaining Ground
"O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed." -A.W. Tozer
I may want to have a closer relationship with God and be a man after God's own heart, but honestly if I look within, I often lack the passion & excitement that is a prerequisite. So perhaps instead I should pray that I might have the passion of Christ and see the world through Christ's eyes, to pray as I have often read that the things that break God's heart might break mine as well.
I may want to have a closer relationship with God and be a man after God's own heart, but honestly if I look within, I often lack the passion & excitement that is a prerequisite. So perhaps instead I should pray that I might have the passion of Christ and see the world through Christ's eyes, to pray as I have often read that the things that break God's heart might break mine as well.
Friday, September 21, 2007
What If?
I was reading recently that a state lawmaker in Nebraska has filed a lawsuit against God. The following is an excerpt from that article:
The suit asks the court for a "permanent injunction ordering defendant (God) to cease certain harmful activities and the making of terrorist threats" which affect innumerable persons, including Chambers' constituents.
It asserts that God is "the admitted perpetrator" of such acts and said that God's omnipresence gives the local Douglas County District Court jurisdiction in the suit, adding that God's omniscience eliminates the need to issue a formal notice of the lawsuit.
I’m sure a lot of us including myself have wanted to put God on the witness stand and ask what in the world is going on and demand answers to our questions, but like Job when our time does come we will quickly realize how little WE know:
"God then confronted Job directly: "Now what do you have to say for yourself?
Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into court and press charges?"
Job answered:
"I'm speechless, in awe—words fail me.
I should never have opened my mouth!
I've talked too much, way too much.
I'm ready to shut up and listen."
God addressed Job next from the eye of the storm, and this is what he said:
"I have some more questions for you,
and I want straight answers. "Do you presume to tell me what I'm doing wrong? Are you calling me a sinner so you can be a saint?
Do you have an arm like my arm? Can you shout in thunder the way I can?
Go ahead, show your stuff. Let's see what you're made of, what you can do.
Unleash your outrage.
Target the arrogant and lay them flat.
Target the arrogant and bring them to their knees.
Stop the wicked in their tracks—make mincemeat of them!
Dig a mass grave and dump them in it— faceless corpses in an unmarked grave.
I'll gladly step aside and hand things over to you— you can surely save yourself with no help from me!"
--Job 40:1-14 (The Message)
No doubt much of our bravado we strut around with will crumble in the presence of God Almighty…If only we’d realize this beforehand, what nobler, humbler lives we’d live!
The suit asks the court for a "permanent injunction ordering defendant (God) to cease certain harmful activities and the making of terrorist threats" which affect innumerable persons, including Chambers' constituents.
It asserts that God is "the admitted perpetrator" of such acts and said that God's omnipresence gives the local Douglas County District Court jurisdiction in the suit, adding that God's omniscience eliminates the need to issue a formal notice of the lawsuit.
I’m sure a lot of us including myself have wanted to put God on the witness stand and ask what in the world is going on and demand answers to our questions, but like Job when our time does come we will quickly realize how little WE know:
"God then confronted Job directly: "Now what do you have to say for yourself?
Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into court and press charges?"
Job answered:
"I'm speechless, in awe—words fail me.
I should never have opened my mouth!
I've talked too much, way too much.
I'm ready to shut up and listen."
God addressed Job next from the eye of the storm, and this is what he said:
"I have some more questions for you,
and I want straight answers. "Do you presume to tell me what I'm doing wrong? Are you calling me a sinner so you can be a saint?
Do you have an arm like my arm? Can you shout in thunder the way I can?
Go ahead, show your stuff. Let's see what you're made of, what you can do.
Unleash your outrage.
Target the arrogant and lay them flat.
Target the arrogant and bring them to their knees.
Stop the wicked in their tracks—make mincemeat of them!
Dig a mass grave and dump them in it— faceless corpses in an unmarked grave.
I'll gladly step aside and hand things over to you— you can surely save yourself with no help from me!"
--Job 40:1-14 (The Message)
No doubt much of our bravado we strut around with will crumble in the presence of God Almighty…If only we’d realize this beforehand, what nobler, humbler lives we’d live!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Common Cold for the Soul
To sinful patterns of behavior that never get confronted and changed,
Abilities and gifts that never get cultivated and deployed –
Until weeks become months
And months become years,
And one day you’re looking back on a life of
Deep intimate gut-wrenchingly honest conversations you never had;
Great bold prayers you never prayed,
Exhilarating risks you never took,
Sacrificial gifts you never offered
Lives you never touched,
And you’re sitting in a recliner with a shriveled soul,
And forgotten dreams,
And you realize there was a world of desperate need,
And a great God calling you to be part of something bigger
Than yourself-
Your see the person you have become but did not;
You never followed your calling.
You never got out of the boat.
To live a life unfulfilled is perhaps my greatest fear – to stand before my Maker and see what might have been had I forgotten about myself and turned my eyes on Him.
And of course, my realization of this only makes me more aware of my shortcomings.
The question is, what do I do about it? I could try to make every effort humanly possible to live each and every day with purposeful & passionate intent, but I have made those resolutions before, only to see them dissipate in a few days. I know my heart is right and that my soul craves to be led by Almighty Christ, therefore I must relinquish all the holds me back from experiencing the Holy and powerful Spirit of God which will transform me into a new creation – one that lives with a God-given purpose. That is my deepest and most sincere prayer. An honest assessment of where I am but more importantly where I want to be. I am believing that NOW is the time and that He is calling me into a deeper & more personal relationship with Him. I just need to take that step of faith when the opportunity presents itself.
Abilities and gifts that never get cultivated and deployed –
Until weeks become months
And months become years,
And one day you’re looking back on a life of
Deep intimate gut-wrenchingly honest conversations you never had;
Great bold prayers you never prayed,
Exhilarating risks you never took,
Sacrificial gifts you never offered
Lives you never touched,
And you’re sitting in a recliner with a shriveled soul,
And forgotten dreams,
And you realize there was a world of desperate need,
And a great God calling you to be part of something bigger
Than yourself-
Your see the person you have become but did not;
You never followed your calling.
You never got out of the boat.
To live a life unfulfilled is perhaps my greatest fear – to stand before my Maker and see what might have been had I forgotten about myself and turned my eyes on Him.
And of course, my realization of this only makes me more aware of my shortcomings.
The question is, what do I do about it? I could try to make every effort humanly possible to live each and every day with purposeful & passionate intent, but I have made those resolutions before, only to see them dissipate in a few days. I know my heart is right and that my soul craves to be led by Almighty Christ, therefore I must relinquish all the holds me back from experiencing the Holy and powerful Spirit of God which will transform me into a new creation – one that lives with a God-given purpose. That is my deepest and most sincere prayer. An honest assessment of where I am but more importantly where I want to be. I am believing that NOW is the time and that He is calling me into a deeper & more personal relationship with Him. I just need to take that step of faith when the opportunity presents itself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
