Webster defines the word Marvel as something that causes wonder or astonishment.
Marvel - Marveling...
I am simply marveling at the current moment in time.
I mean think about it: It's Christmas, the snow is increadible, I am safe and sound inside of a warm house, with family that loves Jesus.
Just thinking back to that manger some 2000 years ago is more than enough reason to marvel, today on Christmas, or any other day of the year.
To think of the incredible love that caused Jesus to come to earth for sinners like me? Man. I sure don't deserve that. But it is incredible. And it never grows old.
Love brought You here
to the world You created
Love sent His Son
on that first Christmas morn'
Lord, I marvel at Your love
that I cannot fully know
How could You save me,
after all that i've done?
How could the one who made the heavens,
take me as His own?
How could You love,
a sinner like me?
But the wonder of it all,
is that You sent Your Son that Christmas
the wonder of it all,
is that You even came at all.
You could have left us here to wonder
You could have left us on our own.
But You sent Your Son to save us,
and bring redemption for us all.
So in this priceless moment,
I'll fully stand amazed
on this perfect white Christmas,
I simply marvel at Your perfect Love.
-Marvel at Your Love
written 12/25/09
Friday, December 25, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Chances
Chances by Five For Fighting
Chances are when said and done
Who'll be the lucky ones
Who make it all the way?
Though you say I could be your answer
Nothing lasts forever
No matter how it feels today
Chances are we´ll find a new equation
Chances roll away from me
Chances are all they hope to be
Don't get me wrong I'd never say never
Cause though love can change the weather
No act of God can pull me away from you
I´m just a realistic man
A bottle filled with shells and sand
Afraid to love beyond what I can lose when it comes to you
And though I see us through yeah
Chances are we´ll find two destinations
Chances roll away from me
Still chances are more than expectations
The possibilities
Over me
Eight to five, two to one
Lay your money on the sun
until you crash what have you done?
Is there a better bet than love?
What you are is what you breathe
You gotta cry before you sing
Chances chances
Chances lost are hopes torn up pages
Maybe this time
Chances are we´ll be the combination
Chances come and carry me
Chances are waiting to be taken
And I can see
Chances are the fascination
Chances won't escape from me
Chances are only what we make them
And all I need
Chances are when said and done
Who'll be the lucky ones
Who make it all the way?
Though you say I could be your answer
Nothing lasts forever
No matter how it feels today
Chances are we´ll find a new equation
Chances roll away from me
Chances are all they hope to be
Don't get me wrong I'd never say never
Cause though love can change the weather
No act of God can pull me away from you
I´m just a realistic man
A bottle filled with shells and sand
Afraid to love beyond what I can lose when it comes to you
And though I see us through yeah
Chances are we´ll find two destinations
Chances roll away from me
Still chances are more than expectations
The possibilities
Over me
Eight to five, two to one
Lay your money on the sun
until you crash what have you done?
Is there a better bet than love?
What you are is what you breathe
You gotta cry before you sing
Chances chances
Chances lost are hopes torn up pages
Maybe this time
Chances are we´ll be the combination
Chances come and carry me
Chances are waiting to be taken
And I can see
Chances are the fascination
Chances won't escape from me
Chances are only what we make them
And all I need
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Love
It has been a really long time since I have written anything at all on here, and there are many reasons for that.
I have been insanely busy with school, basketball has started once again, and God has been teaching me a million things. He is in the process of changing old thinking habits and old things and making them new and transformed and different.
One of the biggest things that He has been teaching me recently has been about love, and it is incredibly difficult to express.
For a really long time I have been struggling with the complexity of life. I have wondered if I am going the right direction, or doing the things that I need to. I have worried many times if I was missing something, missing a path, missing something along the journey. But I have recently realized that this way of thinking is very selfish, and very far from God's reality.
In the New Testament, God gives us two basic commands. And those commands are to Love...to love God with EVERYTHING, and to love your neighbor exactly like you love yourself.
As a Christian in America, I have heard these words a million times, but when I get down to the facts, these two commands may really not be a reality in my life.
I tend to love God with some of my heart...but I don't want to give away everything.
And I tend to love myself and look out for myself above all else, and not give very much consideration to others. In fact, my default position is to love myself and not love God or others. Unless I consciously seek God and His help, I pretty much completely fail at loving God with my whole heart and loving others like I love myself.
I quickly find that when I start loving rightly, everything else falls into place.
In fact, once I realize that life is all about love, the complexity of life totally disappears.
I stop worrying about what "path" God wants me to go down, or worrying about what happens if I happen to miss something along the way. Because of this very important idea..."no matter where I go in life, if I love the way God intends, nothing else matters."
When I begin to love Jesus with everything, and love others as myself, everything else fades away.
Jesus becomes everything I need...which He is! He is everything I will ever ever need.
And the importance of everything else, of money, of relationships, of fame, status, etc...all of those things, get put in their proper places.
Life is constantly a battle. And it seems that many of these battles come down to the way we love. Do we love rightly? Biblically? The way God intended? Or do we love selfishly? Like Americans? Like American Christians?
I recently read the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.
And there are so many things that I could write about that book.
But I will summarize.
The Gospels basically say that in order to be a follower of God we must give EVERYTHING away. God wants us...and He wants ALL of us. Even the messy parts.
He wants the parts we don't want to give away easily. He wants the things that we may be ashamed about, or not want to part with.
He told the rich man to go and give away all of his money and then He could follow Jesus...but the rich man didn't want to do it. And He said it was easier for a donkey to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to heaven.
I had always known about that passage...but that passage scared the living daylights out of me.
Many times I don't think of myself as rich....but I am so filthy rich compared to the rest of the world. Every single Christian in America is filthy rich compared to the rest of the world.
And most of us I fear, don't understand that.
We don't really have to give up anything to be an "American Christian."
We can do all the right things, say the right things, go to Church on Sundays, and give 10 percent...but is this wholehearted devotion to the God of the Universe?
When Jesus says give everything, but we give 10 percent, are we really loving Him and doing what He says?
Do we love Him enough to do what He says?
Or do we love ourselves so much that we keep as much as we can?
See the battle of love there? Everything comes down to love.
It talks about how the Gospel changes everything.
And when Jesus comes into someone's life, He radically transforms them!
He moves in to a home and He clears out the old and makes all things new!
But!
It sadly seems...
that for many Christians, we just tack God on to our lives. We fit Him in wherever it's convenient, or easy, or safe. We fit Him in when we like it...and leave Him out when we don't like it.
As Pastor Mike has been talking about in Church...
"People want a Savior...they just don't want a Lord, or a King, or a Master.
They want their needs met, but they don't want someone who is going to make any claims on their life or tell them what they can or can't do."
Do we love Jesus enough to do what He says?
Do we love Him? Do we show it?
Do we love rightly? Or do we love ourselves?
Is He enough? Is He everything? Will we give everything away for Him?
Everything that we do is a reflection of the way that we love. When we buy something, it is a reflection of what we love. When we talk to someone, the things we talk about are a reflection of our hearts, and a reflection of the things we love. What we think about is a reflection of what we love. Our love can be wrong or it can be right. It can be selfish, or it can be selfless.
Many Americans view love as a selfish thing...it's what they can get out of something.
But the Gospel changes all of this...Jesus is the ultimate picture of love...and it is completely and fully selfless.
And this kind of love, is the love that God tells Christians to have.
We are to love like Christ loved!
What a great picture He has given us!
And what a tremendous challenge He has set before us.
I must confess that often, I do not love like Christ.
I tend to want to love myself...to think of myself...but I cannot do this!
I must seek and strive to love as Christ loved! and to get rid of anything that stands in the way of that.
Loving like this will never be safe.
Britt Nicole has a song called "Safe" - and some of the lyrics are here.
I'm so tired of turning and running away
When love just isn't safe.
Love will never be safe...or easy. But it's the way that we must love!
We must break down the walls and begin to love like God intends.
It may go against everything in American culture, but we must love rightly, and love selflessly.
Britt Nicole asks - If everything comes down to love, then just what am I afraid of?
I fear that many of us do not understand that life comes down to love.
Whether or not we understand it doesn't change the fact that love drives every single action we make.
And love comes out of the heart.
Everything comes down to love...and everything comes down to the heart.
My Spiritual Formation teacher from Cedarville University recently spoke in Chapel.
He was talking about the heart...and this is what he says.
(Edward is a reference to the character Edward from "Sense and Sensibility.)
"Too often like Edward, we shrink from commitment and devotion to the Lord.
We treat God as a casual friend rather than our hearts deepest desire.
We leave God lingering and waiting, His love for us all the while, unrequited.
But all the while, His love keeps reaching out to us seeking to draw us into genuine intimacy with Him. His stubborn love keeps pursuing us even as we flirt with so many other attractions. Even as we give our hearts to so many lesser things.
The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.
Our commitment to the Lord must be this, “unite my heart to fear His Name.”
He will only be satisfied, and I will only be satisfied when I can say, my heart is, and always will be, Yours. Because the heart of the matter is, the matter of our heart."
God calls us to love like He loves.
And we will only be satisfied when we love Him with our entire hearts. Nothing else, will ever ever satisfy. Only my beautiful and loving Savior can do such a thing.
Jesus only You can satisfy.
only You satisfy.
only You can fill my deepest need
if You take everything else away,
You will still be everything I need.
The One that made the stars and fashioned the galaxies is God and God alone.
He sent His son because of love.
Jesus came and humbled Himself and died a cruel death because of love.
He rose from the grave, He conquored death, and He is seated at the right hand of God the Father.
He is the ultimate picture of love. He is love. He is the great lover.
We are to love like Him.
And He is still in the business of loving sinners and transforming them into His children.
It is a beautiful picture. It is a picture of love greater than I can fully comprehend.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
Jesus invites sinners to come to Him and find life, and find salvation. Jesus alone saves. He alone is the one who saves sinners, and gives them eternal life. Salvation is found in no other.
John 7:37 - "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink."
John 4:13,14 - "Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
Love Never Fails by Brandon Heath
Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most
Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep locked inside
Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you
Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time
Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you
When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this
Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the Way
The Truth the Life
Everything by Lifehouse
You're all I want You're all I need.
You're everything, everything
You're all I want You're all I need, you're everything, everything.
Jesus You are everything.
I have been insanely busy with school, basketball has started once again, and God has been teaching me a million things. He is in the process of changing old thinking habits and old things and making them new and transformed and different.
One of the biggest things that He has been teaching me recently has been about love, and it is incredibly difficult to express.
For a really long time I have been struggling with the complexity of life. I have wondered if I am going the right direction, or doing the things that I need to. I have worried many times if I was missing something, missing a path, missing something along the journey. But I have recently realized that this way of thinking is very selfish, and very far from God's reality.
In the New Testament, God gives us two basic commands. And those commands are to Love...to love God with EVERYTHING, and to love your neighbor exactly like you love yourself.
As a Christian in America, I have heard these words a million times, but when I get down to the facts, these two commands may really not be a reality in my life.
I tend to love God with some of my heart...but I don't want to give away everything.
And I tend to love myself and look out for myself above all else, and not give very much consideration to others. In fact, my default position is to love myself and not love God or others. Unless I consciously seek God and His help, I pretty much completely fail at loving God with my whole heart and loving others like I love myself.
I quickly find that when I start loving rightly, everything else falls into place.
In fact, once I realize that life is all about love, the complexity of life totally disappears.
I stop worrying about what "path" God wants me to go down, or worrying about what happens if I happen to miss something along the way. Because of this very important idea..."no matter where I go in life, if I love the way God intends, nothing else matters."
When I begin to love Jesus with everything, and love others as myself, everything else fades away.
Jesus becomes everything I need...which He is! He is everything I will ever ever need.
And the importance of everything else, of money, of relationships, of fame, status, etc...all of those things, get put in their proper places.
Life is constantly a battle. And it seems that many of these battles come down to the way we love. Do we love rightly? Biblically? The way God intended? Or do we love selfishly? Like Americans? Like American Christians?
I recently read the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.
And there are so many things that I could write about that book.
But I will summarize.
The Gospels basically say that in order to be a follower of God we must give EVERYTHING away. God wants us...and He wants ALL of us. Even the messy parts.
He wants the parts we don't want to give away easily. He wants the things that we may be ashamed about, or not want to part with.
He told the rich man to go and give away all of his money and then He could follow Jesus...but the rich man didn't want to do it. And He said it was easier for a donkey to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to heaven.
I had always known about that passage...but that passage scared the living daylights out of me.
Many times I don't think of myself as rich....but I am so filthy rich compared to the rest of the world. Every single Christian in America is filthy rich compared to the rest of the world.
And most of us I fear, don't understand that.
We don't really have to give up anything to be an "American Christian."
We can do all the right things, say the right things, go to Church on Sundays, and give 10 percent...but is this wholehearted devotion to the God of the Universe?
When Jesus says give everything, but we give 10 percent, are we really loving Him and doing what He says?
Do we love Him enough to do what He says?
Or do we love ourselves so much that we keep as much as we can?
See the battle of love there? Everything comes down to love.
It talks about how the Gospel changes everything.
And when Jesus comes into someone's life, He radically transforms them!
He moves in to a home and He clears out the old and makes all things new!
But!
It sadly seems...
that for many Christians, we just tack God on to our lives. We fit Him in wherever it's convenient, or easy, or safe. We fit Him in when we like it...and leave Him out when we don't like it.
As Pastor Mike has been talking about in Church...
"People want a Savior...they just don't want a Lord, or a King, or a Master.
They want their needs met, but they don't want someone who is going to make any claims on their life or tell them what they can or can't do."
Do we love Jesus enough to do what He says?
Do we love Him? Do we show it?
Do we love rightly? Or do we love ourselves?
Is He enough? Is He everything? Will we give everything away for Him?
Everything that we do is a reflection of the way that we love. When we buy something, it is a reflection of what we love. When we talk to someone, the things we talk about are a reflection of our hearts, and a reflection of the things we love. What we think about is a reflection of what we love. Our love can be wrong or it can be right. It can be selfish, or it can be selfless.
Many Americans view love as a selfish thing...it's what they can get out of something.
But the Gospel changes all of this...Jesus is the ultimate picture of love...and it is completely and fully selfless.
And this kind of love, is the love that God tells Christians to have.
We are to love like Christ loved!
What a great picture He has given us!
And what a tremendous challenge He has set before us.
I must confess that often, I do not love like Christ.
I tend to want to love myself...to think of myself...but I cannot do this!
I must seek and strive to love as Christ loved! and to get rid of anything that stands in the way of that.
Loving like this will never be safe.
Britt Nicole has a song called "Safe" - and some of the lyrics are here.
I'm so tired of turning and running away
When love just isn't safe.
Love will never be safe...or easy. But it's the way that we must love!
We must break down the walls and begin to love like God intends.
It may go against everything in American culture, but we must love rightly, and love selflessly.
Britt Nicole asks - If everything comes down to love, then just what am I afraid of?
I fear that many of us do not understand that life comes down to love.
Whether or not we understand it doesn't change the fact that love drives every single action we make.
And love comes out of the heart.
Everything comes down to love...and everything comes down to the heart.
My Spiritual Formation teacher from Cedarville University recently spoke in Chapel.
He was talking about the heart...and this is what he says.
(Edward is a reference to the character Edward from "Sense and Sensibility.)
"Too often like Edward, we shrink from commitment and devotion to the Lord.
We treat God as a casual friend rather than our hearts deepest desire.
We leave God lingering and waiting, His love for us all the while, unrequited.
But all the while, His love keeps reaching out to us seeking to draw us into genuine intimacy with Him. His stubborn love keeps pursuing us even as we flirt with so many other attractions. Even as we give our hearts to so many lesser things.
The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.
Our commitment to the Lord must be this, “unite my heart to fear His Name.”
He will only be satisfied, and I will only be satisfied when I can say, my heart is, and always will be, Yours. Because the heart of the matter is, the matter of our heart."
God calls us to love like He loves.
And we will only be satisfied when we love Him with our entire hearts. Nothing else, will ever ever satisfy. Only my beautiful and loving Savior can do such a thing.
Jesus only You can satisfy.
only You satisfy.
only You can fill my deepest need
if You take everything else away,
You will still be everything I need.
The One that made the stars and fashioned the galaxies is God and God alone.
He sent His son because of love.
Jesus came and humbled Himself and died a cruel death because of love.
He rose from the grave, He conquored death, and He is seated at the right hand of God the Father.
He is the ultimate picture of love. He is love. He is the great lover.
We are to love like Him.
And He is still in the business of loving sinners and transforming them into His children.
It is a beautiful picture. It is a picture of love greater than I can fully comprehend.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
Jesus invites sinners to come to Him and find life, and find salvation. Jesus alone saves. He alone is the one who saves sinners, and gives them eternal life. Salvation is found in no other.
John 7:37 - "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink."
John 4:13,14 - "Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
Love Never Fails by Brandon Heath
Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most
Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep locked inside
Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you
Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time
Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you
When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this
Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the Way
The Truth the Life
Everything by Lifehouse
You're all I want You're all I need.
You're everything, everything
You're all I want You're all I need, you're everything, everything.
Jesus You are everything.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Random
Why do we turn and walk away from anything that looks difficult?
Sometimes things end, just as quickly as they began.
Sometimes things end, just as quickly as they began.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Love is not a fight...but it's certainly worth fighting for
Love is Not a Fight by Warren Barfield
Love is not a place
To come and go as we please
It's a house we enter in
Then commit to never leave
So lock the door behind you
Throw away the key
We'll work it out together
Let it bring us to our knees
Chorus:
Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for
To some, love is a word
That they can fall into
But when they're falling out
Keeping that word is hard to do
Chorus:
Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for
Love will come to save us
If we'll only call
He will ask nothing from us
But demand we give our all
Chorus:
Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for
I will fight for you
Would you fight for me?
It's worth fighting for
Love is not a place
To come and go as we please
It's a house we enter in
Then commit to never leave
So lock the door behind you
Throw away the key
We'll work it out together
Let it bring us to our knees
Chorus:
Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for
To some, love is a word
That they can fall into
But when they're falling out
Keeping that word is hard to do
Chorus:
Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for
Love will come to save us
If we'll only call
He will ask nothing from us
But demand we give our all
Chorus:
Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for
I will fight for you
Would you fight for me?
It's worth fighting for
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Stained Glass Masquerade
All of us seem to act like we've got it all together.
But rarely, is that ever true.
But we won't admit we're wrong...we won't ever try to change it.
We're just content to coast through life like everything is ok.
Our relationships aren't deep.
Our friendships are never sharpening.
We're just kinda...there.
We just kinda float.
And we never really care.
Stained Glass Masquerade by Casting Crowns
Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small
Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they’ll soon discover
That I don’t belong
So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them
*Chorus*
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone who’s been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who’s traded
In the altar for a stage
The performance is CONVINCING
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart
But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be
Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay
Chorus x2
Well if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone that fails?
Is there anyone that falls?
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small?
But rarely, is that ever true.
But we won't admit we're wrong...we won't ever try to change it.
We're just content to coast through life like everything is ok.
Our relationships aren't deep.
Our friendships are never sharpening.
We're just kinda...there.
We just kinda float.
And we never really care.
Stained Glass Masquerade by Casting Crowns
Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small
Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they’ll soon discover
That I don’t belong
So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them
*Chorus*
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone who’s been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who’s traded
In the altar for a stage
The performance is CONVINCING
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart
But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be
Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay
Chorus x2
Well if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone that fails?
Is there anyone that falls?
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small?
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Hard things and right things.
If something is right, we MUST do it, no matter how hard it may seem, no matter what obstacles are in our path, and no matter how blind the leap of faith may be. There's no way around truth, there's no way around the right thing, we must do it, no matter what.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Rock The Light - Friday
Random Lines
---
When Love is the raging sea
You can hold on to me
We'll find a way tonight
Love is an ocean wide
Enough to forget...even when we think we can't.
Love is an ocean wide.
---
Maybe a greater thing will happen
Maybe all will see
Maybe our love will catch like fire
---
How many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
---
Lead me to the Cross, where Your love poured out.
Lead me to Your heart...to Your heart.
---
It's everything You've promised
There's no greater love than this
From prophets until today
A man laying down His life for His friends
Your sacrifice has spoken, You gave everything
And “I love you” could not be said
A better way
---
I know it might not look that way
But You’re gonna live to fight another day
There’s a place I know
Outside of town
Let’s get out of here
Where all our fears don’t hang around
Here’s another chance
Take it while you can
Cause it sure wont last
Moves so fast
And it’s gone again
---
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
---
Can you feel the call of love?
Is it moving you to be a child of God of love?
Is it reaching you?
It's everywhere the call of love.
I just want to show you what I mean
I just want to love like you've never seen
Do you want to live like you used to dream?
Then I've got a song for you
Cuz I am gonna show you what I mean
I am gonna' love like you've never seen
You are gonna live like you used to dream
This is your new song
---
Cover me with a red sky tonight. The promise of a better day to come.
All you need is a sunrise.
We all go through storms, and all of our storms are unique.
Sometimes God decides to rescue us from those storms, and sometimes He decides to go with us through the storm. But no matter which way He chooses, He will never leave or abandon us. And we are to praise Him in the midst of every storm He brings us.
So often the giants call and shout out our names and remind us of all the times we have fallen. The giants say we can't do it, we can't go on, we can't overcome. And in the moments of wanting to quit so badly, God says no. Keep fighting. I tell you a different story. The Voice of Truth says do not be afraid...I will get you through it.
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away.
Walks...Stands...Sits...Psalm 1...
People NEVER crumble in a day.
You're part of a body, not an audience.
You can come tragically close to the well, and go away thirsty. You can know everything about God, and go to Church, and read your Bible, and go to concerts, and never drink the living water of Jesus.
It doesn't bother the world that we sin, it bothers them that we act like we don't sin.
Maybe it's time to throw of all the superficial, and live transparently?
A good song always poses good questions.
And all good conversation requires the same.
"If all I had was one last chance, I would take it, and I would stake it all on You."
What you pour into your life will eventually come out.
"Your love is extravagent, Your friendship it is intimate."
"What if the Church, for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took a stand upon God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates?
Chorus I:
What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His faith, yeah
And turn from their old ways?
And what would happen if we prayed
For those raised up to lead the way?
Then maybe kids in school could pray
And unborn children see light of day
What if the life that we pursue
Came from a hunger for the truth
What if the family turned to Jesus
Stopped asking Oprah what to do?"
---
Everything, in the end, comes down to Jesus. It's all about Jesus, and it's all about love.
--
And there it is...everything, all right in front of you.
We know what to do, we know the it will be hard, but we know God would provide and lead if we would but DO what He says.
We know what to do, but why don't we do it?
Why are our priorities always so out of whack?
It is really quite interesting that in a day and age where MILLIONS are spent on Christian music, many know next to nothing about correct doctrine or even how to share the Gospel, and even less know how to live out the Christian life.
We're told in songs to love people like Jesus, but do we do that?
We ask for the eyes of Jesus, so we can see everything we keep missing, but do we really really deep-down want that? Do we really want our lives to be altered that much? Or, do we just want to stay safe?
So often, I want to stay safe and secure in my own little bubble.
The words that we sing, do we sing them because we mean them? Or, do we sing them because of the sweet beat or the fact that everyone else is singing? Oh, everyone else is singing, I better sing. haha. Well, what if everyone is singing just because everyone else is, and everyone just wants to fit in? Then, everyone is fake, and that is what alot of Christianity is today in America.
It's fake and plasticy, and not relational and vibrant.
Music gets old, and stories change.
Everything is fine here at this place. Everything is fine at the alter.
But when the music is over, and we leave this place, it's only you and Jesus.
And He wants an intimate relationship, He wants us to radically give over every part of our lives to Him, and for us to give ourselves fully to Him. He wants us, and He wants all of us, forever and ever.
And He gave everything for us, and He romanced a broken world because He wanted you and He wanted me. He gave everything, and I love you could not be said a better way.
---
When Love is the raging sea
You can hold on to me
We'll find a way tonight
Love is an ocean wide
Enough to forget...even when we think we can't.
Love is an ocean wide.
---
Maybe a greater thing will happen
Maybe all will see
Maybe our love will catch like fire
---
How many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
---
Lead me to the Cross, where Your love poured out.
Lead me to Your heart...to Your heart.
---
It's everything You've promised
There's no greater love than this
From prophets until today
A man laying down His life for His friends
Your sacrifice has spoken, You gave everything
And “I love you” could not be said
A better way
---
I know it might not look that way
But You’re gonna live to fight another day
There’s a place I know
Outside of town
Let’s get out of here
Where all our fears don’t hang around
Here’s another chance
Take it while you can
Cause it sure wont last
Moves so fast
And it’s gone again
---
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
---
Can you feel the call of love?
Is it moving you to be a child of God of love?
Is it reaching you?
It's everywhere the call of love.
I just want to show you what I mean
I just want to love like you've never seen
Do you want to live like you used to dream?
Then I've got a song for you
Cuz I am gonna show you what I mean
I am gonna' love like you've never seen
You are gonna live like you used to dream
This is your new song
---
Cover me with a red sky tonight. The promise of a better day to come.
All you need is a sunrise.
We all go through storms, and all of our storms are unique.
Sometimes God decides to rescue us from those storms, and sometimes He decides to go with us through the storm. But no matter which way He chooses, He will never leave or abandon us. And we are to praise Him in the midst of every storm He brings us.
So often the giants call and shout out our names and remind us of all the times we have fallen. The giants say we can't do it, we can't go on, we can't overcome. And in the moments of wanting to quit so badly, God says no. Keep fighting. I tell you a different story. The Voice of Truth says do not be afraid...I will get you through it.
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away.
Walks...Stands...Sits...Psalm 1...
People NEVER crumble in a day.
You're part of a body, not an audience.
You can come tragically close to the well, and go away thirsty. You can know everything about God, and go to Church, and read your Bible, and go to concerts, and never drink the living water of Jesus.
It doesn't bother the world that we sin, it bothers them that we act like we don't sin.
Maybe it's time to throw of all the superficial, and live transparently?
A good song always poses good questions.
And all good conversation requires the same.
"If all I had was one last chance, I would take it, and I would stake it all on You."
What you pour into your life will eventually come out.
"Your love is extravagent, Your friendship it is intimate."
"What if the Church, for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took a stand upon God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates?
Chorus I:
What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His faith, yeah
And turn from their old ways?
And what would happen if we prayed
For those raised up to lead the way?
Then maybe kids in school could pray
And unborn children see light of day
What if the life that we pursue
Came from a hunger for the truth
What if the family turned to Jesus
Stopped asking Oprah what to do?"
---
Everything, in the end, comes down to Jesus. It's all about Jesus, and it's all about love.
--
And there it is...everything, all right in front of you.
We know what to do, we know the it will be hard, but we know God would provide and lead if we would but DO what He says.
We know what to do, but why don't we do it?
Why are our priorities always so out of whack?
It is really quite interesting that in a day and age where MILLIONS are spent on Christian music, many know next to nothing about correct doctrine or even how to share the Gospel, and even less know how to live out the Christian life.
We're told in songs to love people like Jesus, but do we do that?
We ask for the eyes of Jesus, so we can see everything we keep missing, but do we really really deep-down want that? Do we really want our lives to be altered that much? Or, do we just want to stay safe?
So often, I want to stay safe and secure in my own little bubble.
The words that we sing, do we sing them because we mean them? Or, do we sing them because of the sweet beat or the fact that everyone else is singing? Oh, everyone else is singing, I better sing. haha. Well, what if everyone is singing just because everyone else is, and everyone just wants to fit in? Then, everyone is fake, and that is what alot of Christianity is today in America.
It's fake and plasticy, and not relational and vibrant.
Music gets old, and stories change.
Everything is fine here at this place. Everything is fine at the alter.
But when the music is over, and we leave this place, it's only you and Jesus.
And He wants an intimate relationship, He wants us to radically give over every part of our lives to Him, and for us to give ourselves fully to Him. He wants us, and He wants all of us, forever and ever.
And He gave everything for us, and He romanced a broken world because He wanted you and He wanted me. He gave everything, and I love you could not be said a better way.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Thousand Year Leap
The following are the 28 Principles from the Thousand Year Leap
"1st Principle - The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is Natural Law.
2 - A free people cannot survive under a republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong.
3 - The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders.
4 - Without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained.
5 - All things were created by God, therefore upon Him all mankind are equally dependant and to Him they are equally responsible.
6 - All men are created equal.
7 - The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things.
8 - Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.
9 - To protect man's rights, God has revealed certain principles of divine law.
10 - The God-given right to govern is vested in the sovereign authority of the whole people.
11 - The majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical.
12 - The United States of America shall be a Republic.
13 - A constitution should be structured to permanently protect the people from the human frailties of their rulers.
14 - Life and liberty are secure only so long as the right to property is secure.
15 - The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free-market economy and a minimum of government regulations.
16 - The government should be separated into three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.
17 - A system of checks and balances should be adopted to prevent the abuse of power.
18 - The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written constitution.
19 - Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained in the people.
20 - Efficiency and dispatch require government to operate according to the will of the majority, but constitutional provisions must be made to protect the rights of the minority.
21 - Strong local self-government is the keystone to preserving human freedom.
22 - A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men.
23 - A free society cannot survive as a republic without a broad program of general education.
24 - A free people will not survive unless they stay strong.
25 - Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations - entangling alliances with none.
26 - The core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its integrity.
27 - The burden of debt is as destructive to freedom as subjugation by conquest.
28 - The United States has a manifest destiny to be an example and a blessing to the entire human race."
"1st Principle - The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is Natural Law.
2 - A free people cannot survive under a republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong.
3 - The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders.
4 - Without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained.
5 - All things were created by God, therefore upon Him all mankind are equally dependant and to Him they are equally responsible.
6 - All men are created equal.
7 - The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things.
8 - Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.
9 - To protect man's rights, God has revealed certain principles of divine law.
10 - The God-given right to govern is vested in the sovereign authority of the whole people.
11 - The majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical.
12 - The United States of America shall be a Republic.
13 - A constitution should be structured to permanently protect the people from the human frailties of their rulers.
14 - Life and liberty are secure only so long as the right to property is secure.
15 - The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free-market economy and a minimum of government regulations.
16 - The government should be separated into three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.
17 - A system of checks and balances should be adopted to prevent the abuse of power.
18 - The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written constitution.
19 - Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained in the people.
20 - Efficiency and dispatch require government to operate according to the will of the majority, but constitutional provisions must be made to protect the rights of the minority.
21 - Strong local self-government is the keystone to preserving human freedom.
22 - A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men.
23 - A free society cannot survive as a republic without a broad program of general education.
24 - A free people will not survive unless they stay strong.
25 - Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations - entangling alliances with none.
26 - The core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its integrity.
27 - The burden of debt is as destructive to freedom as subjugation by conquest.
28 - The United States has a manifest destiny to be an example and a blessing to the entire human race."
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Let Go
In the movie, "Facing the Giants," there is a song called Completely. The very first line of this song says, "The Secret of life is letting go."
I've been thinking alot about that phrase the last few days.
It has come to my attention yet again that there are many things in life that we must let go of. The things that we must let go of vary from person to person. We have to let go of things, old friends, old relationships. We have to let go of the past. We can never fully embrace today until we let go of yesterday. When we cling to yesterday we are only hurting our capacity to live for today and build for tomorrow. Often, our refusal to let go of something can cripple us. We become so consumed with something that neglect our responsibilities in the present. We must remember that wherever we go, we have relational responsibilities, work related responsibilities, and ultimately each of us has a responsibility to be intimately walking with God. Often though, other things get in the way. We refuse to let go of something, and it in turn hinders, damages, or even destroys our relationship with God. The more that I have thought about this the more vital I realize that letting go really is!
After I had thought about this a little bit more, I sort of summarized with 2 things.
First, letting go of something typically means letting go of something lesser to embrace something bigger and better and newer. It's hard for us to let go of things because we like things the way they are, we don't like change. We don't like change because it brings an unknown element. If I let go of "WHATEVER" it may never get replaced with something better. This fear, while very understandable, is very unfounded. God always provides us with more than enough, and if He asks us to let go of something, who are we to say no?
Second, at it's core, the refusal to let go is steeped in pride. Whenever we say we refuse to let go of something God wants us to, we are saying that we know better. Not letting go of our desires is selfish, it is pride.
So often I pursue things completely because I want to. Often, my thoughts and actions are motivated only because of what I WANT, not what God says or desires.
We must let go of our own desires and live as God wants us to live.
Romans says, "Be not conformed to the pattern of this world."
The pattern of our culture is self-centerdness and selfishness. As Christians, we must not be conformed to this pattern. We must life selflessly and humbly. We must, if we have any chance of showing this world that we are any different.
"Narrow is the road that leads to life, and few find it.
Anybody can kick it wide left or wide right, but that's not gonna get you home. The ball has got to go through the middle. You must choose the narrow way."
I've been thinking alot about that phrase the last few days.
It has come to my attention yet again that there are many things in life that we must let go of. The things that we must let go of vary from person to person. We have to let go of things, old friends, old relationships. We have to let go of the past. We can never fully embrace today until we let go of yesterday. When we cling to yesterday we are only hurting our capacity to live for today and build for tomorrow. Often, our refusal to let go of something can cripple us. We become so consumed with something that neglect our responsibilities in the present. We must remember that wherever we go, we have relational responsibilities, work related responsibilities, and ultimately each of us has a responsibility to be intimately walking with God. Often though, other things get in the way. We refuse to let go of something, and it in turn hinders, damages, or even destroys our relationship with God. The more that I have thought about this the more vital I realize that letting go really is!
After I had thought about this a little bit more, I sort of summarized with 2 things.
First, letting go of something typically means letting go of something lesser to embrace something bigger and better and newer. It's hard for us to let go of things because we like things the way they are, we don't like change. We don't like change because it brings an unknown element. If I let go of "WHATEVER" it may never get replaced with something better. This fear, while very understandable, is very unfounded. God always provides us with more than enough, and if He asks us to let go of something, who are we to say no?
Second, at it's core, the refusal to let go is steeped in pride. Whenever we say we refuse to let go of something God wants us to, we are saying that we know better. Not letting go of our desires is selfish, it is pride.
So often I pursue things completely because I want to. Often, my thoughts and actions are motivated only because of what I WANT, not what God says or desires.
We must let go of our own desires and live as God wants us to live.
Romans says, "Be not conformed to the pattern of this world."
The pattern of our culture is self-centerdness and selfishness. As Christians, we must not be conformed to this pattern. We must life selflessly and humbly. We must, if we have any chance of showing this world that we are any different.
"Narrow is the road that leads to life, and few find it.
Anybody can kick it wide left or wide right, but that's not gonna get you home. The ball has got to go through the middle. You must choose the narrow way."
Saturday, August 22, 2009
How He Loves
How He Loves sung by David Crowder
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
God has been showing me alot recently about love.
The way that God really loves His children is so incredible and beyond our full comprehension. There is much that I cannot comprehend about this love, and there is much I still have to learn about it.
He is truly jealous for our hearts...and grace really is an endless ocean.
We've been given so much, much more than we can even imagine.
Who are we to live for any other than Jesus?
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
God has been showing me alot recently about love.
The way that God really loves His children is so incredible and beyond our full comprehension. There is much that I cannot comprehend about this love, and there is much I still have to learn about it.
He is truly jealous for our hearts...and grace really is an endless ocean.
We've been given so much, much more than we can even imagine.
Who are we to live for any other than Jesus?
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Just Do Something
From the book, "Just Do Something."
"Our search for the will of God has become an accomplice in the postponement of growing up, a convenient out for the young (or old) Christian floating through life without direction or purpose. Too many of us have passed off our instability, inconsistency, and endless self-exploration as "looking for God's will," as if not making up our minds and meandering through life were marks of spiritual sensitivity.
As a result, we are full of passivity and empty on follow-through. We're tinkering around with everyone and everything. Instead, when it comes to our future, we should take some responsibility, make a decision, and just do something."
"Our search for the will of God has become an accomplice in the postponement of growing up, a convenient out for the young (or old) Christian floating through life without direction or purpose. Too many of us have passed off our instability, inconsistency, and endless self-exploration as "looking for God's will," as if not making up our minds and meandering through life were marks of spiritual sensitivity.
As a result, we are full of passivity and empty on follow-through. We're tinkering around with everyone and everything. Instead, when it comes to our future, we should take some responsibility, make a decision, and just do something."
Sunday, August 2, 2009
The Shack - Relationships Based On Expectancy
I am currently reading through "The Shack," and while I definitely do not agree with everything in it, I came across a deep section of the book today.
This paragraph is from page 207. This is a chapter that is talking about verbs. This section talks about expectancy in relationships.
“Let’s use the example of friendship and how removing the element of life from a noun can drastically alter a relationship. Mack, if you and I are friends, there is an expectancy that exists within our relationship. When we see each other or are apart, there is an expectancy of being together, of laughing and talking. That expectancy has no concrete definition; it is alive and dynamic and everything that emerges from our being together is a unique gift shared by NO ONE ELSE. But what happens if I change that expectancy to an expectation – spoken or unspoken? Suddenly, law has entered into our relationship. You are now expected to perform in a way that meets my expectations. Our living friendship rapidly deteriorates into a dead thing with rules and requirements. It is no longer about you and me, but about what friends are supposed to do, or the responsibilities of a good friend.”
“Or,” noted Mack, “the responsibilities of a husband, or a father, or an employee, or whatever. I get the picture. I would much rather live in expectancy.”
This passage immediately hit me really hard, and I began to read it again and again. There is so much in this paragraph. What first stuck out to me was this..
So often we have relationships, and they suddently turn into a relationship based on expectation. We HAVE to do something...we have to fit ourselves into a certain mold. It becomes an obligation, and this is when we cease to be ourselves. I must say that this is not real relationship, this is not real intimacy with another person. We must do everything that we can to guard against our relationsihps becoming all about expectations and rather have them be about expectancy. If we don't, our relationships become dead.
The second part I thought about was much later in the day. Often, we treat our relationhship with God like this. We treat our relationship with God as a duty, as something we have to do. It becomes a responsibility. We do things for God simply because it's something we're supposed to do because we say we're Christians. It becomes a "dead thing, with rules and requirements."
God doesn't want our relationship with Him to be like that. He wants us to delight in Him, He wants us to do things simply because we love Him and we desire Him above all else. Our relationship with God should be alive and it should be vibrant. It should be a verb, not a noun. God longs for us to have this type of a relationship with Him, we are to seek Him and desire Him above all else. It shouldn't be a "dead thing, with rules and requirements." It is simply about me and God, alive, living, breathing, and dynamic. A verb, not a noun.
This paragraph is from page 207. This is a chapter that is talking about verbs. This section talks about expectancy in relationships.
“Let’s use the example of friendship and how removing the element of life from a noun can drastically alter a relationship. Mack, if you and I are friends, there is an expectancy that exists within our relationship. When we see each other or are apart, there is an expectancy of being together, of laughing and talking. That expectancy has no concrete definition; it is alive and dynamic and everything that emerges from our being together is a unique gift shared by NO ONE ELSE. But what happens if I change that expectancy to an expectation – spoken or unspoken? Suddenly, law has entered into our relationship. You are now expected to perform in a way that meets my expectations. Our living friendship rapidly deteriorates into a dead thing with rules and requirements. It is no longer about you and me, but about what friends are supposed to do, or the responsibilities of a good friend.”
“Or,” noted Mack, “the responsibilities of a husband, or a father, or an employee, or whatever. I get the picture. I would much rather live in expectancy.”
This passage immediately hit me really hard, and I began to read it again and again. There is so much in this paragraph. What first stuck out to me was this..
So often we have relationships, and they suddently turn into a relationship based on expectation. We HAVE to do something...we have to fit ourselves into a certain mold. It becomes an obligation, and this is when we cease to be ourselves. I must say that this is not real relationship, this is not real intimacy with another person. We must do everything that we can to guard against our relationsihps becoming all about expectations and rather have them be about expectancy. If we don't, our relationships become dead.
The second part I thought about was much later in the day. Often, we treat our relationhship with God like this. We treat our relationship with God as a duty, as something we have to do. It becomes a responsibility. We do things for God simply because it's something we're supposed to do because we say we're Christians. It becomes a "dead thing, with rules and requirements."
God doesn't want our relationship with Him to be like that. He wants us to delight in Him, He wants us to do things simply because we love Him and we desire Him above all else. Our relationship with God should be alive and it should be vibrant. It should be a verb, not a noun. God longs for us to have this type of a relationship with Him, we are to seek Him and desire Him above all else. It shouldn't be a "dead thing, with rules and requirements." It is simply about me and God, alive, living, breathing, and dynamic. A verb, not a noun.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Selfless
"Love isn't love unless someone pays." ~ Brandon Heath
The temperature was 20 degrees on that February evening in New York City. Arthur was walking hurridly towards a play downtown. He passed a young man on the side of the road who was obviously freezing, and was simply lying on the concrete. Feeling sorry for the man, Arthur pulled out a hundred dollars and gave it to the man and continued on his way. You see, Arthur was a self-made millionaire. A hundred dollars to him was nothing, but still, the man took it and he now had the money to go buy a coat and some food to sustain him. Just as the Arthur was walking away, and the homeless man started to stand, another man started to walk towards him. The homeless man quickly shoved the hundred dollar bill into his pocket so that this man walking towards him could not see it. This man was named James, and he also saw this homeless man. James was headed to the play as well, in fact, he was on his way to pick up some of his best friends before the play. James decided to stop and help this man. He gave his coat to the man, and sat down next to him and started talking to him. James proceeded to spend half an hour talking with this man, and then he went with him to buy him some food. After they had purchased the food, James looked at the clock. The show had begun a little while ago, and his friends had probably not waited. The homeless man sensed the sudden change in James, and asked him if everything is ok. After James explained, the homeless man began to feel very badly about keeping James. James just smiled at him and said, "some things in life are much more important than going to silly shows with your friends. Life is about loving, and the last few hours have been spent loving you."
Much could be said about this simple, and yet profound story. Which man loved the homeless man more? Some would say the man that gave a hundred dollars. However, did that bill really cost Arthur anything? Was he really "loving" the homeless man when he game him the money?
Or, could it be that James was the one that showed true love?
Love isn't love without sacrife. Love that is not selfless is no love at all. Real love costs something, and loving this homeless man truly cost James something. Arthur, well, he did a good deed, it cost him hardly anything, and he continued on his own path. James greatly altered his path to show true love towards this homeless man. "Love isn't love unless someone pays." And so, the only way to really love, is to give...to be selfless.
The temperature was 20 degrees on that February evening in New York City. Arthur was walking hurridly towards a play downtown. He passed a young man on the side of the road who was obviously freezing, and was simply lying on the concrete. Feeling sorry for the man, Arthur pulled out a hundred dollars and gave it to the man and continued on his way. You see, Arthur was a self-made millionaire. A hundred dollars to him was nothing, but still, the man took it and he now had the money to go buy a coat and some food to sustain him. Just as the Arthur was walking away, and the homeless man started to stand, another man started to walk towards him. The homeless man quickly shoved the hundred dollar bill into his pocket so that this man walking towards him could not see it. This man was named James, and he also saw this homeless man. James was headed to the play as well, in fact, he was on his way to pick up some of his best friends before the play. James decided to stop and help this man. He gave his coat to the man, and sat down next to him and started talking to him. James proceeded to spend half an hour talking with this man, and then he went with him to buy him some food. After they had purchased the food, James looked at the clock. The show had begun a little while ago, and his friends had probably not waited. The homeless man sensed the sudden change in James, and asked him if everything is ok. After James explained, the homeless man began to feel very badly about keeping James. James just smiled at him and said, "some things in life are much more important than going to silly shows with your friends. Life is about loving, and the last few hours have been spent loving you."
Much could be said about this simple, and yet profound story. Which man loved the homeless man more? Some would say the man that gave a hundred dollars. However, did that bill really cost Arthur anything? Was he really "loving" the homeless man when he game him the money?
Or, could it be that James was the one that showed true love?
Love isn't love without sacrife. Love that is not selfless is no love at all. Real love costs something, and loving this homeless man truly cost James something. Arthur, well, he did a good deed, it cost him hardly anything, and he continued on his own path. James greatly altered his path to show true love towards this homeless man. "Love isn't love unless someone pays." And so, the only way to really love, is to give...to be selfless.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Quotable
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."
~Aristotle
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
~Ghandi
~Aristotle
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
~Ghandi
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Moment of Decision
Edward awoke one Thursday morning to the sound of children screaming outside of his room. They were saying something about a boat, and a new world, and...he couldn't understand all that they were saying! He had to go find out!
After he managed to drag himself out of bed, he discovered that there was a ship in the port getting ready to sail from Portsmouth, England to somewhere that the people called the New World. This information caused Edward many sudden emotions. On one hand, this sounded like an incredible opportunity! He could explore new places, have limitless opportunity set before him, do something that was hard that could be very rewarding! But on the other hand, this was scary. It was hard, it would cause a great deal of change in his life. It would require letting go of all that he had known for the 19 years of his life. He would have to leave his family, it would require alot of risk, and it would set into motion many unknowns. He would have to leave what he had always known for the possibility of something greater or worse. He didn't know. He just didn't know...
There was the problem, it was right in front of him, he didn't know what was beyond the edge of his little universe because he had never dared to step beyond his little bubble. He was content with the way things were, he was content because he knew the good and the bad that went along with it. He knew that he wasn't fully satisfied, but he also knew there was a chance he would be less satisfied if he got on that boat, if he decided to risk. He knew there was the chance that things might somehow get worse for him if he got on the boat. Fear was paralyzing him. Fear was holding him back from his future, from opportunity. Fear was preventing him from doing the hard thing. The right thing.
And you know what he did?
He sat there. He sat there and actually took the time to think through this whole situation.
And he got up. And he looked fear in the face. And He proceeded to walk onto the boat and head to the New World. He did the hard thing. He now faced many unknowns, and he faced many opportunities. He said goodbye to the family that he loved so dearly, and chose to risk everything for real freedom. The way it had always been was no longer good enough for him, he wanted to rise above the oppression and rise on the wings of freedom and opportunity.
He did what few are ever willing to do. He chose to take the difficult path, he chose to not settle for the way things had always been.
As one great poet put it, he "took the road less travelled by, and that made all the difference."
After he managed to drag himself out of bed, he discovered that there was a ship in the port getting ready to sail from Portsmouth, England to somewhere that the people called the New World. This information caused Edward many sudden emotions. On one hand, this sounded like an incredible opportunity! He could explore new places, have limitless opportunity set before him, do something that was hard that could be very rewarding! But on the other hand, this was scary. It was hard, it would cause a great deal of change in his life. It would require letting go of all that he had known for the 19 years of his life. He would have to leave his family, it would require alot of risk, and it would set into motion many unknowns. He would have to leave what he had always known for the possibility of something greater or worse. He didn't know. He just didn't know...
There was the problem, it was right in front of him, he didn't know what was beyond the edge of his little universe because he had never dared to step beyond his little bubble. He was content with the way things were, he was content because he knew the good and the bad that went along with it. He knew that he wasn't fully satisfied, but he also knew there was a chance he would be less satisfied if he got on that boat, if he decided to risk. He knew there was the chance that things might somehow get worse for him if he got on the boat. Fear was paralyzing him. Fear was holding him back from his future, from opportunity. Fear was preventing him from doing the hard thing. The right thing.
And you know what he did?
He sat there. He sat there and actually took the time to think through this whole situation.
And he got up. And he looked fear in the face. And He proceeded to walk onto the boat and head to the New World. He did the hard thing. He now faced many unknowns, and he faced many opportunities. He said goodbye to the family that he loved so dearly, and chose to risk everything for real freedom. The way it had always been was no longer good enough for him, he wanted to rise above the oppression and rise on the wings of freedom and opportunity.
He did what few are ever willing to do. He chose to take the difficult path, he chose to not settle for the way things had always been.
As one great poet put it, he "took the road less travelled by, and that made all the difference."
Monday, July 27, 2009
Joy
Often the smallest things in life become the most important, the things that seem insignificant leave imprints upon our hearts that last forever. We have not learned to live until we have learned to laugh, we have not discovered peace until we have learned to let go, and we are not worthy of this life until we live with the full measure of joy that God intends.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Simplification
Often we settle for less in every area where God truly desires to give us His very best.
Sometimes, in fact most times, it is better to speak simply rather than in complex terms.
It is better to remember one main fact and have this fact transform your life, than to try to remember many things and have none of them change your life.
Never use 3 words, when 2 will suffice.
Step back, consider your ways, think clearly, and never settle for anything less than God's best.
Sometimes, in fact most times, it is better to speak simply rather than in complex terms.
It is better to remember one main fact and have this fact transform your life, than to try to remember many things and have none of them change your life.
Never use 3 words, when 2 will suffice.
Step back, consider your ways, think clearly, and never settle for anything less than God's best.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Ocean Sunset
As the sun began to set over the crystal clear waters off the Carolina coast, 3 people found themselves walking along the surf. A father, his small son, and another man. The father was holding his sons hands and helping him along when his son suddenly began to get really excited. He looked up at his father, and his father smiled back. In this instant the child ran towards the water. However, the child didn't make it very far before he faceplanted into the sand and started crying. His father quickly walked the few short steps over to his son, picked him up, and held him tightly.
The observer could not understand what he had just seen. Why would this loving father let his son fall? Just then, the father sensed what his companion was thinking. The father quietly said, "If I never let my son fall, he would never learn to get back up. He must learn to walk one step before he can walk two. These things are never learned in a day, they take a lifetime. I know that I will never let my son do anything outside of where I can still protect him, but he must learn to walk on his own. And then, before you know it, the one step turns into two, and eventually he will get all the way to the ocean. Only a loving father would let his son do such a thing, you see, what you see as not loving, I see as loving. Only a loving father would teach his son to rise when he falls and to take one more step than the last time.
"Why do we fall, sir? So that we might learn to pick ourselves up." Batman
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
Confucius
Proverbs 24:16 - "For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again."
The observer could not understand what he had just seen. Why would this loving father let his son fall? Just then, the father sensed what his companion was thinking. The father quietly said, "If I never let my son fall, he would never learn to get back up. He must learn to walk one step before he can walk two. These things are never learned in a day, they take a lifetime. I know that I will never let my son do anything outside of where I can still protect him, but he must learn to walk on his own. And then, before you know it, the one step turns into two, and eventually he will get all the way to the ocean. Only a loving father would let his son do such a thing, you see, what you see as not loving, I see as loving. Only a loving father would teach his son to rise when he falls and to take one more step than the last time.
"Why do we fall, sir? So that we might learn to pick ourselves up." Batman
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
Confucius
Proverbs 24:16 - "For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again."
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Artist
What would life be like if there was no color?
What would life be like if there was nothing to make anything distinctive from any other?
What would the world look like without the brilliant colors that we see every single day?
What would music sound like if it was all the same?
What would happen if the artist never created?
These questions seem to have no point, in fact they may even seem childish or trivial. But when was the last time that you considered any of these questions?
The word create has many meanings. Most of the definitions can be boiled down to this - "the act of a creator bringing something into existence that did not exist before."
We see this in many areas. We see this in the artist painting a picture, in the pop star recording a new album, and in the chef magically preparing a mouth-watering feast.
But have you ever seen an artist creating a new car in an assembly line, or a friend creating a conversation that has never happened before, or a teacher creating a lecture?
Have you even considered that a writer is indeed an artist?
The writer sits down to a blank page and can create whatever he desires. The possibilites are endless. Here he is, with a chance to write something that nobody else in history has ever written. This gift can be taken for granted, or never even realized.
When God created the world, He made man in His own image. He looked at the works of His hands, He looked at everything He made and fashioned, and He said, "WOW!" The First Artist, the Master Painter, and the Orchestrator of Eternity is creative in His very nature. He has made each and every single human being in His own image. Whether or not an individual realizes it or not, they have a distinct desire to create within them.
Far too often our lives become dull and mundane, and I dare say that this happens because we fail to create. We fail to do anything with purpose. Remember, the artist is always purposeful, every mark of the writer is intentional, and every event in history that has been orchestrated by God was planned before the foundation of the world. Just as all of that is true, we are to be intentional in the way that we live and we get off base and get on the wrong track when we fail to realize this.
When the writer sits down and begins to make the first marks on the blank page, he can write anything that he wants. However, he will never make his writing make any sense without any direction or purpose. He cannot tell his story unless he makes every word relevent to the one before it, and the one after it. Writing is difficult. Living life the way it was intended to be lived is difficult. And somehow, it seems that they go hand in hand.
How am I writing the story of my life?
The blank page is before me, what will be written?
What would life be like if there was nothing to make anything distinctive from any other?
What would the world look like without the brilliant colors that we see every single day?
What would music sound like if it was all the same?
What would happen if the artist never created?
These questions seem to have no point, in fact they may even seem childish or trivial. But when was the last time that you considered any of these questions?
The word create has many meanings. Most of the definitions can be boiled down to this - "the act of a creator bringing something into existence that did not exist before."
We see this in many areas. We see this in the artist painting a picture, in the pop star recording a new album, and in the chef magically preparing a mouth-watering feast.
But have you ever seen an artist creating a new car in an assembly line, or a friend creating a conversation that has never happened before, or a teacher creating a lecture?
Have you even considered that a writer is indeed an artist?
The writer sits down to a blank page and can create whatever he desires. The possibilites are endless. Here he is, with a chance to write something that nobody else in history has ever written. This gift can be taken for granted, or never even realized.
When God created the world, He made man in His own image. He looked at the works of His hands, He looked at everything He made and fashioned, and He said, "WOW!" The First Artist, the Master Painter, and the Orchestrator of Eternity is creative in His very nature. He has made each and every single human being in His own image. Whether or not an individual realizes it or not, they have a distinct desire to create within them.
Far too often our lives become dull and mundane, and I dare say that this happens because we fail to create. We fail to do anything with purpose. Remember, the artist is always purposeful, every mark of the writer is intentional, and every event in history that has been orchestrated by God was planned before the foundation of the world. Just as all of that is true, we are to be intentional in the way that we live and we get off base and get on the wrong track when we fail to realize this.
When the writer sits down and begins to make the first marks on the blank page, he can write anything that he wants. However, he will never make his writing make any sense without any direction or purpose. He cannot tell his story unless he makes every word relevent to the one before it, and the one after it. Writing is difficult. Living life the way it was intended to be lived is difficult. And somehow, it seems that they go hand in hand.
How am I writing the story of my life?
The blank page is before me, what will be written?
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