As many of you know, I'm headed out of town for a few days, and I don't know how often I'll be able to post, but I'd like to be able to share this with you all before I leave.
Awhile back ago I was meditating on the attributes of God and was struck by the vastly different facets of his character.
The Rock of my Salvation spoke the mountains into place and carved the vast depths of the ocean with a word.
The Ancient of Days has written the number of my days and knows when I lie down and when I rise up.
The Holy Judge of the nations has declared me perfect, clothed in the righteousness of His one only son.
The Great Shepherd leads me beside still waters, and even in the valley of death I will fear no evil.
He is the heir of all things, yet He is the one that grants the air I breath.
He is the Firstborn of all creation, yet He fashioned me in my mother's womb.
He is the radiance of the glory of God, yet He is the light to my path and a lamp unto my feet
He is the creator of our solar system and beyond, yet He holds a sparrow in his hand and clothes the lilies of the field.
He has created the angels and all of heaven, yet He has revealed things to me into which they long to look.
HE, the perfect high priest of all humanity, sacrificed himself as
a spotless lamb
The Author of History is writing my story with love and care.
The Sovereign of the Cosmos who has named each of the stars, knows the number of hairs on my head.
He is my God, He is my life.
I will have no other.
If you have little boys, or teenage boys, or sons of any age that you would prefer keep their brains inside of their heads, do not, and I repeat, do not, show them this video.
"If you shamelessly go fishing for a compliment, don't be surprised if the fish watch it pass, and wave to it with their little fishy fins as it sinks into the mud."
Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. ~ C.S Lewis
I was coming home from church one Sunday and pulled up to a stop light and immediately saw this. I pulled out my camera and snapped a quick pic. Smart, I know.
I thought to myself "There must something hilariously funny that I could say about this photo."
But it's been over a week now and I can't think of anything.
The only thing I've learned from this experience is that after awhile, no mater how you spell "Banana" it still looks wrong....
bannana bananana bannaana?
So I'm leaving it to you readers, to come up with something explosively witty to share with the rest of us.
Thanks to a dear friend of mine, I have just recently been introduced to an up-and-coming pianist named William Joseph. I'm not going to say much, other than that the melodies that he creates are like no other. God has truly bestowed on him a great and tremendous gift. "Within" is the first song I ever heard of his. It will positively take your breath away.
One last thing:
I am fairly confident there was no music playing when God created the universe, but if there was, I imagine it would sound something like this.
As you listen, read this:
1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6And God said, “Let there be an expansea in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7And God madeb the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8And God called the expanse Heaven.c And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth,d and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plantse yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
14And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,f and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.
16And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
20And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birdsg fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”
21So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26Then God said, “Let us make manh in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
So I watched this video about a month ago and laughed till I cried.... However, I was hesitant to post it for several reasons.
1. Nearly everything is hilarious to me after midnight, clearly this was no exception
2. I don't want to be that person that only posts sickeningly adorable animals videos, forcing friends and relatives to want to barf.
3. And to make matters worse this is a Christmas themed video and obviously its not even close to December.
Despite all that, I just re-watched it this morning, when things are least funny.....(I don't like talking in the morning, let alone laughing!) and again, almost died.
A dear friend of mine posted on this on her blog, and it was just too splendid not to share.
A city on a hilltop stood, with gleaming walls all round; and all within were fair and good- but none remembered there, who should, that sickness lurked within the wood that did their walls surround. Ah, foolish women, foolish men that gave away their lives! The gates thrown wide, they let it in. It came, it saw, it conquered then; no plague like this had ever been. They would not long survive. O'er ruined streets, 'neath crumbling gates, a stranger came alone. The cure he knew, and would not wait a house of healing to create, to save them from this deadly fate- return them to their own. To those he healed he gave to stay and labor in his stead. He taught until they knew the way, then took himself and went away, but promised to return one day- when life was made widespread. Full zealously they started out, to call the dying in. With heartfelt pleas, with hopeful shouts, they all the city went throughout and left no room for any doubt that life was offered them. Many sick came to their door, and none was turned away. Some would not drink, and still abhorred the life that could have been restored- ah, ignorance! that brays for war when peace is on its way. Yet others came, gave up the fight, and drank the healing draught. Not one was lost, all faults despite- their strength restored, regained their sight; they longed to spread this great delight- and learned the doctor’s craft. But slowly, something strange occurred: the doctors lost their zeal; and, safe amongst themselves conferred, to fill the air with empty words. The anguished cries outside, unheard- men died alone, unhealed. The healers learned to be afraid- though naught deserved their fear. Their dread of failure: shadow-made; of re-infection: fancy-played. From windows turned their eyes away- they held their lives so dear. The patients’ beds stood often bare, so few were brought inside. But one gray eve, a young man dared approach the steep, unwelcome stair; collapsed outside and begged for care- “Please, help me live!” he cried. The doctors stopped and stared, appalled- this mound of filth, alive? His bleeding flesh with maggots crawled; a sight like this none could recall- so long they’d hid behind their walls- could their skills, unused, revive? Said one, “I can’t recall the name that used to set them free,” while some knew how, but still refrained- afraid, repulsed, embarrassed, drained- but most just looked away in shame, pretending not to see. And so it was, ‘neath walls of white that housed life’s very breath- the ones who knew the way of light refused to venture out one night, and, silent, watched man’s futile fight engulfed instead by death. Oh, shame! to those who, washed in blood, can never die again; yet fear this world’s transparent flood- a shackled prince the source thereof- and blush to speak the name of Love: of death the only end.
For more witty, heartfelt felt things that I cannot put into words, travel to her blog Free Indeed and be amazed.
I feel I must warn you in advance about this next post.
In searching for images for my previous post, I came across a series of photos that would make a normal person cringe and this person to shriek then faint.
I will also say, for the faint of heart, that they are not gross, disgusting or horrific. That is not the purpose of this blog.
They are just amusingly unsettling....
Goodness... I should just post them.
Here you go.
They're door knobs, in case you couldn't tell.... Well I suppose they would be better called doorhands.
Either way... the whole concept is incredibly awkward.
At least the weather, if not the freedom from school...
The sun is shining and the temperature is in the positive digits
Lawns are being mowed, citrus smelling lotions and perfumes are now permissable. I caught my first wiff of sunscreen........ bliss
Bring It On.
One of my absolute most favorite moments is one that I usually don't get to experience till much later in the year, but today, with arrival of 90 degree weather, it happened.
After a long day at work, I got into my boiling vehicle and started home.
By the time I got to Maple St, I had sweat nearly trickling down my neck.
Attractive, I know.
Did I mind? Not in the least.
I knew what was coming.
I made it home, and opened the front door and that delightful rush of cool air that only air conditioning can bring, wrapped itself around me.
I breathed it all in and had a little happy sigh all to myself. Delicious.
Totally worth it.
However delightful the taste,
when the highlight of your Friday night is licking off the top of a cupcake, it's probably time to reevaluate your priorities.
And don't worry, I will..... Right after I organize my sock drawer... and cup o' pens
.... I can't have all those flighty pencils hangin around with my pens, just lookin for a good time! One second they're writing fine, then they flip around and everything starts to disappear!
It seem as though everyone in hipsterland (and even those beyond) are talking about this band:
Mumford and Sons
I know very little about them, but if everyone loves them, they must be awesome.
Right?
Well, I'm about to find out what all the hype is about. On Amazon right now, they have thet ENTIRE albulm for a mere $5.
That's right.... you heard correctly! For just five little buckaroos you can be unique just like everyone else, and jam out to the sultry sounds of Mumford and Sons.... or whatever they sound like... I don't know........ it's downloading as I speak- ...type.
If it changes my life, I'll be sure to let you know.
But then 3 seconds later, I spotted part of a wicker basket on the opposite side of the road, and my imagination couldn't help but 'hop' to a conclusion.
I'm ashamed to say it, but I couldn't help but giggle a bit to myself, picturing an easter bunny waltzing across Maple Street, basket in paw... and then well..... you know.
I'm just beginning to realize how much practice is involved in being a musician.
There are times I play the same 12 notes over and over for an hour and it still doesnt sound *exactly like how I want it to.
But that magic that happens when it does? Suddenly, the results of the work are evident and forgotten are the hurting fingers, the times of frustration. Just bliss. Pure bliss.
Melody working hand in hand with harmony, all under the structure of rhythm and tempo. Few things are better.
As I type this post, I'm beginning to wonder.
Do I put this same amount of effort in other areas of my life? Do I pursue godliness with the same determination and excitement that I have in say, learning those twelve notes?
Daily? truthfully? no.
But what if I did? How much more magnificent would the bliss be gained from dwelling in His presence and meditating on His gospel work.
From intentionally setting aside time to pray throughout the day.
From practicing those good works set before me.
For me, it's a good mirror on my heart, and I urge you to look at your own life.
What is your passion? Your drive? What do you do in your free time? What do you daydream about?
How often do practice or work at a specific task or hobby and how can you use it to glorify God?
How can you use it become closer to Him?
In this world we will never be perfect, but sanctification is something we must strive for.
Meditate on the gospel daily, hourly, and never underestimate it's power.
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.For the law of the Spirit of life has set youfree in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:1 -6
Practice, and I think you will be surprised at the results.
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. "
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
Psalm 16:11
