Thursday, August 27, 2009
"He came and preached peace to those near and far away, and wrote his laws on the hearts of his people, from the least to the greatest; so listen, those who pursue righteousness and seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were cut, lift up your eyes to the heavens- His salvation will last forever, His righteousness will never fail, His peace will transcend all understanding, guarding hearts and minds against the thieves who steal, kill, and destroy... For nothing can make those who love your laws stumble, and in you the fear of men's reproach and the terror of insults are gone." (Eph 2 / Jer 31 / Isa 51 / Phi 4 / Psa 119)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
I Stand At The Door
Why is it that sooner or later I come to a point where closeness becomes too hard to face: where the shadow of others around me becomes a place to hide instead of face, where smiles and friendly hugs become a time to shrink away from the crowd, where there's nothing left for me but to cower?Why am I so impersonal?
I stand at the door; I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out.The door is the most important door in the world.It is the door through which men walk when they find God.There is no use my going way far inside and staying there.When so many are still outside, and they as much as I, crave to know where the door ought to be.They creep along the wall like blind men, with outstretched, groping hands,Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door, yet they never find it.So I Stand At The Door,The most tremendous thing in the world is for men to find that door…The door to God.The most important thing that any man can do is to take hold of one of those blind groping hands and put it on the latch… the latch that only clicks and opens to the man’s own touch!Men die outside the door, as starving beggars die,On cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter.They die for what is within their grasp,They live on the other side of it…live because they have not found it. Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it,opening it, and walking in to find Him.So I Stand At The Door. Go in great Saints, go all the way in.Go way down into the cavernous cellars and way up into the spacious attics.It is a vast, roomy house, this house where God is.Go into the deepest of hidden casements of withdrawal of silence, Of Sainthood.Some must inhabit those inner rooms.And know the depths and heights of God.And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.Sometimes I take a deeper look in.Sometimes I venture a little farther,But my place seems closer to the opening.So I Stand At The Door.There is another reason why I stand there.Some people get part way in and become afraid.Lest God and the zeal of His house devour them.For God is so very great and asks all of us question.And these people feel claustrophobia and want to get out!“Let me out”, they cry!And the people way inside only terrify them the more.Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled for the old life… they have seen too much.One taste of God and nothing but God will do anymore.Somebody must be watching for the frightened who seek to sneak out just where they came in to tell them how much better it is inside.The people too far in do not see how near these people are to leaving,Preoccupied by the wonder of it all.Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door but would like to run away. So for them too, So I Stand At The Door.I admire the people, who go way inside, but I wish they would not forget how it was before they got in... then they would be able to help the people who have not yet even found the door!Or the people who want to run away again from God.You can go in too deeply and stay in too long and forget the people outside the door. As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place.Near enough to God to hear Him and know that He is there,But not so far from men as not to hear them.And remember that they are there too.Where? Outside the door, Thousands of them… millions of them…But, more importantly for me, one of them, two of them, ten of them,Whose hand I intend to put on the latch.So I Stand At The Door To watch for those who seek it. I would rather be a doorkeeper.So I Stand At The Door listening to God's word.
-Author Unknown
I stand at the door; I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out.The door is the most important door in the world.It is the door through which men walk when they find God.There is no use my going way far inside and staying there.When so many are still outside, and they as much as I, crave to know where the door ought to be.They creep along the wall like blind men, with outstretched, groping hands,Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door, yet they never find it.So I Stand At The Door,The most tremendous thing in the world is for men to find that door…The door to God.The most important thing that any man can do is to take hold of one of those blind groping hands and put it on the latch… the latch that only clicks and opens to the man’s own touch!Men die outside the door, as starving beggars die,On cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter.They die for what is within their grasp,They live on the other side of it…live because they have not found it. Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it,opening it, and walking in to find Him.So I Stand At The Door. Go in great Saints, go all the way in.Go way down into the cavernous cellars and way up into the spacious attics.It is a vast, roomy house, this house where God is.Go into the deepest of hidden casements of withdrawal of silence, Of Sainthood.Some must inhabit those inner rooms.And know the depths and heights of God.And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.Sometimes I take a deeper look in.Sometimes I venture a little farther,But my place seems closer to the opening.So I Stand At The Door.There is another reason why I stand there.Some people get part way in and become afraid.Lest God and the zeal of His house devour them.For God is so very great and asks all of us question.And these people feel claustrophobia and want to get out!“Let me out”, they cry!And the people way inside only terrify them the more.Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled for the old life… they have seen too much.One taste of God and nothing but God will do anymore.Somebody must be watching for the frightened who seek to sneak out just where they came in to tell them how much better it is inside.The people too far in do not see how near these people are to leaving,Preoccupied by the wonder of it all.Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door but would like to run away. So for them too, So I Stand At The Door.I admire the people, who go way inside, but I wish they would not forget how it was before they got in... then they would be able to help the people who have not yet even found the door!Or the people who want to run away again from God.You can go in too deeply and stay in too long and forget the people outside the door. As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place.Near enough to God to hear Him and know that He is there,But not so far from men as not to hear them.And remember that they are there too.Where? Outside the door, Thousands of them… millions of them…But, more importantly for me, one of them, two of them, ten of them,Whose hand I intend to put on the latch.So I Stand At The Door To watch for those who seek it. I would rather be a doorkeeper.So I Stand At The Door listening to God's word.
-Author Unknown
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
"For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them... I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness... I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice. I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them. You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are my people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD." (excerpts from Ezekiel 34, NIV)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The Paradox of Our Time
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.
These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.
...We aim to advocate unity based on the assumption that compromising is the universal solution because we don’t know how to accept ‘agreeing to disagree’.Right has become more white, while wrong has become more black (through subliminal tactics, of course, which we're spoonfed one mouthful of commercial messages at a time)Even though we’re told our generations has the rights to free thinking and creativity, technology and the media has the ability to steal our individuality with things as simple as pre-programmed talking dolls.It's a war not many people are aware exists, and thus, not fighting....
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.
These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.
...We aim to advocate unity based on the assumption that compromising is the universal solution because we don’t know how to accept ‘agreeing to disagree’.Right has become more white, while wrong has become more black (through subliminal tactics, of course, which we're spoonfed one mouthful of commercial messages at a time)Even though we’re told our generations has the rights to free thinking and creativity, technology and the media has the ability to steal our individuality with things as simple as pre-programmed talking dolls.It's a war not many people are aware exists, and thus, not fighting....
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Light
Why do I care?
That you got to be there and I here?
My breathe infused with pain begins to slow as I look at photos,
of the place I was suppose to be.
Why is it that you got to see what I so wanted to?
My mind is cursed to believe that this is;
A missed opportunity or a flawed mind,
A catastrophic change in time or maybe just a second that's gone by.
There's no confusion in a world full of pain,
As long as the hurt always stays the same.
Look at me and tell me that you don't care anymore,
Oh God, show me the answers to this silenced conversation of greif.
I'm sick of sitting, trusting, waiting for your answer.
I'm tired of wandering in disbelief, because the next minute was so obscure.
I'm told that being joyful in a time of fear is a beautiful thing,
but why am I never told that it aches like a head pounding...
Pounding so loud that a beat is made out in my ears,
And I can scarsely hear because this beat echoes over and over in my mind.
Lord, why have you left me here to wander aimlessly,
why have you left me alone to wonder?
There's no light switch in this dark room and neither any candles to brighten a corner.
Where am I suppose to walk but out the door?
I want to remember something that pertains to no life of my own,
But how can I remember when I was obviously not alone,
How can I remember when the tears slide down my cheeks
And the memories pierce my heart?
How can I remember when all I remember is being apart,
without you...alone, desperately searching for a place to hide this broken smile.
I've been doing so well without your spitting words,
Doing so well without your dashing looks and rough hands,
Doing so well without the words you displayed that dug into my soul.
Doing so well...
I was making friends, not hiding this frame of God given love.
I am doing so well.
I will continue to shine,
for the Glory of God I will continue to gleam wonderfully amond the sad faces of this nation.
I cannot let a simple boy stand in the way of God's life for me.
I am not make whole by his existance,
nor will I ever be made empty by his absense.
My heart is hidden in a wall of forgiveness,
And I will no longer plead for you,
You are not my light.
John 12:46 " I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."
That you got to be there and I here?
My breathe infused with pain begins to slow as I look at photos,
of the place I was suppose to be.
Why is it that you got to see what I so wanted to?
My mind is cursed to believe that this is;
A missed opportunity or a flawed mind,
A catastrophic change in time or maybe just a second that's gone by.
There's no confusion in a world full of pain,
As long as the hurt always stays the same.
Look at me and tell me that you don't care anymore,
Oh God, show me the answers to this silenced conversation of greif.
I'm sick of sitting, trusting, waiting for your answer.
I'm tired of wandering in disbelief, because the next minute was so obscure.
I'm told that being joyful in a time of fear is a beautiful thing,
but why am I never told that it aches like a head pounding...
Pounding so loud that a beat is made out in my ears,
And I can scarsely hear because this beat echoes over and over in my mind.
Lord, why have you left me here to wander aimlessly,
why have you left me alone to wonder?
There's no light switch in this dark room and neither any candles to brighten a corner.
Where am I suppose to walk but out the door?
I want to remember something that pertains to no life of my own,
But how can I remember when I was obviously not alone,
How can I remember when the tears slide down my cheeks
And the memories pierce my heart?
How can I remember when all I remember is being apart,
without you...alone, desperately searching for a place to hide this broken smile.
I've been doing so well without your spitting words,
Doing so well without your dashing looks and rough hands,
Doing so well without the words you displayed that dug into my soul.
Doing so well...
I was making friends, not hiding this frame of God given love.
I am doing so well.
I will continue to shine,
for the Glory of God I will continue to gleam wonderfully amond the sad faces of this nation.
I cannot let a simple boy stand in the way of God's life for me.
I am not make whole by his existance,
nor will I ever be made empty by his absense.
My heart is hidden in a wall of forgiveness,
And I will no longer plead for you,
You are not my light.
John 12:46 " I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The Way Of A Rose
I'm sure the rose that sweetly grows
Along the garden wall
Thinks not of tears beyond the wall
Or petals that may fall.
It lifts its face to God above
Serenely day by day
And questions not, if it should rain,
The wisdom of God's way.
I'm sure the rose that sweetly grows
Has burdens just as I;
The weather's far too wet, too cold,
And yet it asks not why.
Then how much more should I trust God
When days are dark and drear;
Then how much more should I give thanks
That God is always near?
Then how much more should I believe
God understand-He knows?
Then how much more should I trust God?
Am I...less than a rose?
Phyllis C. Michael
I'm sure the rose that sweetly grows
Along the garden wall
Thinks not of tears beyond the wall
Or petals that may fall.
It lifts its face to God above
Serenely day by day
And questions not, if it should rain,
The wisdom of God's way.
I'm sure the rose that sweetly grows
Has burdens just as I;
The weather's far too wet, too cold,
And yet it asks not why.
Then how much more should I trust God
When days are dark and drear;
Then how much more should I give thanks
That God is always near?
Then how much more should I believe
God understand-He knows?
Then how much more should I trust God?
Am I...less than a rose?
Phyllis C. Michael
...He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him I will trust
Psalm 91:2
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Sherlock,
I miss our long talks on the phone.
I miss how we used to cry every once in a while after not really speaking about what was going on.
I miss how we would get stoked everytime we saw each other.
I miss how I used to wake you up in the mornings during school.
I miss listening to you sing and I miss getting yelled at everytime I hit the stool in your bathroom at 2am.
I miss talking about boys.
I miss our not-so-sappy lives.
I miss how everything was so unique.
I miss cutting your hair in the church bathroom.
I miss being grumpy and having you tell me to suck it up.
I miss thrift shopping.
I miss that amazing lady who kept her store open for us.
I miss trying on hillarious dresses.
I miss your dance recitals.
I miss you needing me.
I miss talking to you until we were both too tired to talk anymore.
I miss falling asleep to your corn breathe.
I miss you.
I know that God is taking care of you.
I know that you have a boyfriend who loves you and friends that you go to concerts with.
I know that you have people to call and work to go to.
I know that you are having fun.
But...I wish you would call me when you wanted to cry.
I wish that I was the phonecall you'd make when you were frusterated.
I wish you still needed me.
I miss you.
I wish you here.
I know you love me.
But...I miss you.
I miss our long talks on the phone.
I miss how we used to cry every once in a while after not really speaking about what was going on.
I miss how we would get stoked everytime we saw each other.
I miss how I used to wake you up in the mornings during school.
I miss listening to you sing and I miss getting yelled at everytime I hit the stool in your bathroom at 2am.
I miss talking about boys.
I miss our not-so-sappy lives.
I miss how everything was so unique.
I miss cutting your hair in the church bathroom.
I miss being grumpy and having you tell me to suck it up.
I miss thrift shopping.
I miss that amazing lady who kept her store open for us.
I miss trying on hillarious dresses.
I miss your dance recitals.
I miss you needing me.
I miss talking to you until we were both too tired to talk anymore.
I miss falling asleep to your corn breathe.
I miss you.
I know that God is taking care of you.
I know that you have a boyfriend who loves you and friends that you go to concerts with.
I know that you have people to call and work to go to.
I know that you are having fun.
But...I wish you would call me when you wanted to cry.
I wish that I was the phonecall you'd make when you were frusterated.
I wish you still needed me.
I miss you.
I wish you here.
I know you love me.
But...I miss you.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Thank-you for this moment. I've got to say how beautiful you are. All the hopes and dreams I could have prayed for, here you are.
We have a great God who loves us. I've heard others saying this but didn't really grasp the meaning until today.
I've been selfish, foolish, spoiled...all of the words that you can think of for an annoying six year old because, until tonight, I have not been able to understand the magnificence of God.
Tonight God showed me a part of himself I hadn't seen before, or hadn't allowed myself to see before. I went to a jam night with people that I didn't know very well. I had an amazing time. I spent too much time denying God's love for me that I couldn't grap onto the meaning of his perfect plan. When I met the people I call my "friends from up here", I allowed my insecurities to take place of the blessing that he had given me. When I talked to them about what mattered in my life, I allowed my annoyance of being placed somewhere where I didn't want to go, to overshadow his love for me. When I went to Jam Night, tonight, I came to the conclusion that I've been stupid and foolish, too ignorant of God's plan to even have the ablility to look upon his face. I feel like: Job: after cursing God, David: after sending that man to the front line, Jonah: after the Ninavites recieved the message of God...completely and utterly blind to God's wonderful grace and mercy.
You see...I came to BC with the hope that it wouldn't be anything like Ontario. I came with the quest of finding nothing, seeking to destroy all adventure I found, and not allowing God to work into my life. I was then introduced to 10 people that have changed my life in the 5 days that I have known them; not for the things they've done, but for the love that they have for Jesus Christ, for the acceptance that they have shown me, and for the guidence they have given without so much as a glance at my sins.
God has shown me that he has a plan, that he has friends here-fellowship that I didn't think was possible among people that I know I will grow to love. He has provided me with the revelation that there is no fear in moving on for me, that no matter where I go I will always love, always remember, always long to be with the people that I have known. But he has also shown me that he is able to fill the hole in my heart that has been growing as I moved from one place to another, that although the space of my best friends back home will never be filled, he will create new friends here that will provide me with the encouragement I need.
-Thank-you Lord. I've been so selfish, so blind to the plans you have for me. I've been such a clown in this mess. I love you.
I've been selfish, foolish, spoiled...all of the words that you can think of for an annoying six year old because, until tonight, I have not been able to understand the magnificence of God.
Tonight God showed me a part of himself I hadn't seen before, or hadn't allowed myself to see before. I went to a jam night with people that I didn't know very well. I had an amazing time. I spent too much time denying God's love for me that I couldn't grap onto the meaning of his perfect plan. When I met the people I call my "friends from up here", I allowed my insecurities to take place of the blessing that he had given me. When I talked to them about what mattered in my life, I allowed my annoyance of being placed somewhere where I didn't want to go, to overshadow his love for me. When I went to Jam Night, tonight, I came to the conclusion that I've been stupid and foolish, too ignorant of God's plan to even have the ablility to look upon his face. I feel like: Job: after cursing God, David: after sending that man to the front line, Jonah: after the Ninavites recieved the message of God...completely and utterly blind to God's wonderful grace and mercy.
You see...I came to BC with the hope that it wouldn't be anything like Ontario. I came with the quest of finding nothing, seeking to destroy all adventure I found, and not allowing God to work into my life. I was then introduced to 10 people that have changed my life in the 5 days that I have known them; not for the things they've done, but for the love that they have for Jesus Christ, for the acceptance that they have shown me, and for the guidence they have given without so much as a glance at my sins.
God has shown me that he has a plan, that he has friends here-fellowship that I didn't think was possible among people that I know I will grow to love. He has provided me with the revelation that there is no fear in moving on for me, that no matter where I go I will always love, always remember, always long to be with the people that I have known. But he has also shown me that he is able to fill the hole in my heart that has been growing as I moved from one place to another, that although the space of my best friends back home will never be filled, he will create new friends here that will provide me with the encouragement I need.
-Thank-you Lord. I've been so selfish, so blind to the plans you have for me. I've been such a clown in this mess. I love you.
Monday, August 3, 2009
"I'll tell you what happens. One by one, as everyone falls away taking that piece of you you so foolishly gave away, you're left with nothing to hold onto, nothing to hope for. Friends, family, best friends, loves, all are a thing of the past. You drove them away. All your hopes and dreams are shattered. I know you have trouble trusting people, I know. And now that you've finally found something to believe in, you give all your trust away, even though everything inside of you tells you not to, because everytime you have in the past, the consequence is regret and another piece of you gone. This lesson started in childhood, shouldn't you have learned it by now? You've lost people, but have not yet been left with nothing but yourself. Wait for it. There's nothing left to lose, and everything to gain. It's true. Through this inflicted indepence, you gain more maturity and self-realization then you ever have. You learn what to do to get through the day, without anything else. You learn to cry alone, to laugh alone, to live alone, to sleep alone, to strive for self-happiness, even though it seems unachievable. There are times you'll feel like giving up, there's really nothing left. But salvage everything you can, grasp anything that will let you-and give it to God. And the tables will turn, people forgive, friends return, but this time around, it's a lesson learned. A piece of you locked up, never to be ripped away. Freedom turns out to be freedom within yourself, realization that all along you were trapped. That won't happen to you, and you don't deserve it. You just need a realization of joy, you cannot love others until you love God, and love yourself."
"May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be and if you are not, may you chang without ignorance. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us. "
"May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be and if you are not, may you chang without ignorance. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us. "
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