the LORD is my refuge and strength
therefore i will not be afraid
though the mountains give way
and fall into the sea
He will come and rescue me
the LORD comes to me at break of day
He reaches down to guide me in His ways
though the oceans roar
in this dark and stormy sea
He will come and rescue me
halleluYah, He is with me
halleluYah, we cannot be moved
halleluYah, He is with me
halleluYah, i rest secure
be still and know that He is God
He will be exalted over all
come and behold His strength and majesty
yet He will come and rescue me
halleluYah, He is with me
halleluYah, we cannot be moved
halleluYah, He is with me
halleluYah, i rest secure
Friday, October 28, 2011
Keep on, keepin' on.
This morning my ceramics class had to sit and watch two well-known artists do a workshop. Chuck Hindes and Ron Meyer are two cuties in probably their mid seventies still creating ceramic pieces with every ounce of energy in them. Though unusual and odd to the modern day person, there is something about the organic shapes of their work and the cognitive thought behind it. Sitting there I wanted to know what inspired them and what they did on days when they did not feel creative because frankly, I have those all the time. They responded basically with fact-of-the-matter answers like "You just have to work and keep on working and then hope you get a little creative in the process."
There are so many times in life when I am like that too, I get so dulled out and tired of routine and sometimes I just don't feel like continuing. But, when I keep trying and trying and I do not give in...something remarkable usually happens and all of the sudden, I am still standing and I am facing circumstances of which I had not planned. Good or bad, whatever comes will come and all we have to do is keep walking in the circumstances the providence of God has placed us.
"Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief." Mark 9:24
Failures and all. Pain and all. Fears and all. We must keep trying and never lose hope in God's mercy. He knows whats in our hearts and revels in weakness that tries. Try and try, again and again.
Although I am no one to comment on the faith of these two artists, I do know Ron said something along the lines of "I am just able to do this and frankly, to this day I still do not know what it is that gives me this talent...". I wanted to stand up and tell him about Jesus, but I resisted.
The individuals faith is between them and God, all we can do is 'press on to that other country and help others do the same'...
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world...I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same."
-CS Lewis
There are so many times in life when I am like that too, I get so dulled out and tired of routine and sometimes I just don't feel like continuing. But, when I keep trying and trying and I do not give in...something remarkable usually happens and all of the sudden, I am still standing and I am facing circumstances of which I had not planned. Good or bad, whatever comes will come and all we have to do is keep walking in the circumstances the providence of God has placed us.
"Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief." Mark 9:24
Failures and all. Pain and all. Fears and all. We must keep trying and never lose hope in God's mercy. He knows whats in our hearts and revels in weakness that tries. Try and try, again and again.
Although I am no one to comment on the faith of these two artists, I do know Ron said something along the lines of "I am just able to do this and frankly, to this day I still do not know what it is that gives me this talent...". I wanted to stand up and tell him about Jesus, but I resisted.
The individuals faith is between them and God, all we can do is 'press on to that other country and help others do the same'...
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world...I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same."
-CS Lewis
Monday, October 24, 2011
Restless Autumn
Restless- characterized by or showing inability to remain at rest; unquiet or uneasy, as a person, the mind, or the heart
The trees are restless before Winter. Their leaves change colors and their branches dance to and fro.
The cool air sweeps away the heat and beckons us to dance to the rhythm of the changing winds.
I feel the cold air tickle the nerve endings in my body to tell me to, "Get moving!" and I find myself ready to run!
This is a season of restlessness reflecting our own inability to remain at rest.
I feel restless as well...life is changing, day by day, moment to moment. We get restless when we feel change occurring in our lives and so often we do not know what to do with it. In a split second our eyes dart from the beauty of the colors dancing around us to the fears ahead of us. Anxiety eats at our souls and turns the beauty of change into uncertainty. Every day we have the opportunity to fear the test tomorrow, the float deadline in a week, the conversation you might have to have with your friend or boyfriend, the next look in the mirror and sense of insecurity...whether small or large matters, we all place tiny seeds of fear within ourselves and we often times do not even know they are there. These earthly desires to have a good body, or be the best student, or to be the most outgoing, or have the most good looking boyfriend, these are all desires of which nothing in this world can really satisfy.
St. Augustine said "Our hearts will always be restless until they rest in God."
Think of the ocean and her waves tossing back and forth or wheat fields ready for harvest as they shimmer from a distance, not the fear of the storm coming or the harvesters shears. Although they may appear restless and shaking in fear, these powers of nature are calling us to see beauty and majesty, not anxiety or fear. They whisper to us this greater knowledge of the Holy.
"I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?" CS Lewis
So what do we do with these desires of which nothing in this world can satisfy?
We must always be aware and on guard not to make these things idols in our lives. All things created by God are good in themselves, but it is when we make them the object of our desire that they turn into things which God did not intend.
"With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Modern Christianity is simply not producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit." -AW Tozer
How do we recreate this sense of awe?
‘Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.’
The trees are restless before Winter. Their leaves change colors and their branches dance to and fro.
The cool air sweeps away the heat and beckons us to dance to the rhythm of the changing winds.
I feel the cold air tickle the nerve endings in my body to tell me to, "Get moving!" and I find myself ready to run!
This is a season of restlessness reflecting our own inability to remain at rest.
I feel restless as well...life is changing, day by day, moment to moment. We get restless when we feel change occurring in our lives and so often we do not know what to do with it. In a split second our eyes dart from the beauty of the colors dancing around us to the fears ahead of us. Anxiety eats at our souls and turns the beauty of change into uncertainty. Every day we have the opportunity to fear the test tomorrow, the float deadline in a week, the conversation you might have to have with your friend or boyfriend, the next look in the mirror and sense of insecurity...whether small or large matters, we all place tiny seeds of fear within ourselves and we often times do not even know they are there. These earthly desires to have a good body, or be the best student, or to be the most outgoing, or have the most good looking boyfriend, these are all desires of which nothing in this world can really satisfy.
St. Augustine said "Our hearts will always be restless until they rest in God."
Think of the ocean and her waves tossing back and forth or wheat fields ready for harvest as they shimmer from a distance, not the fear of the storm coming or the harvesters shears. Although they may appear restless and shaking in fear, these powers of nature are calling us to see beauty and majesty, not anxiety or fear. They whisper to us this greater knowledge of the Holy.
"I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?" CS Lewis
So what do we do with these desires of which nothing in this world can satisfy?
We must always be aware and on guard not to make these things idols in our lives. All things created by God are good in themselves, but it is when we make them the object of our desire that they turn into things which God did not intend.
"With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Modern Christianity is simply not producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit." -AW Tozer
How do we recreate this sense of awe?
‘Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.’
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Why?
Why do I read the Bible? Why has faith become such an important part of my life? What has it done for me?
Every day I go through motions, I live my life–I wake up, I brush my teeth, I eat breakfast, I go to class, eat lunch with someone if I'm lucky, I work at the coffee shop or babysit, then I work out or go out with friends. All day long I interact with people and I experience so much. I could choose to live a black and white life, with maybe a few grays here and there, or I could actually paint with color and live to the sounds of a symphony.
Through my faith, I have found my significance. I have a reason for living every day that requires all of me yet nothing of me. By GRACE I have been set FREE and I have been made NEW. I don't have to continue living in dullness, in pain, in suffering; I now live whether its in dying or in living, I live for Christ.
"If we live, we live to the Lord; if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we are living or dying we belong to the Lord." Romans 14:8
"To LIVE is Christ, to die is GAIN." Phil 1:21
"I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God. Who loved me and gave himself for me." Gal 2:20
Without Jesus my life means nothing & all I do is nothing.
"The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord stand forever" Isa 40:8
Amidst all our every day activities may we hear the voice of our shepherd carried by the wind, May we hear and come running to Him knowing He will comfort us & provide us with all we need.
Have you ever heard a song so beautiful you never wanted it to stop or seen a sunset you never wanted to go away?
These are temporary sweet reminders of Jesus' faithful presence beneath it all, He is calling us to remember Him, but it is a soft whisper...its in the songs around us, quiet burst of a blossom, the babies hatching, even the sound of our own heart beat beckoning us to remember there is a reason we are here...
Every day I go through motions, I live my life–I wake up, I brush my teeth, I eat breakfast, I go to class, eat lunch with someone if I'm lucky, I work at the coffee shop or babysit, then I work out or go out with friends. All day long I interact with people and I experience so much. I could choose to live a black and white life, with maybe a few grays here and there, or I could actually paint with color and live to the sounds of a symphony.
Through my faith, I have found my significance. I have a reason for living every day that requires all of me yet nothing of me. By GRACE I have been set FREE and I have been made NEW. I don't have to continue living in dullness, in pain, in suffering; I now live whether its in dying or in living, I live for Christ.
"If we live, we live to the Lord; if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we are living or dying we belong to the Lord." Romans 14:8
"To LIVE is Christ, to die is GAIN." Phil 1:21
"I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God. Who loved me and gave himself for me." Gal 2:20
Without Jesus my life means nothing & all I do is nothing.
"The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord stand forever" Isa 40:8
Amidst all our every day activities may we hear the voice of our shepherd carried by the wind, May we hear and come running to Him knowing He will comfort us & provide us with all we need.
Have you ever heard a song so beautiful you never wanted it to stop or seen a sunset you never wanted to go away?
These are temporary sweet reminders of Jesus' faithful presence beneath it all, He is calling us to remember Him, but it is a soft whisper...its in the songs around us, quiet burst of a blossom, the babies hatching, even the sound of our own heart beat beckoning us to remember there is a reason we are here...
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Hide and go seek!
Did you ever play hide and go seek as a child? I would play with my brother all the time. But, he was so good at that game that every time he hid, I almost never found him. I would search and search and call out his name, but he was always SO hard to find! Eventually he would win and he would laugh at me because the whole time he was right in front of me and I just either looked too hard or completely missed him in the corner. Sometimes he would even follow me around so quietly I never knew he was there! My brother and I would play for hours just sneaking up on each other and relishing the moments of excitement when we found each other.
The same is so often true for us and God. We are all playing this game of hide and go seek with Jesus. We are "it" and He is the one "hiding." As we seek him desperately, we become discouraged when he is not where we want Him to be. He snickers at the fearful child within us as He knows exactly where we are and what is going on in our minds, and all the while He is there watching over us from this mysterious place we have only heard about. We walk around this maze of life, searching for Jesus in all the wrong places, only to realize He has been behind us or in front of us all the time. He is exactly where He needs to be in order to gaze upon you intently and watch over you as you walk the path He has laid out for you.
We keep playing this one game of hide and go seek with God all our lives...seeking Him and finding little glimpses of Him as he whispers in the breeze, laughs in the trees or smiles in the sun, but ONE DAY we will meet him FACE TO FACE and discover a JOY unlike any other.
God is the prize we are searching for. He says, “Seek and you will find. I satisfy. Stop looking in all the wrong places, I am not your future career, I am not money, I am not a perfect man, I am not the body you always dreamed of, I am not straight A's or the approval of people....I AM the treasure. I AM. Nothing else will satisfy."
“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come away with me.” -Song of Solomon 2:13
It may feel like Jesus is hiding from you sometimes, but He is very near to you...He is waiting for you to come to Him.
Try and take some time this week to be in quiet solitude, and when I say try I mean do it. Sit down and turn on some peaceful music (Ill share with you guys if you need some new tunes), or be in silence and really get look for Him in whatever way you want...
The same is so often true for us and God. We are all playing this game of hide and go seek with Jesus. We are "it" and He is the one "hiding." As we seek him desperately, we become discouraged when he is not where we want Him to be. He snickers at the fearful child within us as He knows exactly where we are and what is going on in our minds, and all the while He is there watching over us from this mysterious place we have only heard about. We walk around this maze of life, searching for Jesus in all the wrong places, only to realize He has been behind us or in front of us all the time. He is exactly where He needs to be in order to gaze upon you intently and watch over you as you walk the path He has laid out for you.
We keep playing this one game of hide and go seek with God all our lives...seeking Him and finding little glimpses of Him as he whispers in the breeze, laughs in the trees or smiles in the sun, but ONE DAY we will meet him FACE TO FACE and discover a JOY unlike any other.
God is the prize we are searching for. He says, “Seek and you will find. I satisfy. Stop looking in all the wrong places, I am not your future career, I am not money, I am not a perfect man, I am not the body you always dreamed of, I am not straight A's or the approval of people....I AM the treasure. I AM. Nothing else will satisfy."
“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come away with me.” -Song of Solomon 2:13
It may feel like Jesus is hiding from you sometimes, but He is very near to you...He is waiting for you to come to Him.
Try and take some time this week to be in quiet solitude, and when I say try I mean do it. Sit down and turn on some peaceful music (Ill share with you guys if you need some new tunes), or be in silence and really get look for Him in whatever way you want...
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