Watched "Good Will Hunting" for the first time tonight. It was amazing, go watch it if you have not already. Really got my mind going so here I am at 1:00am deep in thought...
"It is not that we are able to bring God into contact with our minds, but that we awaken ourselves to the point where God is able to convey his mind to US regarding the people for whom we intercede." -Oswald Chambers
People are mysteries–each and every one of us is a puzzle only God knows how to figure out. We walk around filling our days with busyness and obligations, people and conversations, all of it nonsense really. Every hour of every day we occupy ourselves or we find ourselves left to our own idleness. Everyone is lost, everyone is searching for meaning, for significance, even when they will not admit it. In the moments of solitude, questions arise and we find ourselves searching in vain or running from the questions.
"It is the spirit of man, the Breath of the Almighty that makes him understand." Job 32:8
This verse is one of my favorites because it reminds me how we cannot find meaning ourselves. We cannot find meaning until our hearts rest in God like Augustine once said, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you." Every one is restless even the least likely, even the most chill or different people–those who we find extremely difficult to understand and those who may be too easy to understand. Who are you to say you know the depths of someone else's soul? The communion they have with God?
I walk down 6th street in Austin and I encounter prostitues, gays, gang members, transvestites, wandering businessmen...all people of whom I have very little in common with and I frankly cannot understand. But, I see something deeper going on...call it a curse or a gift, I feel like sometimes I can see into people's hearts. They all have a longing.
Jesus loves them. His love covers all people, the sins of the whole world. Even those people on 6th street need Him, they may just not be reaching out in the recognizable ways. But they are reaching out, they are screaming for attention through their actions. We ALL need Him.
"Put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these, put on LOVE which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." Colossians 3:12-15
May we all try and open our hearts and our minds to how Jesus views the world. Jesus, awaken us to your heart for others and may we then intercede for them in response to your love for us.
"For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." Romans 5:6-8
That is why we are here. That is our meaning. That is our significance. To live is Christ.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Arise.
In response to a question: What are the differences in the words rise and arise?
Rise-
verb: Move from a lower position to a higher one "The sun rises in the morning"
noun: An upward movement; an instance of becoming higher: "the bird has a display flight of steep flapping rises".
Arise-
verb: Emerge; become apparent: "new difficulties had arisen".
Come into being; originate: "God arose Adam from the dust"
Rise seems to me it concludes once the action has been competed. Rise means to get up. Rise is an action that is performed in or through something that has already been brought into existence.
Arise seems to mean more than just to rise. Arise means to get up and the action continues...its keeps going. Arise is an action of bringing something from death to life. Arise can bring nothing into something.
A few verses:
Luke 15:18 Jesus says, "I will ARISE and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.'"
Daniel talks a lot about Kingdoms ARISING and Kings ARISING...(8:22; 11:21; 7:24)
Eph. 5:13-14 "But when anything is exposed by light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, 'Awake, O sleeper, and ARISE from the dead and Christ will come to you.'" (PS I'm working on memorizing this verse, theres something about it I cannot get away from...you should memorize it too and when I see you we can cite it together!)
John 11:23-24 Jesus says, 'Your brother (lazurus) will RISE again.' Martha said to him, 'I know he will RISE again in the resurrection on the last day.'
Luke 21:10 "Nation will RISE against nation, and kingdom against kingdom..."
Psalm 44:26 "RISE up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love."
Proverbs 31:28 "Her children RISE up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her."
For the most part the two words are pretty interchangeable, but it seems to me ARISE could be a more powerful word. Jesus Himself uses the word ARISE for the powerful action of Him returning to the Father. To ARISE is to bring life from death. When I think of ARISE I think of God breathing the breath of life into Adam...the image on the Sistine Chapel Michelangelo so perfectly painted of the Creation of Adam. On the other hand, RISE is a more common term used to describe the more mundane and typical. I guess, it just depends on your own use of the two words and how you personally interpret them.
Another question: What are the Psalms?
Psalm is the longest book in the Bible with 150 psalms, most written by King David, "favored by the Lord." Apparently, the word Psalms comes from a Greek word which means, "a song sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument." I think thats beautiful and helps me understand....You know how on rainy days your mood becomes more somber and calmed, while on sunny days your mood seems to lift? I often think of my life as a soundtrack...on good days, I walk with a pep in my step and its almost like I'm dancing to jazz or skipping to some folk music, but on rainy days, my head hangs lower and I love my slow chill acoustic music, I sit for long periods of time and think to classical music. Every day, the songs I sing to God change with the music playing in the background of my life. While we have control of the songs we sing and how we respond to God, we don't have full control of circumstances, God determines those.
Therefore, the Psalms are David's response to different seasons of music in his life. Sometimes he sings praises, while in others I cannot seem to find any joy but just remorse or pain. I love the authenticity of the psalms, they make me feel like I am not alone in the way I feel sometimes. Some days I realize it is okay to be mad or upset or in pain or confused, and then there are also days when things make complete sense and all I can do is praise Him. The psalms are so diverse and address so many subjects. They are a beautiful songs of our lives.
Reminds me of one of my top 5 favorite verses: "For everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven" Ecc 3:1
Found this poem randomly, thought it was intriguing based on the topic of "Rise"...its a poem about perseverance when the world tells you to quit. Deep called to deep in this one.
"Still I Rise" poem by Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Rise-
verb: Move from a lower position to a higher one "The sun rises in the morning"
noun: An upward movement; an instance of becoming higher: "the bird has a display flight of steep flapping rises".
Arise-
verb: Emerge; become apparent: "new difficulties had arisen".
Come into being; originate: "God arose Adam from the dust"
Rise seems to me it concludes once the action has been competed. Rise means to get up. Rise is an action that is performed in or through something that has already been brought into existence.
Arise seems to mean more than just to rise. Arise means to get up and the action continues...its keeps going. Arise is an action of bringing something from death to life. Arise can bring nothing into something.
A few verses:
Luke 15:18 Jesus says, "I will ARISE and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.'"
Daniel talks a lot about Kingdoms ARISING and Kings ARISING...(8:22; 11:21; 7:24)
Eph. 5:13-14 "But when anything is exposed by light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, 'Awake, O sleeper, and ARISE from the dead and Christ will come to you.'" (PS I'm working on memorizing this verse, theres something about it I cannot get away from...you should memorize it too and when I see you we can cite it together!)
John 11:23-24 Jesus says, 'Your brother (lazurus) will RISE again.' Martha said to him, 'I know he will RISE again in the resurrection on the last day.'
Luke 21:10 "Nation will RISE against nation, and kingdom against kingdom..."
Psalm 44:26 "RISE up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love."
Proverbs 31:28 "Her children RISE up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her."
For the most part the two words are pretty interchangeable, but it seems to me ARISE could be a more powerful word. Jesus Himself uses the word ARISE for the powerful action of Him returning to the Father. To ARISE is to bring life from death. When I think of ARISE I think of God breathing the breath of life into Adam...the image on the Sistine Chapel Michelangelo so perfectly painted of the Creation of Adam. On the other hand, RISE is a more common term used to describe the more mundane and typical. I guess, it just depends on your own use of the two words and how you personally interpret them.
Another question: What are the Psalms?
Psalm is the longest book in the Bible with 150 psalms, most written by King David, "favored by the Lord." Apparently, the word Psalms comes from a Greek word which means, "a song sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument." I think thats beautiful and helps me understand....You know how on rainy days your mood becomes more somber and calmed, while on sunny days your mood seems to lift? I often think of my life as a soundtrack...on good days, I walk with a pep in my step and its almost like I'm dancing to jazz or skipping to some folk music, but on rainy days, my head hangs lower and I love my slow chill acoustic music, I sit for long periods of time and think to classical music. Every day, the songs I sing to God change with the music playing in the background of my life. While we have control of the songs we sing and how we respond to God, we don't have full control of circumstances, God determines those.
Therefore, the Psalms are David's response to different seasons of music in his life. Sometimes he sings praises, while in others I cannot seem to find any joy but just remorse or pain. I love the authenticity of the psalms, they make me feel like I am not alone in the way I feel sometimes. Some days I realize it is okay to be mad or upset or in pain or confused, and then there are also days when things make complete sense and all I can do is praise Him. The psalms are so diverse and address so many subjects. They are a beautiful songs of our lives.
Reminds me of one of my top 5 favorite verses: "For everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven" Ecc 3:1
Found this poem randomly, thought it was intriguing based on the topic of "Rise"...its a poem about perseverance when the world tells you to quit. Deep called to deep in this one.
"Still I Rise" poem by Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Focus on Scripture, not worries by Rick Warren
“I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” (Job 23:12b NIV)
The Bible repeatedly urges us to meditate on who God is, what he has done, and what he has said.
It is impossible to be God’s friend apart from knowing what he says. You can’t love God unless you know him, and you can’t know him without knowing his Word. The Bible says God “revealed himself to Samuel through his word” (1 Samuel 3:21).
God still uses that method today. While you cannot spend all day studying the Bible, you can think about it throughout the day, recalling verses you have read or memorized and mulling them over in your mind.
Meditation is often misunderstood as some difficult, mysterious ritual practiced by isolated monks and mystics. But meditation is simply focused thinking — a skill anyone can learn and use anywhere.
When you think about a problem over and over in your mind, that’s called worry. When you think about God’s Word over and over, that’s meditation. If you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate! You just need to switch your attention from your problems to Bible verses. The more you meditate on God’s Word, the less you will have to worry about.
The reason God considered Job and David his close friends was that they valued his Word above everything else, and they thought about it continually throughout the day. Job admitted, “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:12).
When you read your Bible or hear a sermon or listen to a CD, don’t just forget it and walk away. Develop the practice of reviewing the truth in your mind, thinking about it over and over. The more time you spend reviewing what God has said, the more you will understand the “secrets” of this life that most people miss.
The Bible repeatedly urges us to meditate on who God is, what he has done, and what he has said.
It is impossible to be God’s friend apart from knowing what he says. You can’t love God unless you know him, and you can’t know him without knowing his Word. The Bible says God “revealed himself to Samuel through his word” (1 Samuel 3:21).
God still uses that method today. While you cannot spend all day studying the Bible, you can think about it throughout the day, recalling verses you have read or memorized and mulling them over in your mind.
Meditation is often misunderstood as some difficult, mysterious ritual practiced by isolated monks and mystics. But meditation is simply focused thinking — a skill anyone can learn and use anywhere.
When you think about a problem over and over in your mind, that’s called worry. When you think about God’s Word over and over, that’s meditation. If you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate! You just need to switch your attention from your problems to Bible verses. The more you meditate on God’s Word, the less you will have to worry about.
The reason God considered Job and David his close friends was that they valued his Word above everything else, and they thought about it continually throughout the day. Job admitted, “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:12).
When you read your Bible or hear a sermon or listen to a CD, don’t just forget it and walk away. Develop the practice of reviewing the truth in your mind, thinking about it over and over. The more time you spend reviewing what God has said, the more you will understand the “secrets” of this life that most people miss.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
A humbling remark by AW Tozer...
"Man for all his genius is but an echo of the original Voice, a reflection of the uncreated Light. As a sunbeam perishes when cut off from the sun, so man apart from God would pass back into the void of nothingness from which he first leaped at the creative call."
Monday, March 26, 2012
A Song of Songs
I dont know what it is about listening to music when I exercise, but rhythm and beat and rhyme have a way of getting me through when I am tired. As songs build in my ears, I find my feet below me quicken in step. I run stronger and faster with the beat of the music. When the music slows, I breathe again and ease my pace. Its a funny thing...
Right now, as senior year comes quickly to a close, there is a song in my ears slowing my pace. I no longer want to run fast, I want to slow down and breathe again. It is time to soak in the scenery and walk, listening to the people around me and memorizing their faces.
I cherish this time with people so dear to me. As sad as I am to go, I find myself so grateful for the faces in my mind and forever on my heart, more importantly for their encouraging words echoing in my ears. This place and these people have given me a song I can forever hear in my heart, it is a song that never stops playing, a song that keeps me going when I get tired.
Thank you, dear friends, for your words...they will follow me where ever I go.
Right now, as senior year comes quickly to a close, there is a song in my ears slowing my pace. I no longer want to run fast, I want to slow down and breathe again. It is time to soak in the scenery and walk, listening to the people around me and memorizing their faces.
I cherish this time with people so dear to me. As sad as I am to go, I find myself so grateful for the faces in my mind and forever on my heart, more importantly for their encouraging words echoing in my ears. This place and these people have given me a song I can forever hear in my heart, it is a song that never stops playing, a song that keeps me going when I get tired.
Thank you, dear friends, for your words...they will follow me where ever I go.
My Utmost for His Highest
I really enjoyed this devotional on Saturday, I wanted to share it with you!
He must increase, but I must decrease —John 3:30
If you become a necessity to someone else’s life, you are out of God’s will. As a servant, your primary responsibility is to be a “friend of the bridegroom” (John 3:29). When you see a person who is close to grasping the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been used in the right direction. And when you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don’t try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we try to be amateur providences in someone’s life. We are indeed amateurs, coming in and actually preventing God’s will and saying, “This person should not have to experience this difficulty.” Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, our sympathy gets in the way. One day that person will say to us, “You are a thief; you stole my desire to follow Jesus, and because of you I lost sight of Him.” Beware of rejoicing with someone over the wrong thing, but always look to rejoice over the right thing. “. . . the friend of the bridegroom . . . rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:29-30). This was spoken with joy, not with sadness-at last they were to see the Bridegroom! And John said this was his joy. It represents a stepping aside, an absolute removal of the servant, never to be thought of again. Listen intently with your entire being until you hear the Bridegroom’s voice in the life of another person. And never give any thought to what devastation, difficulties, or sickness it will bring. Just rejoice with godly excitement that His voice has been heard. You may often have to watch Jesus Christ wreck a life before He saves it (see Matthew 10:34)
He must increase, but I must decrease —John 3:30
If you become a necessity to someone else’s life, you are out of God’s will. As a servant, your primary responsibility is to be a “friend of the bridegroom” (John 3:29). When you see a person who is close to grasping the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been used in the right direction. And when you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don’t try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we try to be amateur providences in someone’s life. We are indeed amateurs, coming in and actually preventing God’s will and saying, “This person should not have to experience this difficulty.” Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, our sympathy gets in the way. One day that person will say to us, “You are a thief; you stole my desire to follow Jesus, and because of you I lost sight of Him.” Beware of rejoicing with someone over the wrong thing, but always look to rejoice over the right thing. “. . . the friend of the bridegroom . . . rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:29-30). This was spoken with joy, not with sadness-at last they were to see the Bridegroom! And John said this was his joy. It represents a stepping aside, an absolute removal of the servant, never to be thought of again. Listen intently with your entire being until you hear the Bridegroom’s voice in the life of another person. And never give any thought to what devastation, difficulties, or sickness it will bring. Just rejoice with godly excitement that His voice has been heard. You may often have to watch Jesus Christ wreck a life before He saves it (see Matthew 10:34)
Saturday, March 24, 2012
If you are in love — that’s a good thing — that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone
In 1958, John Steinbeck, author of East of Eden, received a letter from his teenage son Thom, in which Thom expressed the situation of having fallen completely in love with a girl called Susan at the boarding school.
In response, Steinbeck wrote this beautiful letter back to him the same day. I think it is so thoughtful and sweet.
New York
November 10, 1958
Dear Thom:
We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.
First — if you are in love — that’s a good thing — that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.
Second — There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you — of kindness and consideration and respect — not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had.
You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply — of course it isn’t puppy love.
But I don’t think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it — and that I can tell you.
Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.
The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.
If you love someone — there is no possible harm in saying so — only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.
Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.
It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another — but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.
Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I’m glad you have it.
We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.
And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.
Love,
Fa
In response, Steinbeck wrote this beautiful letter back to him the same day. I think it is so thoughtful and sweet.
New York
November 10, 1958
Dear Thom:
We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.
First — if you are in love — that’s a good thing — that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.
Second — There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you — of kindness and consideration and respect — not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had.
You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply — of course it isn’t puppy love.
But I don’t think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it — and that I can tell you.
Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.
The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.
If you love someone — there is no possible harm in saying so — only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.
Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.
It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another — but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.
Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I’m glad you have it.
We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.
And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.
Love,
Fa
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