breathe

It is the first sound of the day,
if you listen.
It rises in your chest and
passes through your lips.
It can be swift and light,
or deep and sorrowful.
You cannot start your day
without a breath.

It is the first thing you feel,
when you walk out the door.
It gently moves along your face
and makes the world sway.
It can soften the heat,
or highlight the cold.
You cannot escape the
presence of the wind.

>It is often overlooked
for its effects are subtle too.
It prompts from within,
and beckons life to birth.
It can shape your heart,
or send a chill across your soul.
You cannot live a day
apart from the Spirit's call.

In Him we live and move and breathe.

norman maclean

The problem of self-identity is not just a problem for the young. It is a problem all the time. Perhaps the problem. It should haunt old age, and when it no longer does, it should tell you that you are dead. — Norman Maclean

Found this quote on Kit Reichow's blog. I have been thinking a lot about Norman Maclean lately. I picked up the soundtrack to the movie based off of Maclean's A River Runs Through It. All three are wonderful pieces of art in their own right.

You should certainly take the time to read Maclean's book. It is one of the most beautiful stories of brotherhood, family, fishing, and searching that you will ever read. I appreciate that is an unassuming story that seems written only for a few to read and leaves behind the grand commentaries of books you read in high school and the pomp and convention of a best-seller. The writing is honest, naked, and beautifully descriptive.

Then watch Robert Redford's screen adaptation and you will find there was little work for the screenwriters and cinematographers since Maclean's writing was so straightforward and wonderful.

All three works provoke a reflection in my soul that is, in Maclean's words, haunting. There is a longing for life, love, and peace that is stirred. It is a good feeling that I enjoy revisiting and letting cause me a little unease about the direction or course of my day an life.

I am grateful for such works that do not let me get caught up in the dreariness of the calendar and that call me to stop, feel, think, and pray.

agrarian thoughts

Today I return to work
While my hands are soft
My heart is calloused and strong

My ground is young lives
My seed the Word of life
My water the Spirit

Hard ground needs to be tilled
Thorns and thistles of culture abound
Stones of pain need to be removed

All things seem to fight back
It is a Curse that weaves itself deep
The days can leave you burnt

This work is too much alone
Too often I try on my mine
Too often I forget to drink

Thank you for this day
Thank you for hard work
Thank you for a place to end the day

wings like a dove

My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
And I say, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
yes, I would wander far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness;
Selah

But I call to God,
and the LORD will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
He redeems my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
Selah

Cast your burden on the LORD,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.

— Psalm 55:4-7, 16-19, 22

Haven't written in awhile, this basically expresses my last three weeks. It has been a challenge to say the least. I have been wrestling with whether or not I am content with God redeeming my soul in the midst of a battle. My focus and worry is mostly on the battle, and he seems to be mostly worried about who I am. However, I have seen him sustain me along the way. There have been continual reminders of his presence and provision and sovereignty. He is in charge. He is in control. And I am learning that if he is truly sovereign then he is right to be more concerned about who I am than what is swirling around me.