life returns

Spring is coming
from all around the world
it peaks through death
a blade, a blossom, a buzz
Hints that life goes on
beneath the cold death
life has been living
Always present, always strong
though under attack at every turn
life presses on

When will spring come in me
what seems a cold season of death
has been covering my ground
buried, there beneath my ground
a Spirit cries out for more
a blade of faith
a blossom of love
a buzz of hope

I, like the earth,
am not left in winter
and everything hidden presses
up and through the depths
Bleak limbs bud
and barren hills green
The stream flows
bringing life along its narrow path
And so with me
Eyes opened to the sun
mouth quenched by the stream

Life returns
as it was always meant to be

can smart people believe in god?

Can you KNOW that God exists? Dallas Willard answered some great questions and helped people think differently about this, and a great number of other "tough questions" regarding faith and God. It's in written form in his most recent book Knowing Christ Today, but it is also in audio form from the four different services (all different questions) from Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. I recommend both!

paper and the pulpit

"I confess that I have not invariably been comfortable in front of a pulpit; I have never been comfortable behind one. To be behind a pulpit is always a forcible reminder to me that I am an essayist, and in many ways a dissenter. An essayist is, literally, a writer who attempts to tell the truth. Preachers must resign themselves to being either right or wrong; an essayist, when proved wrong, may claim to have been 'just practicing.' An essayist is privileged to speak without institutional authorization. A dissenter, of course, must speak without privilege." — Wendell Berry, "Christianity and The Survival of Creation"

what story is your life telling?

"Neither revolution nor reformation can ultimately change a society, rather you must tell a new powerful tale, one so persuasive that it sweeps away the old myths and becomes the preferred story, one so inclusive that it gathers all the bits of our past and our present into a coherent whole, one that even shines some light into the future so that we can take the next step... If you want to change a society, then you have to tell an alternative story." — attributed to Ivan Illich, Former Austrian priest and philosopher

What story is your life telling?

reflection for 2010: trained by grace

A new decade begins...

I have been spending some time in Titus lately. I am pleasantly surprised by what I have found there. I am encouraged by Paul's straightforward expression of the transforming reality of God's grace and gospel in Jesus. Here's the passage that stands out to me as the central catalyst of everything else in this little letter:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. — Titus 2:11-14 (ESV)

I think it reflects a growing desire in me, perhaps for 2010. To be trained by grace. By Jesus. By the gospel. There are three actions grace trains us to have. To RENOUNCE, to LIVE, and to WAIT. Here are the nuggets I have pulled out so far.

RENOUNCE, in the Greek there is a sense of "refusing something offered." It is clear that my flesh (the part of me use to living without dependence upon or relationship with God), the world, and the Enemy offer me alternatives to God's way of life. While I have an inclination towards sin, that is not the end of the story. I can stand firm in resisting, rejecting, refusing anything that is offered to me apart from God.

LIVE, in the Greek there is a sense of "to enjoy life" and "be full of vigor." What a gift it is to live! To really be alive. I was reading 10 Resolutions for Mental Health from the Desiring God blog, Kilby's suggestions seemed to express exactly what this word is saying about enjoying life with God. His reflections on God, creation, and men are not contingent on circumstances, they reflect an eternal perspective on the gift of life.

WAIT, in the Greek is pretty unique. It reflects the opening to companionship and intimacy, while also the idea of expecting a promise to be fulfilled. This is a pretty amazing word. I do not want to think I know all I can about what Paul is trying to express. Since I am living in a unique, to me, state of waiting I am very excited about this. In the waiting there is an invitation to more relationship than has been experienced. It is the kind of waiting used for a man and wife becoming one. In waiting there is also a confidence in promises being fulfilled. So, as relationship and circumstance have not yet arrived at what is ultimately desired, there is great joy in the anticipation.

Lord, train me by your grace through Jesus to refuse any offer that is not from you, to enjoy the fullness of life today, and to joyfully anticipate the consummation of your will in my life and the world.

life not included

Here's a comic from a friend:














Check out his daily strip at www.bucketgnome.com.

advent: favorite song of 2009

Wanted to share with you all my favorite "new" Christmas song for 2009. Below are the lyrics and a link to listen to the whole song online.






Wake Up The World by JJ Heller

Shepherds come to worship
Angels sing Gloria
Wake up the world, the King has come

Oh let heaven, heaven and nature sing
Oh let heaven, heaven and nature sing
Oh let heaven, heaven and nature sing
Wake up the world, Wake up the world,
Wake up the world, the king has come

Joseph smiles at Mary
The baby falls asleep
Wake up the world, the king has come

Oh let heaven, heaven and nature sing
Oh let heaven, heaven and nature sing
Oh let heaven, heaven and nature sing
Wake up the world, Wake up the world,
Wake up the world, the king has come

Son of God
Love’s Pure light
Wake up the world, the king has come

Wake Up The World - JJ Heller

advent: o holy night

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

— by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem "Minuit, chrétiens" (Midnight, Christians) by Placide Cappeau (1808–1877), a wine merchant and poet, who had been asked by a parish priest to write a Christmas poem.

advent: god's light

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." — Luke 2:25-35 (ESV)

This was our final Advent devotional reading. We remembered that God is not finished with his plan for us and the world. He desires that everyone would love and obey him. Just as Jesus was a light and blessing to those around him, we are to be a light and blessing to others. This will not be easy. It will be costly, but worth it. Very worth it.

Now we celebrate the light of the world, and pray that God would teach us to be a light just like Jesus!

advent: our gifts

After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. — Matthew 2:9-11 (ESV)

This was our fourth reading for Advent devotions as a family. We had a good time placing our Little People Nativity pieces by each candle we had lit so far. An angel for OT prophecy and "God's Promise." Mary for "Our Choice." Shepherds for "God With Us." And finally the wise men for this week "Our Gifts."

We reflected on how God has blessed us so much, and he loves when we give back to him. The kids brainstormed what we can give God, obedience, giving to those in need, our time, etc. We also thought about these verses:

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. — Psalm 51:17 (ESV)

All these things my hand has made,and so all these things came to be,declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spiritand trembles at my word. — Isaiah 66:2 (ESV)

We remembered that God's favorite gifts are when we ask for help and admit we are wrong and need help.

advent: the friendly beasts

Jesus our brother kind and good
Was humbly born in a stable of wood
And the friendly beasts around him stood
Jesus our brother kind and good

"I" said the donkey shaggy and brown
I carried his mother up hill and down
I carried him safely to Bethlehem town
"I" said the donkey shaggy and brown

And "I" said the cow all white and red
I gave him my manger for a bed
I gave him my hay for to pillow his head
"I" said the cow all white and red

"I" said the sheep with a curly horn
I have him my wool for his blanket warm
And he wore my coat on that Christmas morn
"I" said the sheep with a curly horn

"I" said the dove from the rafters high
Cooed him to sleep that he should not cry
We cooed him to sleep my love and I
"I" said the dove from the rafters high

And "I" said the camel all yellow and black
Over the desert upon my back
I brought him a gift in the wise men's pack
"I" said the camel all yellow and black

Thus every beast remembering it well
In the stable dark was so proud to tell
Of the gifts that they gave Emmanuel
The gifts that they gave Emmanuel

— This song originally hails from a 12th century Latin song "Orientis Partibus" which first appeared in France and is usually attributed to Pierre de Corbeil, Bishop of Sens (d 1222). Robert Davis (1881-1950) apparently wrote the words that we normally associate with this tune in the 1920s.

Listen to this song done by Sufjan Stevens:

The Friendly Beasts - Sufjan S...

love the questions

"You are so young and before all beginning, and I want to beg you, as much as I can, dear sir, to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer." — Letters To A Young Poet, Ranier Maria Rilke, July 16th, 1903, p. 27