Hi friends...this is going to be short and sweet. These days I've been on a button hunt. I've been trying to make heads or tails of these silly contraptions.
No, I have not recently started working for NASA. These are machines for electrotherapy. It's really a cool concept, but I didn't know I would have to become an expert in electrotherapeutic currents this summer. Do I sound smart? Don't be fooled. There is a big part of me that would rather be on this kind of button hunt...
Link! No worries. Soon I will be able to do both. School doesn't last forever right? Everyone graduates sooner or later.
Despite the 'Intensity' I really am loving life right now. Somehow the balance of responsibilities and life always seems to come. That's something I love about life with the Lord. He's the provider...ready with enough...more than enough.
This is one of those verses that I still don't fully understand, but I've proved it true over and over in my life. My work never measures up, but somehow I live in peace. Peace that only the Lord's presence can bring.
LORD, You will establish peace for us,
for You have also done all our work for us.
Isaiah 26:12
Good morning friends. Have you ever just felt dusty? Let's get real, have you ever been tripping through a muddy pit? Ever had one of those days where you feel like you are climbing and working and trying to get somewhere only to realize you are on an escalator that's on warp speed. You're going no where but spending a whole lot of energy doing it? It's not a fun realization. I think about this a lot. Where do I need to be, what can I spend my time doing that will really matter? Is it worth the effort to study, invest in relationships, keep things clean(I'm just being honest), drive 100 miles a day, accumulate debt? What am I really up to? What does God think about what I'm up to?
David Crowder, the scruffy modern-day musician, belts out some lyrics that put a little structure to my musings.
I am full of earth
You are heaven’s worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
The antonym of me
You are divinity
But a certain sign of grace is this
From a broken earth flowers come up Pushing through the dirt
You are everything that is bright and clean
And You’re covering me with Your majesty
And the truest sign of grace was this
From wounded hands redemption fell down
Liberating man
I am full of earth and dirt and You
(exerpts from the song Wholly Yours)
There's a comfort and peace that comes from knowing what my Maker is up to. Maybe it is not so much about what I'm up to everyday. Maybe what He has already done overshadows my worries. Just think, if He can bring up flowers from dirt, He can bring beautiful, fruitful things from my life. I may be covered in Mud, but that's when the new growth can come. Hmm, maybe that means I can stop cleaning so much... Anyway, just look at this dirt here in a photo from my backyard. There's nothing special about the dirt. It's just dirt. But look what is growing from it. Is it just a hunter green bush, or is it something more?
Hang with me a minute...this is one of those concepts that makes me smile so big that tears start trickling out of my eyes for joy. Not only did God make a way to rescue me from the pit of despair I ran to over and over, but He made a beautiful way. Up from the dirt, the flowers spring up. Not only thorns or boring hunter green bushes but beautiful, awe inspiring flowers.
Isaiah another probably scruffy guy from ancient days shares some more insight...
"You will indeed go out with joy and be peacefully guided;
the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush, a cypress will come up,
and instead of the brier, a myrtle will come up;
[the pink flowers are called crape myrtles]
it will make a name for the LORD
as an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed.
Isaiah 55
So right in my backyard, I have a reminder of the reality that God has made a way to bring beautiful, awe-inspiring growth from plain old dirt. Enjoy the reality of the beauty God is sprouting up around you. Love you friends.
Peace Tuesday, May 5, 2009 |
Good morning friends.
I have a final today. Prayers are welcome. I'm not feeling worried or nervous. Why? It's not because I've studied for oodles of time or because I'm confident I know everything. I guess you'd say I'm at peace. Hmmm, I like that word. Peace.
I think God likes this word...peace.
For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on His shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. |
Isaiahh 9:6
And as they were saying these things, He Himself (Jesus) stood among them. He said to them, "Peace to you!"
Luke 24:36
The Greek word for peace that Jesus uses in this verse is , εἰρήνη, pronounced ā-rā'-nā. There is a lot more to this concept of peace than I thought! Here's the definition that I found on this
site...
Peace:::
1) a state of national tranquillity; exemption from the rage and havoc of war
2) peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord
3) security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous)
4) of the Messiah's peace
a) the way that leads to peace (salvation)
5) of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is
6) the blessed state of devout and upright men after death
Peace to you today friends. Enjoy the picture of the Lily from our backyard. Don't you just love springtime?
Labels: peace
This song blessed my heart on my trek into the city this morning.
Take a listen..... *click*
Free Today Thursday, April 23, 2009 |
I have this calendar on my mac that I never set up. It opens every time I restart my computer because I don't know how to remove it. It always says "Free Today" because I haven't entered my daily agenda. It's empty, "free". Honestly, it has irritated me every once in a while. I'm not free today, I have to work on project x & y while balancing the rest of the crazy schedule. But I just restarted my computer. I started to get a little ticked...then it hit me.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. -John 8:36
I'm free today. I'm free in this day with a busy schedule and projects piling up because I know my Maker. Free because I don't have to be in control. Free because I can love and laugh and stand up for truth. Free because nothing has a hold of me except the love of Christ. Think about the life-changing effects of love...real, selfless love, well there's nothing better. Why are there so many love songs? I rest my case. Sure, life's tough. Hearts get broken. Responsibilities weigh on us. But at the end of the day, the reality is I have a free soul and I am loved and there is nothing more I could ask for.
So take on the crazy days, and remember... "if the Son sets you
free, you will be
free indeed." -John 8:36
p.s. I just thought I'd throw in a few pen and ink drawings today.
Labels: everyday art, freedom
Hello friends. I've been a little quiet again. Don't worry I'm still loving life, enjoying the scenery and catching up on a little Gilmore Girls. I'm up to season 6 these days. If you know me, you know that I'm a little slow on keeping up with culture. I think that TV is much more fun to watch on DVD years later!
