Jen, me, Erin
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007.
A daughter radiant.
A daddy nearly undone by the goodness of the God he serves.
A mom awestruck,
watching her babe's tears of joy
wash over the desert of her once lonely soul.
A little family, surrounded by friends who love them, unconditionally.
A wise pastor and encouraging friend, with a message.
Of faith.
Of hope.
Of love.
Musicians who sang played prayed,
and gave glory to the miraculous God of sacred Life Songs.
A young man who kissed the hands of his bride, while kissing her heart with yearning eyes.
A declaration of love below.
A declaration of Love above.
Saturday, November 17, 2007.
My heart is full. Full of the faithfulness of God.
Full of gratefulness to Him. Full.
A daughter radiant.
A daddy nearly undone by the goodness of the God he serves.
A mom awestruck,
watching her babe's tears of joy
wash over the desert of her once lonely soul.
A little family, surrounded by friends who love them, unconditionally.
A wise pastor and encouraging friend, with a message.
Of faith.
Of hope.
Of love.
Musicians who sang played prayed,
and gave glory to the miraculous God of sacred Life Songs.
A young man who kissed the hands of his bride, while kissing her heart with yearning eyes.
A declaration of love below.
A declaration of Love above.
Saturday, November 17, 2007.
My heart is full. Full of the faithfulness of God.
Full of gratefulness to Him. Full.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
True Myth Part Two
So, I am thinking that I have never finished writing about Isaiah Chapter 59. And then again, I basically never write! This blog thing is beyond me. When I have any time I'm always reading, reading, reading! But this is just too good a chapter not to finish writing about it! Even if it is just Jennifer and Michael who ever read the thing. It can be our once every two month family bonding experience. :)
I love this chapter because it's been talking about sin, sin, sin for 14 verses. And then... there are those precious words to me, "And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no one to intercede; then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him."v.16 I love it that the Lord saw, and He acted upon what He saw. He upheld Jesus when no one stuck with Him.
I love the picture of Jesus putting on the war clothes, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the garments of vengeance, the mantle of zeal.
"A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," declares the Lord. v. 20
And the covenant promise: "As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the Lord: "My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring," says the Lord, "from now and forever."v. 21
Isaiah 59: the Hallelujah True Myth story: sin and rescue, a Redeemer, God's Word which cannot be wrenched from me. And as the song says, "I'm forever grateful, to You."
I love this chapter because it's been talking about sin, sin, sin for 14 verses. And then... there are those precious words to me, "And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no one to intercede; then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him."v.16 I love it that the Lord saw, and He acted upon what He saw. He upheld Jesus when no one stuck with Him.
I love the picture of Jesus putting on the war clothes, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the garments of vengeance, the mantle of zeal.
"A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," declares the Lord. v. 20
And the covenant promise: "As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the Lord: "My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring," says the Lord, "from now and forever."v. 21
Isaiah 59: the Hallelujah True Myth story: sin and rescue, a Redeemer, God's Word which cannot be wrenched from me. And as the song says, "I'm forever grateful, to You."
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Where Could Be A Better Place Than This?
I found this tonight in one of my journals, and I decided to type it here in case I lost the journal again. I'm good at losing my writing! I wrote this late one night a year ago. I had been thinking of some especially happy memories of places I've been.
Changed it some. I'm rarely satisfied the first few times!
I love the berry patch at Grandma's house, where I used to take a basket for picking. I love that sun-shining, juice-dripping-down-my-chin, I-bet-I-can-pick-more-than-you-can-giggles-and-smiles-kind of berry patch. And I just have to ask you, could there be any place better than this?
But... I also love my little garden in my own backyard, with its out of control wisteria vine, its some dead plants and its some just plain UGLY plants, and the friendly neighborhood turtle who occasionally shows up for Property Inspections. Maybe Mr. Turtle just senses the wondrous mystery of it all, because, honestly... where else in this world could there be so many possibilities for what a place could be someday, than in my own backyard?
But then to... I really love standing with my friends in front of that absolutely enormous beaver dam, on that old Colorado hiking trail, and thinking of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as I see this Mr. Beaver's fuzzy face. "Is Aslan on the move, Mr. Beaver?" I start to shout, but before those words even have a chance to pop from my mouth, Mr. Beaver makes a nose dive straight into the water. Beavers are just downright shy when they're not needed in battle, I'm guessing.
I've got to admit, though....I absolutely love walks along the beach, feeling the sand ooze out from under my feet as the ocean does its "I love you, I love you not" kind of back and forth dance. I don't know if the ocean loves me, but I sure do love it, even though it is rather loud and pushy. Come to think of it, its disposition is just downright salty. Still, I think it secretly enjoys the gasps of breathless awe and admiration it gets every day, and I wonder..."Ocean, are you glad I came?"
But, I've got to tell you... more than anything... I love standing by my sweet friend who's beaten cancer back two times - two times - as she suddenly spies, not a single, but a double rainbow in that cool, filled-up-with-color Colorado sky. And now, I just have to ask you, where else would anyone want to be, feasting on a double dose of multi-colored hope, except right here in this very spot, staring up into the sky with the sweet friend who's beaten cancer back two times?
And... I'm sitting right now in a cozy little chair by the lamp in my livingroom. It's late. My husband is sleeping and my daughter has finally stopped dragging herself to the couch mumbling something about counting and sheep refusing to jump over fences... and I'm tired and I need sleep, too... but first I just have to ask you, where else could a chair be so cozy and memories shine as brightly as the Northern star? Where could be a better place than this?
Changed it some. I'm rarely satisfied the first few times!
Where Could Be A Better Place Than This?
I love the berry patch at Grandma's house, where I used to take a basket for picking. I love that sun-shining, juice-dripping-down-my-chin, I-bet-I-can-pick-more-than-you-can-giggles-and-smiles-kind of berry patch. And I just have to ask you, could there be any place better than this?
But... I also love my little garden in my own backyard, with its out of control wisteria vine, its some dead plants and its some just plain UGLY plants, and the friendly neighborhood turtle who occasionally shows up for Property Inspections. Maybe Mr. Turtle just senses the wondrous mystery of it all, because, honestly... where else in this world could there be so many possibilities for what a place could be someday, than in my own backyard?
But then to... I really love standing with my friends in front of that absolutely enormous beaver dam, on that old Colorado hiking trail, and thinking of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as I see this Mr. Beaver's fuzzy face. "Is Aslan on the move, Mr. Beaver?" I start to shout, but before those words even have a chance to pop from my mouth, Mr. Beaver makes a nose dive straight into the water. Beavers are just downright shy when they're not needed in battle, I'm guessing.
I've got to admit, though....I absolutely love walks along the beach, feeling the sand ooze out from under my feet as the ocean does its "I love you, I love you not" kind of back and forth dance. I don't know if the ocean loves me, but I sure do love it, even though it is rather loud and pushy. Come to think of it, its disposition is just downright salty. Still, I think it secretly enjoys the gasps of breathless awe and admiration it gets every day, and I wonder..."Ocean, are you glad I came?"
But, I've got to tell you... more than anything... I love standing by my sweet friend who's beaten cancer back two times - two times - as she suddenly spies, not a single, but a double rainbow in that cool, filled-up-with-color Colorado sky. And now, I just have to ask you, where else would anyone want to be, feasting on a double dose of multi-colored hope, except right here in this very spot, staring up into the sky with the sweet friend who's beaten cancer back two times?
And... I'm sitting right now in a cozy little chair by the lamp in my livingroom. It's late. My husband is sleeping and my daughter has finally stopped dragging herself to the couch mumbling something about counting and sheep refusing to jump over fences... and I'm tired and I need sleep, too... but first I just have to ask you, where else could a chair be so cozy and memories shine as brightly as the Northern star? Where could be a better place than this?
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
True myth Part 1
God's very Word in our hands.
His story.
His plan.
The plan that will not be defeated no matter how hard the enemy tries!
How we need to study it!
How we need to call upon His Spirit to help us understand it more and more!
We need to write about our understanding of God's Word,
to leave tracks of our thinking as history unfolds itself,
so that future generations can build upon what we have seen and learned.
I read Isaiah 59 again this morning.
Sin and its affects:
1. It separates us from God
2. It defiles us
3. It tries to cover up with lies
4. It multiplies
5. It leads to violence
6. It keeps us from peace
7. It keeps us from justice
8. It keeps righteousness away
9. It brings false hope
10. It blinds us
11. It makes us angry or sad
12. It causes us to lose hope
13. It is seen by God
14. It testifies against us
15. It causes us to deny and turn away from our God
15. It brings oppression and revolt
16. It changes our heart into a lying one
17. It turns back justice
His story.
His plan.
The plan that will not be defeated no matter how hard the enemy tries!
How we need to study it!
How we need to call upon His Spirit to help us understand it more and more!
We need to write about our understanding of God's Word,
to leave tracks of our thinking as history unfolds itself,
so that future generations can build upon what we have seen and learned.
I read Isaiah 59 again this morning.
Sin and its affects:
1. It separates us from God
2. It defiles us
3. It tries to cover up with lies
4. It multiplies
5. It leads to violence
6. It keeps us from peace
7. It keeps us from justice
8. It keeps righteousness away
9. It brings false hope
10. It blinds us
11. It makes us angry or sad
12. It causes us to lose hope
13. It is seen by God
14. It testifies against us
15. It causes us to deny and turn away from our God
15. It brings oppression and revolt
16. It changes our heart into a lying one
17. It turns back justice
Saturday, June 16, 2007
The Calf-Path
"And where are you going and why?" I ask myself.
The Calf-Path
by Sam Walter Foss. Public Domain.
One day through the primeval wood
A calf walked home as good calves should;
But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail as all calves do.
Since then three hundred years have fled,
And I infer the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up next day
By a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bell–wether sheep
Pursued the trail o'er vale and steep,
And drew the flock behind him, too,
As good bell–wethers always do.
And from that day, o'er hill and glade,
Through those old woods a path was made.
And many men wound in and out,
And dodged and turned and bent about,
And uttered words of righteous wrath
Because 'twas such a crooked path;
But still they followed – do not laugh -
The first migrations of that calf,
And though this winding wood-way stalked
Because he wobbled when he walked.
This forest path became a lane
That bent and turned and turned again;
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And thus a century and a half
They trod the footsteps of that calf.
The years passed on in swiftness fleet,
The road became a village street;
And this, before men were aware,
A city's crowded thoroughfare.
And soon the central street was this
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half
Trod in the footsteps of that calf.
Each day a hundred thousand rout
Followed this zigzag calf about
And o'er his crooked journey went
The traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They followed still his crooked way.
And lost one hundred years a day,
For thus such reverence is lent
To well-established precedent.
A moral lesson this might teach
Were I ordained and called to preach;
For men are prone to go it blind
Along the calf-paths of the mind,
And work away from sun to sun
To do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
And out and in, and forth and back,
And still their devious course pursue,
To keep the path that others do.
They keep the path a sacred groove,
Along which all their lives they move;
But how the wise old wood-gods laugh,
Who saw the first primeval calf.
Ah, many things this tale might teach —
But I am not ordained to preach.
The Calf-Path
by Sam Walter Foss. Public Domain.
One day through the primeval wood
A calf walked home as good calves should;
But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail as all calves do.
Since then three hundred years have fled,
And I infer the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up next day
By a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bell–wether sheep
Pursued the trail o'er vale and steep,
And drew the flock behind him, too,
As good bell–wethers always do.
And from that day, o'er hill and glade,
Through those old woods a path was made.
And many men wound in and out,
And dodged and turned and bent about,
And uttered words of righteous wrath
Because 'twas such a crooked path;
But still they followed – do not laugh -
The first migrations of that calf,
And though this winding wood-way stalked
Because he wobbled when he walked.
This forest path became a lane
That bent and turned and turned again;
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And thus a century and a half
They trod the footsteps of that calf.
The years passed on in swiftness fleet,
The road became a village street;
And this, before men were aware,
A city's crowded thoroughfare.
And soon the central street was this
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half
Trod in the footsteps of that calf.
Each day a hundred thousand rout
Followed this zigzag calf about
And o'er his crooked journey went
The traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They followed still his crooked way.
And lost one hundred years a day,
For thus such reverence is lent
To well-established precedent.
A moral lesson this might teach
Were I ordained and called to preach;
For men are prone to go it blind
Along the calf-paths of the mind,
And work away from sun to sun
To do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
And out and in, and forth and back,
And still their devious course pursue,
To keep the path that others do.
They keep the path a sacred groove,
Along which all their lives they move;
But how the wise old wood-gods laugh,
Who saw the first primeval calf.
Ah, many things this tale might teach —
But I am not ordained to preach.
We Aren't Safe
Israel. God's chosen people.
It just occured to me tonight...
We aren't safe from God just because He has chosen us.
We're only safe when we have chosen Him.
It just occured to me tonight...
We aren't safe from God just because He has chosen us.
We're only safe when we have chosen Him.
Monday, June 4, 2007
One
The scribe asked Jesus: "What commandment is the foremost of all?"
His answer: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord."
There is something magical in that statement. The Lord our God is one Lord.
One in a Triune community. And we are invited, can you believe it, invited...
into that oneness...
into that community... through our faith in Jesus.
I love that God is telling a story about oneness here on earth. A story about how the fragments came to be, and about how He is putting them back together one piece at a time through our faith and obedience to Christ. I love it that each believer has his own set of pieces to add to the big picture story that God is directing so well. It's a great drama because God is a great story teller. It's a great drama because it's not just a good story, it's a true one. It's a great drama because Christ Himself is the great warrior hero, and the powerful opponent will ultimately be defeated and removed from the picture altogether. In the end this wild chaotic mess will be in harmony. It will be one. Wow.
I guess so many people miss the big story because all they can see are more pieces than they can count. All they see are fragments and some pretty nasty ones at that. They have no clue how all those story lines could possibly fit together in a way that makes sense.
Yet everywhere we look there are signs that God is leaving a witness to His bigger story, His signs of love, His signs of the oneness that was lost and will one day be regained. Pick up a good book and we find that stories have a beginning, middle, and an end. The problem gets solved, the person is changed, the lesson is learned. Just a small reflection of the bigger story God is telling of healing, of making things fit where they didn't fit before.
Examine what a scientist examines. God and His sovereign design is easily confirmed by the incredible complexity of the universe and all it contains. Check out my daughter Jen's blog for more of that. Her entry 2/5/07. http://aggiechick03.blogspot.com/
Look at History. See what makes nations rise and fall in power, and why. Even the continents' shapes seem to indicate that this old earth was once one continent.
There's not a word that issues forth from our God that will not take place. He is in control. He is on the throne. He is directing it all. And oh, what a glorious story it will be, it is now! The story of One.
Yep. The Lord our God is one Lord. One in a community of hearts that beats a little stronger each day the rhythm of His love, one in a community of praises that echoes loudly of the salvation that comes from Him alone. One in the healing of the nations. One in the healing of hearts. That's God. The Lord our God. He invited us to join Him, to be one with Him. We did. Could anything be sweeter?
His answer: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord."
There is something magical in that statement. The Lord our God is one Lord.
One in a Triune community. And we are invited, can you believe it, invited...
into that oneness...
into that community... through our faith in Jesus.
I love that God is telling a story about oneness here on earth. A story about how the fragments came to be, and about how He is putting them back together one piece at a time through our faith and obedience to Christ. I love it that each believer has his own set of pieces to add to the big picture story that God is directing so well. It's a great drama because God is a great story teller. It's a great drama because it's not just a good story, it's a true one. It's a great drama because Christ Himself is the great warrior hero, and the powerful opponent will ultimately be defeated and removed from the picture altogether. In the end this wild chaotic mess will be in harmony. It will be one. Wow.
I guess so many people miss the big story because all they can see are more pieces than they can count. All they see are fragments and some pretty nasty ones at that. They have no clue how all those story lines could possibly fit together in a way that makes sense.
Yet everywhere we look there are signs that God is leaving a witness to His bigger story, His signs of love, His signs of the oneness that was lost and will one day be regained. Pick up a good book and we find that stories have a beginning, middle, and an end. The problem gets solved, the person is changed, the lesson is learned. Just a small reflection of the bigger story God is telling of healing, of making things fit where they didn't fit before.
Examine what a scientist examines. God and His sovereign design is easily confirmed by the incredible complexity of the universe and all it contains. Check out my daughter Jen's blog for more of that. Her entry 2/5/07. http://aggiechick03.blogspot.com/
Look at History. See what makes nations rise and fall in power, and why. Even the continents' shapes seem to indicate that this old earth was once one continent.
There's not a word that issues forth from our God that will not take place. He is in control. He is on the throne. He is directing it all. And oh, what a glorious story it will be, it is now! The story of One.
Yep. The Lord our God is one Lord. One in a community of hearts that beats a little stronger each day the rhythm of His love, one in a community of praises that echoes loudly of the salvation that comes from Him alone. One in the healing of the nations. One in the healing of hearts. That's God. The Lord our God. He invited us to join Him, to be one with Him. We did. Could anything be sweeter?
Monday, May 7, 2007
My Daughter Jen
So, I just got through talking to my eldest daughter, Jennifer, and I just have to say:
Thank you, God, for blessing this world with Jennifer Leigh
Thank you, God, for her transparency
Thank you, God, for her faithfulness
Thank you, God, for her determination to love, even when Satan is trying to give her the shaft, and he certainly is trying to do that
Thank you, God, for the kind of friend she has been and continues to be to SO many
Thank you, God, for making her a teacher who really cares
Thank you, God, for her leadership abililites
Thank you, God, for letting her light shine before men in such a way that they see her good works and give the glory to You.
Strengthen her, Lord.
Help her to find her rest in You.
Help her to persevere.
Keep the armor, on, Baby Girl!
I love you.
You bless my world.
Mom
Thank you, God, for blessing this world with Jennifer Leigh
Thank you, God, for her transparency
Thank you, God, for her faithfulness
Thank you, God, for her determination to love, even when Satan is trying to give her the shaft, and he certainly is trying to do that
Thank you, God, for the kind of friend she has been and continues to be to SO many
Thank you, God, for making her a teacher who really cares
Thank you, God, for her leadership abililites
Thank you, God, for letting her light shine before men in such a way that they see her good works and give the glory to You.
Strengthen her, Lord.
Help her to find her rest in You.
Help her to persevere.
Keep the armor, on, Baby Girl!
I love you.
You bless my world.
Mom
Saturday, February 10, 2007
My Heart is Numb
The court dismissed Hannah's case Monday, February 5th, because she will be 18 on the 27th, and there doesn't seem to be anything left that we can do. Even though I know that we have done everything we knew to do, I still realize that we made mistakes, and I am often haunted with what we might have missed. We watched her walk away once again. That night, having traveled to Nashville for the Re:Create conference, I spent some time alone with the Lord. I pictured my heart lying before him, and I felt like I was sufficating. I picked up my journal and wrote:
My heart is numb
Numb from mistakes I've made
and can't correct.
It barely beats-
whimpering piteously
from its self-made lair
covered over
almost completely
with blackness.
I can't feel even though I want to feel
I long to rise
To take wing
To fly free.
But my heart is too heavy.
It can't rise.
It's not free
covered over
almost completely
with
blackness.
This heart is dying.
I feel it dying.
Oh, God
I need Your Light!
I need Your Light!
And then in mercy
You gaze upon my heart
You do not look away.
You immerse my heart
in the waters
of Your Love
My God, You wash me
in the waters
You cover Your holiness
with
my
filth
and leave me
clean
Then You whisper to my heart
Beat
Feel
Rise
Take wing
Fly free
Feel
Rise
Take wing
Fly free
Beating stronger
Beating stronger
Beating stronger
I rise in the Power
of the Lover
of my numb heart.
Beating stronger
Beating stronger
I rise in the Power
of the Lover
of my numb heart.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Chocolate-eyed baby
She walked out the door and never looked back. Our chocolate-eyed baby. It might have been less hurtful, perhaps, if she had left us for a better life or more opportunity, or if she had been old enough and wise enough to know what she really wants and needs. Now I am remembering how I used to cradle her in my arms, how Michael used to balance her on his stomach and watch her lift her heavy head to peer at him in wide eyed wonder, how Erin's love hugs used to make her howl in angry horror, how Jenny could always elicit from her a gurgle and a slobbery grin. Family was enough then. Being loved more than anything was enough. But somewhere down the road, I'm not sure where or when, our girl got lost. She became the girl who couldn't seem to love herself the right way. She sold out cheap. Way too cheap. And now she's gone. Our Chocolate Eyes.
Monday, January 1, 2007
Images are made to be broken, I guess. And I thought mine were good ones, too. Godly. Peaceful. Happy. Good for the entire family. But now I must cling to the promise that as my images die, God's images will resurrect in their place. I'm waiting for the above and beyond what I could ever ask for or dream. I'm waiting, God. I'm waiting.
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