the funny thing about God

He doesn't let up.

He keeps pressing on us to open up to Him the areas of our lives that we don't want to.

He keeps pushing on the areas we're afraid to look at or admit we have.

He keeps putting us in places or keeping us in places that keep us uncomfortable.

And all this is for Him.

So we can be more like Him.

For only in that are we truly happy.

And comfortable.

And unafraid.

Prayer for today

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. (Proverbs 16:24, 32 ESV)

cloudy glass broken in a million pieces

God, I'm longing for the day to come  
When this cloudy glass I'm looking through  
Is shattered in a million pieces  
And finally I can just see You
 
God, You know I believe it's true  
I know I will see You  
But until the day I do
 
I will trust You, trust You  
Trust You, God, I will  
Even when I don't understand  
Even then I will say again
 
You are my God, and I'll trust You

by Steven Curtis Chapman

portions of Psalm 130 (From Depths of Woe)

To wash away the crimson stain,
Grace, grace alone availeth;
Our works, alas! Are all in vain;
In much the best life faileth;
No man can glory in Thy sight,
All must alike confess Thy might,

And live alone by mercy
(Live alone by mercy)
And live alone by mercy
(Live alone by mercy)

Therefore my trust is in the Lord,

And not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His word
Upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort,
My comfort and my sweet support;

by Indelible Grace

(not really) A book review

because I'm only about 20 pages into it. A review would require finishing it.  But I can't help sharing these words from Eric Metaxas' new book Seven Men: And the Secret of their Greatness: 

(not shared in the order they were written.)

Strength is denigrated because it can be used for ill. So we live in a culture  where strength is feared and where there is a sense that - to protect the weak - strength itself must be weakened. When this happens, the heroic and true nature of strength is much forgotten. It leads to a world of men who aren't really men. Instead they are just two kinds of boys: boasting, loud-mouthed bullies or soft, emasculated pseudo-men. Women feel that they must be "empowered" and must never rely on men for strength. It's a lot like a socialistic idea, where "power" and "strength" are redistributed - taken away from men and given to women, to even things out. Of course, it doesn't work that way. Everyone loses.

But God's idea of making men strong was so that they would use that strength to protect women and children and anyone else. There's something heroic in that. Male strength is a gift from God, and like all gifts from God, it's always and everywhere meant to be used to bless others. In Genesis 12:1-3, God tells Abraham that he will bless him so that Abraham can bless others. All blessings and every gift - and strength is a gift - are God's gifts, to be used for his purposes, which means to bless others. So men are meant to use their strength to protect and bless those who are weaker. That can mean other men who need help or it can mean women and children. True strength is always strength given over to God's purposes.

Courage in the ordinary

Reading this blog post was like drinking a creamy, frothy, hot chai latte on a cold rainy day. It was comforting and a little spicy. Comforting in that it reminded me that we "change the world" one little courageous act of faithfulness or kindness at a time. Spicy in that it challenged me to evaluate my current status against the "ordinary".

Most of the time, I don't understand why I'm where I'm at in my life - vocationally, mostly. Conceptually, I know that I'm here due to a combination of my own choices and God's design. But I don't really understand why I'm here.

And where's here, you may ask. Here is currently at executive training at a large conference center for a rather largish company. This company sells IT (information technology (computer) (that little explanation is for you, Mom)) services and accompanying hardware and software. I don't really like computers other than the communication outlet they provide me. I really only like technology when it advances or enhances my creativity. So the "here" in my life may (does) seem a little ill-fitting.

The "here" in the bigger sense is a career as an executive in this rather largish company. Is it what I ultimately would've chosen for myself? No. Is it where I am right now? Yes. Is it where God wants me to be ordinary and faithful and kind? Yes. Could He call me into a different direction soon? Possibly. Could He leave me "here" for the rest of my earthly life? Possibly.

The article helped me understand that instead of "changing diapers and doing dishes", my ordinary calling is to run a business and a team and provide value to clients. It reminded me that no matter what I'm doing with my life (by choice or the by the Hand of God), my duty and privilege is to be courageously ordinary and faithful and kind. And this ordinary life is easily transferable and transitional - if I'm faithful in this current ordinary "here", He will be faithful to give me the next ordinary "there" in His time and His place. If we are faithful in little, He will give us much. That is ordinary and comforting and a little spicy, too.

The little things

photos of nephews sent in texts
Wilbur's big lips
Caspian's soft muzzle
the elderly man whistling a classical tune (Rachmaninoff?) coming out of the grocery store the other night
a friend reminding me its okay and perfectly lovely to buy myself flowers
airline drink coupons
this beautiful sunny 75 degree spring day
doodlebugs who melt me with their sweetness and goofyness
babysitting one of my most favorite little ones and having her throw her arms around me in a big hug
late night talks (two nights in a row) with roommates
big trees
texts from friends that make me laugh
the promise of hope and one day all things made new

The recipient of forgiveness

I've been learning a lot about forgiveness lately. The lessons have come in various forms: instruction from a mentor, receiving forgiveness given to me for a wrong I committed, Scripture, and a devotional I'm currently reading.

Here are some excerpts from the devotional I've been reading*:

• Refusing to forgive is tantamount to re-crucifying Christ. Instead of seeing stones rolled away, we throw stones at each other. 
• Forgiving is not ignoring wrongdoing, but overcoming evil inside us and in our world with love. To forgive is not just a command of Christ but the key to reconciling all that is broken in our lives and relationships. 
• [Forgiveness] can heal both the forgiver and the forgiven. In fact, it could change the world if we allowed it to. 
• When Christians do put Christ's command into practice by forgiving, they create a ripple effect that can touch thousands of lives and even affect the course of history. 
• When we forgive we set ourselves free from the demon of bitterness. But we also set loose the power of love in the world. 
• If the cross and resurrection are not just historic happenings but present realities, which I believe they are, then what we celebrate at Easter is the healing power of God's forgiveness at work in our world today. 
• Jesus offered his disciples the "keys of the kingdom." We hold the key of forgiveness in our hands. And we must choose whether or not to use it. Christ wants to use our hands, wounded as they may be, to extend his forgiveness to the world. Will they be closed, or outstretched like his

I am learning that forgiveness is a matter of life and death, especially when it comes to the life (or death) of relationships.  These truths are sitting heavy in my soul, heavy in a good way -- the way that makes me stop and think and linger for a long while, and let the roots of these words sink in deep, in a life-transforming way.

*Johann Christoph Arnold from the book Bread and Wine - Readings for Lent and Easter

Did Christ over sinners weep

1. Did Christ over sinners weep, And shall our cheeks be dry?
Let floods of penitential grief, Burst forth from every eye.

Chorus: Behold the Son of God in tears, The angels wondering see.
Hast thou no wonder, O my soul? He shed those tears for thee!

2. He wept that we might weep, Might weep over sin and shame.
He wept to show His love for us, And bid us love the same. (Chorus)

3. Then tender be our hearts, Our eyes in sorrow dim,
Til every tear from every eye, Be wiped away by Him. (Chorus)

by Indelible Grace

Definitions

In light of this week's Supreme Court rulings, here are a couple points to consider: 

First: this is a definition issue: marriage was originally designed and historically defined as between a human male and female. In today's current debate, one side of the argument wants this definition to resign. But if that is the case, then we must all become okay with calling apples oranges and oranges apples. A definition is a definition. If you change one, you must be willing to let all other definitions be changed as well. 

Second: this is not a rights issue. (Setting the definition issue aside for a moment) access to marriage is not a right. I do not have a right to get married. It may happen, it may not. It is a privilege to be married, and one I hope to have the chance to experience, but it is not something I can demand as a right. So to make this a rights issue makes no sense.

Third: in light of this previous post, this is not a discrimination issue - read the post for more words around this.

Fourth: this ruling, if voted in favor of the left, will be the largest take away in State's power since the Healthcare Reform. It removes the States' rights (in the truest sense of the word) and puts (even more) power in the hands of the already-too-bloated-and-powerful Courts.

Fifth: this is a human issue -- meaning personal lives are in the mix. We must ALWAYS treat the opposing side with dignity, respect, truth, and love. There is no room for any other treatment, or our argument is lost to the wind, or worse -- a clanging gong that rattles peoples' ears.