March 2013
2 posts
9 tags
Fatigue-in': (fuh-tee-gen) verb. The act of being...
God, awaken my tired eyes. They’re fatigued. They’re out of practice and out of patience.
I need to see You.
Awaken my eyes. Still my mind.
I am fatigue-in’. But You’re awakening. You’re renewing. You’re revealing. You’re healing. You’re remaining.
Thanks.
December 2012
6 posts
Making Spirits Bright
Laughter. Real, gut-tugging, I’m-laughing-so-hard-that-my-stomach-feels-numb, laughter.
Tonight’s cup of events was overflowing with laughter. The kind that makes knees red from all of the slapping and makes your tongue go dumb and unable to refine your words when you try to speak after a good round of it, laughter.
Tonight was filled with genuine laughter around my aunt and...
“Follow right manfully in your Master’s steps, for he has traversed this...”
“Write something worth reading and do something worth writing. —Benjamin...”
“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain...”
Bless The Lord, Oh My Soul!
The purr of the dishwasher bounces off of the four walls in the kitchen area. This purr provides a steady rhythm for the lyric of a song that is replaying in my mind,
…the sharp knife of a short life…
…the sharp knife of a short life…
…the sharp knife of a short life…
Earlier this morning, I attended the funeral of my friend’s friend, Brittany. I...
Dancing Shadows
The shadows of the tree leaves dance merrily about on the hardwood floors of my apartment. Even though they are dark shadows, they gleam from the outside trees, through the window frames on the wall behind me, and cast themselves on display to my diagonal. They are cheery, joyful, perky and persistent, appearing alive and full of light…
…Even though they are shadows…
I...
August 2012
1 post
"Let the whole earth be filled with His glory;...
…Turn your eyes to Calvary. See the Lord of Life nailed to the cross, with the crown of thorns on His brow, with His bleeding head, hands, and feet. What! Can you look upon this miracle of miracles—the death of the Son of God—without feeling within your heart a marvelous adoration that language could never express? When you perceive that the blood has been applied to your...
July 2012
1 post
"July 19th"...One year later
“The Lord our God hath showed us His glory.”
Deuteronomy 5:24
…”Thank God, then, if you have been led by a rough road. It is this that has given you your expeience of God’s greatness and lovingkindness. Your troubles have enriched you with a wealth of knowledge to be gained by no other means. Your trials have been the cleft of the rock in which Jehovah has set...
June 2012
1 post
10 tags
A Refreshing Reminder
To encourage, empower, and rejoice!
Along with a proper understanding of the sufficiency of the Bible, understanding the sufficiency of Christ is a fundamental pillar for living the Christian life and for developing proper theology as we grow in faith. Either Christ has all power and strength, or He does not. Either He is the One we need to depend on, or He is not. Either He can enable us to walk...
May 2012
1 post
“Chase me down like a lion
Like a bird of prey
Lift me up from the ashes
Of my...”
– Love You Swore
John Mark McMillan
April 2012
4 posts
Doubt Your Perception of Suffering →
Lesson learning: don’t resent the season of life when we are healed from blindness and can see.
The time of blessing is the LORD’s will, as well as the season of blindness.
Let us pray that our hearts are not bitter towards the sight the Lord gives us, that we choose to see every season as a time to glorify God, and that we humbly walk in the knowledge of the FULNESS of God’s...
Your Father Knows
“…And your Father knows what things you have need of…” Matthew 6:8. We do not pray to inform God of our wants. Omniscient as He is, He cannot be informed of anything which He did not know before. And He is always willing to relieve our needs. The chief thing lacking is a suitable disposition on our part to receive His grace and blessing. Consequently, one great purpose of...
Letter to an Incomplete, Insecure Teenager →
March 2012
2 posts
“Even
After all this time
The sun never says
To the Earth,
“You owe...”
– Sufi Poetry of Hafiz From The Gift
Seizing the "Kony" moment →
The most important thing you can do is PRAY! But this article is a great resource to know how to help and take action.
February 2012
6 posts
Constantly brought back to my knees.
Wow. I found this little gem hidden away in my drafts. Giggles built up and escaped my pursed lips as I read this, laughing at God’s timing. This was huge encouragement for me today as I recall the events prior to this post, the events during this post, and the events post this post. I am now 7 months into my 10 month STINT in El Salvador. Again, I can just laugh. AND GET BACK ON MY...
“So avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he...”
– Dead Poets Society, 1989 (via morenonsenseandgrizzlybears)
“For the Lord had said to Moses, ‘Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a...”
– Exodus 33:5. We choose to remove our junk and ornaments so the Lord can see us, bare before Him. But this is a physical action in response to an internal nudge. God is powerful. His goodness, His mercy, His essence would consume us. So let us approach Him, humble and naked in Spirit.
Isaiah 58:6
“[Is] this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?”
The Lord laid this verse heavily on my heart this morning. It started with a personal prayer, but the Lord quickly directed my thoughts and heart to see His bigger picture and pray outside of myself, for El...
“I was about to give up and that’s no lie
cardinal landed outside my...”
– “From This One Place” by Sara Groves
I highly recommend listening to this song. Search it, listen, enjoy and be encouraged…please.
The Stupendous Reality of Being “in Christ Jesus” →
The best encouragement and motivation ever. Period.
November 2011
2 posts
8 tags
“People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do...”
– Call it like it is D. A. Carson.
[Click here] to see the context of the quote.
The quote is used in Ch. 7 of “Gospel Wakefulness” by Jared Wilson.
Real Choice, Divine Sway, and the Way Paul Lived →
STINT? Job? Future? Any other major life decision? Or simply a greater understanding of God?
Read this.
So good.
October 2011
3 posts
Powerful. →
Lord, let me worship you with my words. With what I write. With what I say. Amen.
Ataco y Juayua
How does one dare attempt to describe a culture-infused city?
Is it an attainable feat?
Is the task too daunting, rendering the intimidating process avoided all-together?
Or do one’s feeble undertakings motivate others to ascertain the truth for themselves?
I hope my endeavor to describe this city (or the two cities) I visited today will entice this here blog-post’s-readers to...
Excerpt from "The Knowledge of the Holy" by A.W....
From the chapter “The Divine Transcendence”
If some watcher or holy one who has spent his glad centuries by the sea of fire were to come to earth, how meaningless to him would be the ceaseless chatter of the busy tribes of men. How strange to him and how empty would sound the flat, stale, and profitless words heard in the average pulpit from week to week. And were such a one to speak...
September 2011
4 posts
Coming My Way
I won’t wait, no, I won’t wait for heaven ‘cause I believe heaven’s coming my way. While I’m alive I’ll be gettin’ on with livin’ like You’re comin’ my way Comin’ my way And I’ll be comin’ Your way Comin’ Your way I can’t wait to meet You in the middle. Up in the air to welcome You home and on the way we’ll be gettin’ things ready ‘cause You’re comin’ my way Comin’ my way And I’ll be comin’ Your...
3 tags
Quick Update
Saturday. September 24th. 2011.
Let’s be honest. This day started last night.
Last night.
Friday. September 23rd. 2011.
Friday was a long day. Lots of car drama meaning cancelled plans. Lots of meetings. Lots of events building a foundation for my need for a good nights’ sleep and no further complications.
I ate three cookies at our staff meeting that night just to keep my eyes...
6 tags
August 2011
4 posts
2 Corinthians 5
1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed,...
1 tag
Estoy Aqui
My bags are unpacked. My room is set. My body has rested.
Estoy aqui. ¡Alabanzas a Dios!
(“Praises to God!” for all you non-spanish-speakers, including myself)
We have been here for about 36 hours, maybe 24, and God is good.
As Sarah Northup phrased it this morning on Skype, in the mere 36 hours of being here, I have already seen old truths manifested through a new...
This is my PRAYER for EL SALVADOR. Please PRAY...
God, please be softening hearts. Lord, be planting fertile soil in the hearts of Salvadorians so that the gospel will have the ability to be planted, to take root, to establish itself and be cemented into their hearts. Let this rich soil produce strong oaks of righteousness planted by the living water. Let these immovable oaks produce fruit and abide in you to magnify your Kingdom (John 15). God,...
July 2011
4 posts
“We were made to be enchanted, enamored, and engrossed with God; enthralled,...”
– Dr. Storms
[Isaiah 26:1-4]
1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. 2 Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. 3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is...
June 2011
3 posts
“It’s easier to put on soft, fluffy, comfortable slippers than to try and...”
– My mom via Michelle Zeiss
Singsingsing
Words and Music by Josh Garrels
Children of the Earth Once dust but now alive Livin’ in tents of flesh and bone We hold spiritual fire. Set a flame in my heart Illuminate the darkest hours Where I wait before the dawn To see the glory and the power Of the Lord
Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah
The older we become We must become more like a child Believin’ there’s a land that lies...
May 2011
1 post
“Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you...”
– Acts 2:36
April 2011
5 posts
Corban
Today—I decided—was a wonderful day to investigate my youngest brother’s Facebook.
I wish I could say what I found was pleasantly surprising, but it wasn’t surprising in the least. By simply looking at his page, you can tell he is way more mature than most 14 year olds. Well, that is, until you read the “info” section…
Right below a Bible verse is this...
“…and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the...”
– Colossians 3:10
Simple truths taken deeper.
Rain
57 degrees outside means that it’s 35 degrees inside my house in downtown SLO. Not really, but boy does it get cold.
Today is one of those rainy, cold days, and I can’t move.
I am sitting on the couch with my laptop on my lap (so that’s where the name came from? “lap”?) as the sound of rain fills my ears. This reminds me of a beautiful song, written by a beautiful...
