Archives For November 30, 1999

Good words…

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

– George Matheson

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

– Genesis 3:8 (NIV)

I’ve read that verse many times – maybe you have, as well.

Maybe its familiarity has resulted in my under appreciating the gravity of the verse* – the depth of regret that Adam and Eve must have felt when confronted about their sin and understanding the consequences.

This week, I’ve been listening to a new album called, Music Inspired By The Story [iTunes, web]. Its a collection of songs “written in the first person perspective, that depict timeless biblical stories and provide a completely new context into how God’s story of love and redemption intersects with our story of brokenness and failures resulting in a new story of hope and rescue.” [source]

While all the tracks are great, one has stuck in my mind: Good (ADAM & EVE). In light of the gravity of Genesis 3:8, to imagine Adam and Eve thinking:

If I could / I’d rewrite history / I’d choose differently
If I could, I would
I’d leave out the part / Where I broke Your heart
In the garden’s shade / Fix the mess I made
If I could, I would

If I could / Close my eyes and then / Dance around again
If I could, I would
Be who You adored / Why did I need more?
When beauty was not trained / To hide behind my shame
If I could, I would

If I could / Hold one memory / It would surely be
How You walked with us
I’d go back in time / Untell my first lie / And let Love’s injury
Heal in spite of me

wow

I sin so many times each day and sadly give the singular or collective gravity little thought.

Many of us even categorize and rank sin and then relate “appropriate” regret.

We forget that ALL sin disappoints God just as much as the Adam and Eve’s did and that it should result in a regret and brokenness just as profound as theirs…and too often doesn’t.

Forgive me, God.

I’m so grateful that God so Loved

…for Greater Love

…for No Condemnation

…for Forgiveness

…and for a promised return to how He intended things to be.

x

*I could probably say that about many passages…

Just Like Me

September 29, 2011 — Leave a comment

I find these quotes comforting.  Not solely for their content, but the identity of the person who thought/penned them:

“The burden is too heavy for me.”

— Moses, Numbers 11:14

“Life’s been nothing but trouble and tears”

— Jeremiah, Jeremiah 20:18

“How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and
day after day have sorrow in my heart?”

— David, Psalm 13:2

“When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.”

— Psalmist, Psalm 94:19

Game of Thorns

August 22, 2011 — Leave a comment

20110822-060956.jpg

Whenever I prune our roses, lessons abound. It’s a given.

Yesterday, I was working in the backyard on a gangly bush and saw the limb shown above. I thought, “If I grab it just right, I won’t get stuck.”

Guess what – I wasn’t ninja enough…

It hit me: temptation, or the attraction of sin can be exactly the same. We see/think/do something obviously wrong, and think, “It’s OK, I’m a ‘ninja’ – I won’t get stuck/caught/discovered/etc. No one will ever see/hear/spot me.”

The truth is, we’re wrong. We all get stuck, caught, discovered, seen, heard, spotted, etc.

We may be able to fool some in our sinful, game of thorns (like my creative reference to the book & HBO series); but rest assured, God knows – which is key since He’s the One we most offend by our blatant, would-be ninja sins.

Thank God for His amazing and wonderful forgiveness and grace!

For there is no distinction: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Romans 3:22-25 (ESV)

Good post from the People Of The Second Chance website…

“On Saturday night Casey Anthony walked out of an Orange County Florida jail.

She had her lawyer Jose Baez by her side plus 2 officers carrying automatic weapons and dressed for combat.

Outside was a crowd of 1,000 onlookers who hurled curses at her. Many believed this “Tot Mom” killed her child because Caylee was cramping her party-girl lifestyle.

They waved signs that said “How Could This Angel (Caylee) Been Born From This Devil?” … ”

Continue reading at:

CASEY ANTHONY IS OUT OF PRISON. BUT YOURE NOT! | People of the Second Chance.

I Am A Temple!

April 28, 2011 — Leave a comment

This come up on my Genius Mix today.  I hit repeat a few times.

(youttube link)

My Ultimate Debt: Paid

February 12, 2011 — Leave a comment

We went to a Matthew Smith and Sandra McCracken concert last night and this song really hit me – especially the last two lines from the bridge:

Teach me, Lord, on earth to show,
By my love, how much I owe.

All I Owe

Words by Robert Murray McCheyne and Matthew Smith
Music by Matthew Smith

When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When we stand with Christ in glory,
Looking o’er life’s finished story,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know,
Not till then, how much I owe.

Continue Reading…

RE-POST: Pruned

February 5, 2011 — Leave a comment

Re-post of a previous entry, as I recently pruned the yard.
This is always a good reminder…


Last Saturday, I completed the annual “pruning of the roses” task at home – not as dangerous as the “running of the bulls”, but I did have some good pokes from the thorns!

Some of the rose bushes and trees we have are pretty old (according to my neighbor, some were even transplanted years ago from his house).  Some of them are younger, having been planted by us.  In order to keep them healthy and flowering each year, they must be pruned – even if they look like they don’t need it…even if they have blooms right now.

Old or new, well-established or just-planted – each gets the same treatment.

Continue Reading…

Momma Loves Them Too

October 29, 2010 — Leave a comment

A few weekends ago, Karen and I spent some time at Disneyland (WooHoo!). At one point, after walking around and standing in lines for about half of our 14-hour shift, we took a break, found a bench, and people watched…another fun activity to do at the park. [sometimes when i’m doing this, i wonder who is watching me and what are they observing, thinking, or saying. anyway…]

At one point, Karen made an observation that came to mind yesterday as I was talking with someone. As I recall, in effect she said:

Continue Reading…

Yet another Andrew Peterson song that sums it up for me – as his “I’ve Got News” did…

Fool With A Fancy Guitar

It’s so easy to cash in these chips on my shoulder
So easy to loose this old tongue like a tiger
It’s easy to let all this bitterness smolder
Just to hide it away like a cigarette lighter

It’s easy to curse and to hurt and to hinder
It’s easy to not have the heart to remember
That I am a priest and a prince in the Kingdom of God

I’ve got voices that scream in my head like a siren
Fears that I feel in the night when I sleep
Continue Reading…