mums the word

Man, I just love these guys...
I stumbled back upon this album, and naturally this song...
Granted, as a band they are very formulaic... but their formula rocks my socks off.
so good.

‎"And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart, and flowers in your hair."
that's poetry, folks.

a thankful monologue

Do you ever spend time pontificating the amazingness of our existence?  I mean not only do I live in this beautiful country, but I also get to live in the suburbs in a great state very comfortably.  I was raised in a wonderful family, was able to go to private schools throughout my education, was given the given the gift of faith and parents who watered it daily.  Not only that, but I’m in the 21 century- where innovation and technology is growing at bananas pace and I have the entire world at my fingertips.  No piece of information is further than a click away.  Crazy.  Sure, we’re in a recession and my house’s resale value is nil, but holy moly- I quite literally lack nothing… well, I could use a new pair of Keens… but… my thirst for shoes is quite insatiable.

It is downright mind-blowing to think that of the billions of people who have lived on this earth, I’m the only one who has my job in my town in this house with these friends and family, etc. It is just nutty.  I am drowning in blessings- I can do nothing but breathe in the goodness of God. 

So I thought it apropos to list a blessing for every kernel of corn on my plate… and maybe a couple more…

Gracious God, Heavenly Father

The Headwater to the river of blessings that overwhelms me each and every day-

I am grateful for your loving kindness.

Your gentleness, your patience, your relentless forgiving and your consuming grace.

I am humbled by your love and your desire to have a relationship with me.

You sent your one and only son to live, breath, eat, sleep, laugh, cry, die and rise so that I might be one with you through His holy and precious blood.

You did that for me.

It seems that words aren’t enough, but tonight they’re all I have.

Thank you Lord.

Thank you for life.

For the air I breathe

The food I eat

The water I drink

Who am I that you would provide these things in abundance daily?

I am not worthy of your mercy.

Thank you for death.

For it is in death that we are returned to you in perfect glory.

Because of your Son death is not some veiled unknown, rather it is a homecoming where we are welcomed eternally into your loving, nail-marked hands.

But we were created to live and not to die

So Lord let me treat each moment as what it really is:

A gift from you.

While you know the number of breaths I have left, I do not have such knowledge, so let me use each to bring you glory.

May my words bring encouragement and peace

May my presence bring joy

May my thoughts be focused on loving those whom you love

And my eyes focused on the cross.

May my hands bring blessings to others

And my feet the Good News to everyone I meet.

May You be at the center of my life,  oh Lord, until the day we meet face to face.

Thank you for my family.

We all know you, Jesus, and because of that our kinship is not just of this earth but also in the life to come.  This is chief of all blessings: to know we will share eternity.

You provided a home that was not perfect, that was not always peaceful, not always joyous, but it was a home that was built on the Rock. 

Thank you for parents who brought me to the waters of baptism.

Who were concerned with parenting me, not merely befriending me

Who set boundaries

Who disciplined me

And held me accountable for my actions
But in all things reflected you

I am who I am because of them, gracious God, and for them I am grateful.

In you all things are possible, so I pray that those homes that are broken-

Those families where children don’t feel safe

Where they go unfed and un-loved by their earthly parents

Where there is no peace, no boundaries, no grace-

Creator of the heavens and earth, I pray that you bring to them

Your peace

Your love

The stuff that passes understanding-

The safety of your goodness and mercy

The fullness of your redemption

Come quickly to help them

Heal them and restore them to you

You calmed the wind and the waves, so Lord please bring calm to the lives of those families enveloped in the storms of divorce, abuse, adultery, alcoholism, and every other rift-making device the father of lies uses.

Adonai, you have put people in my life that love, support, encourage, anchor, listen, care for, provide, pray for, and invest in me each and every day

Oh how shameful it is how often I take them for granted

It is haughty for me to ever feel alone or unloved-
Thank you for the amazing people of God that you have put in my life

Keep them close to your heart, oh Lord

May I always aim to be a blessing to them

And to let them know whenever possible how much of a blessing they are to me.

Lord make me quick to listen and slow to speak

That I could be for them what they have so often been for me.

Give me ears to listen

And wise, soft words to speak.

Lord you are close to the broken hearted

And you know those relationships that are strained right now.

Bring healing and restore peace to that which was not too long ago filled with joy, love, and closeness

You are able to do immeasurably more than I can fathom, oh God

I know this to be true

not my will, but yours be done.

Thank you for music, my Lord and my God. 

It is an amazing blessing given to us by you.

Your heavenly angels sang to announce your birth

How can I keep from singing?
Thank you for the gift of a musical heart

And for the outlet that it provides for me

It reminds me of you, Lord, music does-

I cannot see it but it fills me up

Just as you are invisible, but your benefits fill me to the brim and then some.

Thank you for your Word

I don’t mean to put this so far down the list-

But you- God- unimaginable, unthinkable, unfathomable-

God

you speak to us in your Holy Word

In books that collect dust

And prop up chairs

Sanctify me in the truth- your word is truth

Give me a thirst for the truth and make me always consciously aware of your Spirit living inside of me

Cause Him to stir within me the desire to serve you with gratitude and honor you with everything I think, say, and do

Make my words and desires actions.

Thank you, Lord.

There is so much beauty in this world, Precious Redeemer-

The mountains.  Oh, the mountains...

The oceans

Flowers that boom in season

Vegetables and fruits in their brilliant colors

The awesome muscular frames of tigers and panthers

The stripes of a zebra

The antlers of a moose

The gentle eyes of a horse

The songs of the robins

The enormity of a whale

The breathtaking sunsets

The films that cause tears

And the paintings that cause one to stand in pensive silence

The perfect symmetry of the human body

And the striking beauty of deep blue eyes

Orchestras that cause goose bumps

And the amazing worlds that CGI can take us

The thrill of a roller coaster

And the ability to savor memories through pictures

All these things are from you, Lord

And we are not able to express our gratitude.

Thank you for the internet

Where people can support and pray and share in joy and heartbreak

Where we can stay connected

Face to face

In real time.

And forgive us for the wretched use of such a wonderful gift, oh Righteous Judge.

Thank you for:

Jokes

Stories

Books

Songs

Games

Scrabble

Laughing

Pumpkin pie scented candles

Guitars

Memory foam beds

Live streaming tv shows

Blogs

Walks

Bros

Cars

Mousetraps

Secretaries

Quotes

Trivia

Medicine

Icebergs

Juicers

The post office

Roommates

Retreats

Trampolines

Camps

Camp counselors

Campfires

Camp directors

Democrats

Republicans

People who want to make money

People who want to give money away

Police and firemen

Military personnel

Our leaders and lawmakers

Safety

Freedom

Churches

Gyms

Schools

Vespers

Teachers

Pastors

Professors

Encouragers

Those who are hard to love

Hugs

A good pair of blue jeans

Track pants

Inner peace- the kind that only comes from you

Uncertainty- because it makes me realize you are changeless

Pilot Uniball Micro 207 pens:  Best. Ever.

College degrees

iPods

Amazon Mp3

Nashville

MacBooks

Jr vs Sr night with Tim

Coaches

Love

Wool socks

I just fell asleep for a second, so I’m going to wrap this up, Big Guy.

You are good.

You are holy.
I am a sinner in need of a savior.

Use me, God. use me.

Thank you for loving me, Abba.

Keep us steadfast in your Word.

Keep them safe- the ones you put in my life

Build around them a hedge of protection from the assaults of the evil one.

May my value be found the price you paid for me

And my wholeness be always rooted solely in you.

Day by day, your mercies, Lord, attend me,

bringing comfort to my anxious soul.

Day by day, the blessings, Lord, you send me

draw me nearer to my heav’nly goal.

Love divine, beyond all mortal measure,

brings to naught the burdens of my quest;

Savior, lead me to the home I treasure,

where at last I’ll find eternal rest.

Day by day, I know you will provide me

strength to serve and wisdom to obey;

I will seek your loving will to guide me

o’er the paths I struggle day by day.

I will fear no evil of the morrow,

I will trust in your enduring grace.

Savior, help me bear life’s pain and sorrow

till in glory I behold your face.

Oh, what joy to know that you are near me

when my burdens grow too great to bear;

oh, what joy to know that you will hear me

when I come, O Lord, to you in prayer.

Day by day, no matter what betide me,

you will hold me ever in your hand.

Savior, with your presence here to guide me,

I will reach at last the promised land.

In your mercy, Lord, hear my prayer.

A-Men

For whatever reason, Tuesday is quote day.
Yesterday I asked my buddy (via text) if he had time to hang out before he left for his next tour.  He replied in such a kind way I almost shed a tear.  A simple "sorry I don't have time, but I'll see you next month" was expected, but instead I received words of encouragement and affirmation.  It was awesome.
This morning I came across this quote-

“Here’s something you can do right now, right where you are, and you don’t even need a book to show you how: when that next person walks into your office, calls you on the phone, or sends you an email, stop to seriously ponder the question, “Why am I glad this person is on the planet?”
When you have the answer to that question, take it from your mind, put it into words, and give those words to that person.”
- Trey Pennington

I think I'm going to try that.  I now know first hand the boost it can give.  After all, as Plato said:  “Be kind.  Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

God Made You Special

My buddy Randall made a fantastic kid's album called Slugs & Bugs: Under Where?
It is really solid.
Here is a sweet lullaby from the album.  enjoy.

hmmmm

I don't know what happened to Tuesdays with Buechner... well, that's a lie, I do know what happened to it- I ran out of quotes and I haven't had the time (or desire, really) to read another of his books.  I have a couple more, but they're like 12 or 13 on the list....
BUT I was reading some stuff by an interesting fellow named Dr. Peter Kreeft.  He's a professor of philosophy at Boston College... pretty impressive! He's also a pretty wonderful apologist.  I don't know how much of his worldview I share, but I do enjoy this quote:
"The Resurrection sharply distinguishes Jesus from all the other religious founders.  The bones of Abraham and Muhammad and Buddha and Confucius and Lao-tzu and Zoroaster are still here on earth.  Jesus' tomb is empty.  The existential consequences of the resurrection are incomparable.  It is the concrete, factual, empirical proof that: life has hope and meaning; 'love is stronger than death'; goodness and power are ultimately allies, not enemies; life wins in the end; God has touched us right where we are and has defeated our last enemy; we are not cosmic orphans, as our modern secular worldview would make us."

good stuff- you can actually read his book for free here (how cool is that??):
 

just call me Mr. Knight

wellp- today was my first day of coaching JV girls bball at my alma mater.  Between you and me, I'm very overwhelmed.  I really wavered on taking the job, but after seeking the advice and the encouragement of several coach friends that I have, I decided to take the leap.  I'm not at total rookie.  I've run camps and I've had 3 middle school teams... I figure that strengths are the ability to inspire, my knowledge of the fundamentals, and my willingness to be patient with this young team.  But I'm nervous about running a practice.  There's so much to coaching that I just feel ill-prepared for.  I don't have a lot of plays in my back pocket and I just don't have the knack for drills that the coaches I admire have.  I will... all in good time.... Today, we made first cuts today and one girl cried... heartbreaking...
Alas, everyone that I've shared my concerns with have been very supportive and the girls are down right pumped to be on my squad.  I hope they're as enthusiastic come January.  My biggest thing is maintaining their confidence in me, you know?  I hate the thought of people sitting around saying, "He has no idea what he's doing..."  ugh.
I feel good about the team, though.  We're young, but we have decent size and a lot of speed.  We can run the fast break with ease, which is nice and we should out rebound every opponent... so, we'll see...  I'm just glad to have something to tackle.  This is a big challenge- one that will take a lot of work on my part- lots of research and preparation.  Not to mention time management and organization.  Most of all, this will require patience and stamina.  Its a 22 game season.  Every week night is booked until the middle of March.  Talk about a marathon.  But I'm pumped.  Also, I hate losing.  Especially if I know we're the better team.  Hopefully that will translate into wins.  I haven't been on the winning side of many teams in my life, so I have the intense desire to turn that tide. I just really want to prove myself worthy of this position that I'm honored to hold.  Winning is only half of it- personal growth from myself and my players is the other important piece...If you had fun, you won... right? :)

As of today we have a perfect season.  Here's to keeping the perfection alive...
I'll keep you posted. 

The sweetest part so far is the awesome team polo shirt I got. :)
I love team apparel. 

gts.

stained.

in recent news, a former skinhead named Bryon Widner has turned his life around. The evidences of his former sins of racism, however, were plastered all over his body in tattoos that clearly indicate his past. His sins are externally visible and he hated it. He would do anything to get rid of them and forgo his former lifestyle. His face, covered in tattoos with racist hate, was his greatest challenge and evidence of who he used to be. He wanted the tattoos gone. He was no longer that man. He even went as far as to consider taking acid and burning his face to beyond recognition to get rid of them. He would do anything.


Well, fortunately he didn't have to burn them off with acid. A kind donor offered to pay the $35,000 repeated tattoo removal surgeries. Bryon underwent 25 extremely painful laser surgeries over a period of 16 months to completely rid himself of his past which haunted his face everywhere he went. The procedures became so painful with burning, blistering, and severe swelling that Bryon had to be put under general anesthetic rather than being kept awake.


Ultimately, Bryon's surgeons successfully removed all the tattoos on his face and neck, leaving his face clean and without evidence of his former life. Though the rest of his body remains covered in ink, Bryon is slowly covering up his other racist tattoos as he is able.  Check it out:

You can read an extensive article here  And check out the promo for the MSNBC special that aired this past summer- you can see some of the pain he had to endure-


This whole story has my mind racing. What a picture of redemption, you know?  It reminds me of the real-life version of the powerful Edward Norton movie American History X.
I wonder what it would be like if every time we sinned it was like a facial tattoo.  I wonder if- knowing the pain- we'd be like... ok this one's not that bad... I can work with it... but then we'd do something or run our mouths or fall into something terrible and then we'd have to beg and borrow money and hope that it was enough to get rid of that REALLY bad stain... Can you imagine the miserable existence that life would be if we had to go through that pain and torture to remove them? What a world that would be.
And yet, in the spiritual sense deserve to that pain.  We deserve to have our sins laid bare for all to see.  For our insecurities and shortcomings to be tattooed on our foreheads and knuckles.  We should have to go through surgeries and blisters and torment in order to attempt to make them fade.  But we couldn't even come close.  Even after 25,000 procedures our sins would be just as crimson and numerous and bright.  No, when it comes to our hearts, there is no removal by worldly means.

Thanks be to God that our sin is cleaned by the righteousness of Jesus.  It wasn't $35,000, nor was it pain-free.  It cost Jesus His life by way of a humiliating criminal's death.  But for us it was a free gift.  Because of God's unimaginable grace and mercy that is beyond our understanding, our sins aren't tattooed on our foreheads for all to see, nor do we have to suffer and grit our teeth in pain in order for them to be removed.  No.  Jesus blood wiped them clean and removed them as far as the east is from the west.
But oh how we try to be noble and proud and manly.  We try so hard to "do the right thing" and make plans for us to rid ourselves of our sin.  It seems as if its all to easy-
look at the cross and my sins are gone?  no way!
I have to do SOMETHING!
What I did, it caused pain:
Feelings were hurt
Expectations weren't met
Friends were let down
Love wasn't shown
Grace wasn't given
Words cut deep
I have to pay for this!!
God, hurt me!  Make me blister like the words I fire off blister the hearts of those I spew anger toward
make me cringe like the people I leave in my wake cringe when i let them down
make me cry like those whom I fail to love cry
I have to do something to atone for this, God... right?

No.

Jesus paid it all.
all to Him I owe-
sin had left a crimson stain
He made it white as snow.

Wow.  Not to say there aren't scars.  We are sometimes left to deal with the messy situations that we make when we're left to our own designs.
But the sin, the guilt, the aftertaste- all of it was removed from my inmost being when my Savior bled and died.
He took it all.
How silly I must look to God when I try to do my own surgery.  When I find the acid of the world in the attempt to remove my own stains.  How offensive it must be to the Almighty to hang on to guilt and shame even though He is willing and able to shoulder all of it.  How sad it must be for Him to see me limit my view of the creator of the world by holding back and not allowing Him to have everything-
to have...
me.

He does have me.  He has me in the grip of His nail-marked hands.  And even though I think that I can keep things from Him, I can't.  He knows me in the secret, in my quiet place- and even though He sees that- the deep, dark, dungeon of the pits of my soul- He sees the worst yet He STILL loves me.
Even though I deserve a million times the pain that Bryon had to go through to remove his stains, I've been given robe of salvation.
So now, just as Bryon has a whole new lease on his stain-free life, how much more should we, as bought-back children of God live each and every day filled to the brim with inexpressible joy knowing that no one- not even God- can see our stains anymore because we are clothed in the sinless blood of the spotless lamb.
Wow.

it took seeing a skinhead's tattoos for me to realize that.

Lord come quickly.

a little comic relief...

Man, I don't know why this makes me laugh so hard, but I am crying as I watch it.  SO dumb... but SO funny.
enjoy. :)

Beloved.

I read in the news today that more than 285 Indian girls whose names mean "unwanted" have chosen new names for a fresh start in life.  They were given names like "Nakusa" or "Nakushi," which mean "unwanted" in Hindi, because families often go into debt arranging marriages and paying for elaborate dowries. A boy, on the other hand, will one day bring home a bride and dowry. Hindu custom also dictates that only sons can light their parents' funeral pyres.

Activists say the name "unwanted," which is widely given to girls across India, gives them the feeling they are worthless and a burden.  "When the child thinks about it, you know, 'My mom, my dad, and all my relatives and society call me unwanted,' she will feel very bad and depressed," said Sudha Kankaria of the organization Save the Girl Child.  Some girls chose to name themselves after Bollywood stars such as "Aishwarya" or Hindu goddesses like "Savitri." Some just wanted traditional names with happier meanings, such as "Vaishali," or "prosperous, beautiful and good."  (read the full article here)

Wow.  Can you imagine being called unwanted each and every day of your life?  How terrible!  Moreover, can you imagine being a parent, looking at your little baby, and say, "You are Unwanted!"?  unbelievable.  
But how amazing is it that a girl who went by the moniker Unwanted for a decade is now known as Beautiful or Prosperous or Good?  Talk about a new lease on life!  To be called Beautiful each and every day must feel good.  To be called Good makes us feel good.  To be called Prosperous ignites the fire to continue to work hard.  There is power in our names.

I couldn't help but think of this in Biblical terms.  God has much to say about our names.  There are several lists of names throughout scripture.  God gave Adam and Eve their names directly, and instructed the parents of Ishmael and Issac, John the Baptist, and Jesus (among others), to give their children their respective names.   The names of Jacob's sons are really painful.  Leah was quite the unappreciated housewife it seems.  A sampling:

She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”

“Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.  

“Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi

“I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.

“What good fortune!” So she named him Gad. (I like that one!)


“How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.


“God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.


“God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

The One, who when Samson's dad asked what His name was responded with, "It is beyond understanding" is also in the business of re-naming folks.  He gave new names to Abram and Sarai, Jacob, and Saul.  But He also gives us new names. 
We were never Unwanted, per se, but we were Doomed, Empty, Broken, Lost, Hopeless, Chaotic, Wandering, and Enemy, to name a few.  We didn't get to chose our new name, however.  This re-branding was all God.  He had mercy on us and sent His Son to do what we could never do. He gave hope to Hopeless, brought Enemy into His fold, made straight the path of Wondering and Lost, healed Broken, calmed Chaotic, overfilled Empty, and saved Doomed.  By grace through faith we have dropped the undesirable names that Satan himself has given us and instead we have all been given one simple, powerful, mind-blowing, life-altering name by our loving Creator.  

He calls us, Beloved.

Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of Hosea says that God will, "call nobodies and make them somebodies; I'll call the unloved and make them beloved."  

We have a new name!  Just like the girls in India are no longer Unwanted, we are no longer Unloved.  We are Beloved.  I need to be reminded of that so often.  I shamefully forget that I am washed in the blood of the Lamb, and God no longer sees my shortcomings, but rather He sees my Savior.  I forget that sometimes and I live like Wandering instead of Beloved.  Forgive me Lord.  Thank you for making me Beloved, not because I earned or deserve it in the least, but because you are love, and you bestowed your love upon me through your perfect Son.  Let me never forget my name, Lord.  Let me always live as Beloved.

Because He Lives

uprooted

yep its been a while.  I don't think there are too many people too upset about that, but since I have this here piece of the interwebs, I might as well use it, aye?  It has been a strange several months for me.  I've been inundated by a cloud listlessness and confuddledness.  I find myself unrooted and waffling... not fun.
I've tried and tried to get to the core of this general discontent, but can't quite put my thumb on it.  I think some of it is my goal for the past 11 years has been a BA and now I finally have it... so... now what?  I think I lost my person and I still don't know how or why.  I think some of it is 7 years in the same spot and the itch to move on wants to be scratched.  I think some of it is I lost the ones in whom I could confide and rely on... and I don't exactly know how to begin to replace those losses. I think I made a plan and reality isn't really in line with that plan so I'm a tad bewildered as to what to do and where to go.  I think the language change is just so heartbreaking I can't think properly. I think I just don't know, and knowing if half the battle... so if I don't know, half the battle is lost...  Oh GI Joe, how you vex me! :)  (you probably don't understand, but it made me laugh...)

So I'm putting all my eggs in the grad school basket.  Its not just school- no!  its a fresh start, a new perspective, a new lofty, nearly impossible goal.  New place, new people, new ideas, new energy, new challenges, new opportunities, new community, new world.  But man, what if I don't get in?  what if i can't figure out what to do with my house?  what if its all too much new?  these things... these keep me up at 1:39 am.
I know.  I know!  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.    I know, people, I know.  And I'm trying... but what does trust look like?  Is applying for grad school not trusting God?  Is wanting something new relying on my own understanding?  Is considering all my options and feeling helpless if this option falls through acknowledging Him?  Is feeling loneliness and emptiness being un-Christian?  I feel like I don't even know how to trust that I'm trusting well enough... I'm just... I feel like this:

roots up in the air for all to see- exposed and wilting.  Sometimes you see trees that are prone to falling over and they have those stakes supporting them... those stakes are missing and I'm left uprooted.  But that isn't necessarily bad.  This picture is all artsy and the tree is dead... BUT if you uproot a tree, it can be re-planted!  Maybe this waffling is to prepare me for a transplant.  Maybe this stirring of my soul is to create a desire to grow elsewhere rather than maintain a deep-rooted attachment to a place that I need to move on from.  maybe...

I'm fully confident that this will all be clear to me at some point in the not-too-distant-future.   The Good Lord has been so good to me and His faithfulness is unfailing.  I know this!  I just get frazzled when I'm in the cloudiness of my limited, sinful understanding.  Its like people of Minnesota who freak out in the dead of winter about the snow and the cold and the dark.  They act like they've never been in February before and they think that maybe, for the first time ever it will literally never be sunny and 80 ever again.  But sure enough, that springtime sun comes and melts the snow and before you know it they're tan and flip-flopped and that snow is a mere faded memory.
I know the snow will melt, I just get frustrated when my weak heat lamp of a brain fails to do the job.  I just gotta wait for the Sun...  (mull that metaphor over for a bit... it'll make sense eventually)

As I lay uprooted, its important to keep them well-watered lest they grow dry and die.  So I drink all the more deeply from the well of the Living Water-
Isaiah 41:13
For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 



Thank you, Lord for your patience despite my pettiness, for your grace despite my grumbling, and your love despite my listlessness.   Make your will my will, oh God.  Increase in me and help me decrease so that you will be all the more glorified in my every thought, word, and action.  Lord come quickly.

“Our identity rests in God's relentless tenderness for us revealed in Jesus Christ.”
― Brennan Manning

wow.

this is love, man... amazing.

Spurgeon on Psalm 121

What we as sinful human beings need is help,—help powerful, efficient, constant: we need a very present help in trouble. What a mercy that we have it in our God. Our hope is in the Lord, for our help comes from him. Help is on the road, and will not fail to reach us in due time, for he who sends it to us was never known to be too late. The Lord who created all things is equal to every emergency; heaven and earth are at the disposal of him who made them, therefore let us be very joyful in our infinite helper. He will sooner destroy heaven and earth than permit his people to be destroyed, and the perpetual hills themselves shall bow rather than he shall fail whose ways are everlasting. We are bound to look beyond heaven and earth to him who made them both: it is vain to trust the creatures: it is wise to trust the Creator.

humph.

I know you all have been waiting on the edge of your seat to find out if I've EVER mastered the art of fried Plantains...  (See: here and here)

well... I tried again today- this time the texture was spot on- I had to wait 3 weeks for them to turn totally black- but the flavor was all wrong.  Oh plantains, why do you vex me so?  Do you turn bitter if you over-ripen?  Do you need brown sugar?  Why plantains, why?  Also, why is the internet totally devoid of plantain information?  Seriously.  I can find out what shoes Jessica Simpson wore to the Emmy's in 2002 but I can't find out how to properly fry a plantain?  just ain't right, man... just ain't right.

Update- The Simpson thing has proven to be just as illusive... it just isn't my day..

Asleep

My buddy Marc is blowing up right now and that is so awesome, but even more awesome is this song he covers by Keith Green.  WOW.  I had never heard it until yesterday and now I can't stop listening.  good stuff.

Tuesdays with Buechner!!

Today's Buechner quotes are acutally not Buechner at all, but rather Henri Nouwen.  Why, you ask?  Why not I say! :)
Enjoy!!

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.”

“Let us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate. Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure for it.”

God as a House and a Pilot. Or: Two About a Storm.

I started writing one, and then it turned into two... SO here are two thoughts about storms... un-original as they may be...


I don't know if they still do this, but it used to be that in farm towns students would be given a "storm house" that was close to their school in the event that a blizzard occurs and traps them in town.  Rather than having parents risk life and limb to come into town and pick up their children, or getting the buses stuck in the drifts, the kids would simply go to a house nearby and weather the storm safely there.  It really is an ingenious idea that arose out of necessity, no doubt as I've seen first hand the blinding misery that blowing snow causes. 
I think it would be really fun to have a storm house.  All school year you knew the house that you would go to if the storm hits rendering you stranded at school.  Maybe you didn't know the people who lived there, but you walked by the place a couple of times- just so you know how to get there.  While it would be better if the big one never hit, you knew you had a save place to stay if it did.  Never would you have to sleep on a science table or on the wrestling mat.  You had a warm house with good food and a comfy bed in which to seek refuge if the weather outside turned frightful.  What a comfort that must have been to the families who lived in the outlying areas.  Country storms are no joke, and driving in them is an act white-knuckled heroism to be sure.  But to know that their kids would be safe in the storm must be a wonderful relief.  I really hope some communities still have storm houses, because it is a fantastic idea.
I think of my storm house.  When the storms of doubt and disaster hit.  The winds of worry and the hail of haughtiness swirl around me.   The green skies of heartbreak and the thunder and lightning of jealousy assail.  I sometimes run around in the storm- looking for shelter in houses that are full or uninterested: friends who don't care to listen, or inward reflection that only produces more side aches and emptiness.  For these kinds of storms, I need only run to my storm house.  Proverbs 18:10- "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."  Only Jesus can take away worry, pride, heartbreak, and sadness.  Only Jesus can give comfort to the broken and peace to the restless.  Only Jesus took away our sin.  Only Jesus gives us Heaven.  He is our strong tower- our storm house.  When Satan huffs and puffs, he can't even make a dent.  We run to Jesus and we are safe.  Oh how foolish we must look running around trying to dodge the rain drops and keep our hair pretty in the wind.  Why do we venture out on our own?  Lord do you get tired of us constantly running away and then back to you?
No. Thanks be to God that He is good and His mercy endures forever.  He is our storm house- He tells us to call upon Him in the day of trouble and He will deliver us.  He says to come to Him as weak and heavy burdened children because He'll give us rest.  He says He's our storm house and when we see the clouds billowing on the horizon we need only seek refuge in His alimighty, all-loving arms.
Thank you Jesus!

When I am alone
When I am alone
Oh, when I am alone
Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
Just give me Jesus


-------------------
Last week I flew threw a storm.  I've flown over a storm before and I've been grounded because of a storm, but never have I flown through a storm.  But last Monday I did.  There was no beverage service and the fasten seat belt sign was never unlit.  It was 68 minutes of up and down side to side flying.  All I could see was grey out of the window and there was time when rain drops seemed like they would never end.  It was pretty unnerving.  I would have much rather been sitting in the terminal waiting for it to pass, but nonetheless here I was in the middle of a pretty big Arizona desert storm.  I took solace in the fact that the pilots had all the latest technology and instruments at their disposal and if they thought it was safe enough to fly through, then who am I to second guess them?  I would say there are fewer moments in the 21st century American's life that require more trust than when one is flying.  Think about it.  We are in control of almost every aspect of our lives, but when you fly, you buckle up shoot up to 30,000 feet and trust.  You trust the plane, the airline company's background checks, the flight school's training, the pilot's diligence, the technology's functionality, the air traffic controller, the security measures, the reliably that the mask will indeed inflate when it is filled with oxygen, and undoubtedly 55 other factors.  That's a lot of trust! But millions of people every day make it to their destinations without a single hiccup.  Its amazing!  The things that we trust have proven time and time again their trustworthiness, so we are silly to second guess them in most instances.  Certainly, even in the midst of an hour long storm, I was never in danger.  The ride was a bit bumpy, but the pilot had it well in hand.  His job was to get me safely to PHX, my job was to sit back, buckle up, keep my tray in the upright/lock position, and trust.
I think you know where this is going...
The storms of life seem bumpy and rough and gray, but the Pilot has it well in hand.  God has proven time and time again His trustworthiness, so who are we to doubt the Almighty?  What He ordains is always good- so even though the storms come and the winds blow, He is in full control.  We are safely wrapped in His nail-marked hands.  Our sins are forgiven, Heaven is our inheritance, and the peace that passes all understanding is ours through our Savior Jesus.  He gave us His Holy Spirit to get us safely home to Heaven, so we need only trust that He is greater than we.  Storms come and go- they flare up and whip and blow- but God is forever.  He who calmed the wind and the waves took away our sin and guilt, and He invites us to come as weak and wounded sinners because in  Him there's rest.
Hallelujah!

Sometimes even to live is an act of courage. -Lucius Annaeus Seneca

booked it

I finished a book recently that was very wonderful.  It's called Ragman and it's by Walt Wangerin.  It is a collection of stories and hymns a prayers that are really powerful.  If you have a second, check out this chapter- one of my favorites- called "Killing in the Little Cuts". 
Very good stuff. http://tinyurl.com/littlecuts
OH bummer!  I just realized that the last 2 pages of the story aren't included in that link... grr.  Well, buy the book.  It's a dollar on Amazon.  You won't regret it.  When I have some time, I'll type out and then react to this story- because I think its really important- the whole "its not about me" mentality... and its a struggle because you're inviting people to use you as a doormat if you are only concerned with others and neglect yourself and your own feelings... anyway, more on that later.