remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. this i recall to my mind, therefore i have hope.
the LORD's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for his compassions never fail.
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. the LORD is my portion, says my soul, thereforefore i have hope in him. the LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the person who seeks him. it is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the LORD. it is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth. let him sit alone and be silent since he has laid it on him. let him put his mouth in the dust, perhaps there is hope. let him give his cheek to the smiter, let him be filled with reproach. for the Lord will not reject forever, for if he causes grief, then hi will have compassion according to his abundant lovingkindness.
lamentations 3.19-32
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
A Tale of Three Kings
by Gene Edwards
What do I do when the kingdom I’m in is ruled by a spear-wielding king?...Just what does a person do in the middle of a spear-wielding contest?...
The answer is, you get stabbed to death.
...But what is the good in being speared?
You have your eyes on the wrong “King Saul.” As long as you look at your king, you will blame him and him alone for your present hell. But be careful, for God has his eyes fastened on another “King Saul”...One just as bad, or worse. God is looking at the “King Saul” in you...There is only one way to get rid of him. He must be annihilated...David the sheepherder would have grown up to become King Saul the Second, except that God cut away the “Saul” inside David’s heart. That operation, by the way, took years and was a brutalizing experience that almost killed the patient.
What do I do when the kingdom I’m in is ruled by a spear-wielding king?...Just what does a person do in the middle of a spear-wielding contest?...
The answer is, you get stabbed to death.
...But what is the good in being speared?
You have your eyes on the wrong “King Saul.” As long as you look at your king, you will blame him and him alone for your present hell. But be careful, for God has his eyes fastened on another “King Saul”...One just as bad, or worse. God is looking at the “King Saul” in you...There is only one way to get rid of him. He must be annihilated...David the sheepherder would have grown up to become King Saul the Second, except that God cut away the “Saul” inside David’s heart. That operation, by the way, took years and was a brutalizing experience that almost killed the patient.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
coldplay.
when she was just a girl
she expected the world
but it flew away from her reach so
she ran away in her sleep
and dreamed of paradise
every time she closed her eyes
when she was just a girl
she expected the world
but it flew away from her reach
and the bullets catch in her teeth
life goes on, it gets so heavy
the wheel breaks the butterfly
every tear a waterfall
in the night the stormy night she'll close her eyes
in the night the stormy night away she'd fly
and dream of paradise
and so lying underneath those stormy skies
she'd say "oh i know the sun must set to rise."
she expected the world
but it flew away from her reach so
she ran away in her sleep
and dreamed of paradise
every time she closed her eyes
when she was just a girl
she expected the world
but it flew away from her reach
and the bullets catch in her teeth
life goes on, it gets so heavy
the wheel breaks the butterfly
every tear a waterfall
in the night the stormy night she'll close her eyes
in the night the stormy night away she'd fly
and dream of paradise
and so lying underneath those stormy skies
she'd say "oh i know the sun must set to rise."
Thursday, April 12, 2012
sing a hard-spun song
when you think of me,
sing a wide open song
and when it's over,
sing it once more
when you dream of me,
dream when i meet you
on that distant shore
"distant shore"
sung by orla fallon
sing a wide open song
and when it's over,
sing it once more
when you dream of me,
dream when i meet you
on that distant shore
"distant shore"
sung by orla fallon
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
going back
i remember those summer days
filled with swimming and laughter and picnics in the park
the days of sleepovers and homemade cookies
of sunblock and crowded birthday parties
everyone laughing and talking at once
(and not minding at all).
sometimes i miss those days
and i think of how ridiculous an adult would look
if they spun circles out on the grass til they dropped
but who says you cant?
people reminisce "oh to be a child again,"
but i suppose there's a part of me
that will never quite grow out of those days
and as silly as it may be,
i dont care.
H
filled with swimming and laughter and picnics in the park
the days of sleepovers and homemade cookies
of sunblock and crowded birthday parties
everyone laughing and talking at once
(and not minding at all).
sometimes i miss those days
and i think of how ridiculous an adult would look
if they spun circles out on the grass til they dropped
but who says you cant?
people reminisce "oh to be a child again,"
but i suppose there's a part of me
that will never quite grow out of those days
and as silly as it may be,
i dont care.
H
Sunday, April 1, 2012
resting in truth.
sometimes,
to surrender is to win
death brings victory
and heartache leaves us with the deepest joy.
i rest this night in the knowledge that
Jesus is everything.
therefore, i will not fear.
H
to surrender is to win
death brings victory
and heartache leaves us with the deepest joy.
i rest this night in the knowledge that
Jesus is everything.
therefore, i will not fear.
H
Saturday, March 31, 2012
saturday morning serenade
while the sun was on holiday,
i took a walk.
it was a gorgeous morning
with the mist falling lightly and refreshing the earth
vibrant shades of color have always reflected my thoughts & emotions
and somehow i communicate quite well with them...
there were plump, crimson berries climbing up the hillside
and joyful orange and lavender flowers waking from their wet sleep,
some of the flushing pinks filled with thousands of last night's droplets
a yellow-breasted bird chirped his song to the Lord so freely
(i wanted to join him, but alas, i did not know his melody)
my favorite, though, was the park at which i silently gasped,
taking in the greenness--such beautiful, enchanting, energizing green
i would not tire, i think, to see such beauty every day of my life.
i passed by my friend with the long, spindly arms--
of whom you may remember from several months ago--
and my heart wanted to burst at seeing the sprouting buds
upon his arms
as he, too, is awakening for the spring.
he slept so long in the cold winter
appearing lifeless and dead
yet inside, he was being prepared for this new season.
and so, now,
with a favored coffee mug
and my dear Hebrews
this day begins.
H
i took a walk.
it was a gorgeous morning
with the mist falling lightly and refreshing the earth
vibrant shades of color have always reflected my thoughts & emotions
and somehow i communicate quite well with them...
there were plump, crimson berries climbing up the hillside
and joyful orange and lavender flowers waking from their wet sleep,
some of the flushing pinks filled with thousands of last night's droplets
a yellow-breasted bird chirped his song to the Lord so freely
(i wanted to join him, but alas, i did not know his melody)
my favorite, though, was the park at which i silently gasped,
taking in the greenness--such beautiful, enchanting, energizing green
i would not tire, i think, to see such beauty every day of my life.
i passed by my friend with the long, spindly arms--
of whom you may remember from several months ago--
and my heart wanted to burst at seeing the sprouting buds
upon his arms
as he, too, is awakening for the spring.
he slept so long in the cold winter
appearing lifeless and dead
yet inside, he was being prepared for this new season.
and so, now,
with a favored coffee mug
and my dear Hebrews
this day begins.
H
Sunday, March 25, 2012
grace in the grey
there's something about the rain
that awakens my love of writing.
no human pours these dismal-looking showers
and yet
they continue to fall
down
down
down
and for some reason,
of which i have not yet determined,
i take great comfort from the grey drops
that paint themselves on my window.
maybe it's because i've often sympathized with the rain
(we've been dear friends for many years now)
& i've shared endless hours with sighs of a wet afternoon
or perhaps because
like the rain
my heart has bled and fallen
many times over in varying ways,
and until as of late,
i've remained there--left in a puddle of cold helplessness,
struggling to last until the sun rises
and clears away those drizzly clouds of fear or hurt.
but whatever the reason,
these days are special to me
and i cant help but thank the Lord for them,
despite when they interrupt a trivial to-do list.
they recall to this forgetful mind
my sweet Lord's faithfulness and love
yes, His gentle, abundant, undeserved love
and His presence with me
these are the days we have such lovely conversations
and reminisce how He's cared for His children in the past
and how He'll continue to do so today.
i think that most people tend to be of the opinion
that sunny days are a picture
of how blessings burst forth like golden sun rays.
and yet
these days of rain also depict to me
the downpouring of grace amidst the grey,
which is no less glorious.
H
that awakens my love of writing.
no human pours these dismal-looking showers
and yet
they continue to fall
down
down
down
and for some reason,
of which i have not yet determined,
i take great comfort from the grey drops
that paint themselves on my window.
maybe it's because i've often sympathized with the rain
(we've been dear friends for many years now)
& i've shared endless hours with sighs of a wet afternoon
or perhaps because
like the rain
my heart has bled and fallen
many times over in varying ways,
and until as of late,
i've remained there--left in a puddle of cold helplessness,
struggling to last until the sun rises
and clears away those drizzly clouds of fear or hurt.
but whatever the reason,
these days are special to me
and i cant help but thank the Lord for them,
despite when they interrupt a trivial to-do list.
they recall to this forgetful mind
my sweet Lord's faithfulness and love
yes, His gentle, abundant, undeserved love
and His presence with me
these are the days we have such lovely conversations
and reminisce how He's cared for His children in the past
and how He'll continue to do so today.
i think that most people tend to be of the opinion
that sunny days are a picture
of how blessings burst forth like golden sun rays.
and yet
these days of rain also depict to me
the downpouring of grace amidst the grey,
which is no less glorious.
H
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
battling fear & hurt
oh Lord, my God, i cry to you
because you alone will hear and answer my plea
grant rest and peace to this aching heart
for my heart strays from your precepts all the day
i am sickened by my sin
it is ever present before my eyes
and now,
this new hurt
another of which i did not anticipate
oh Jesus, i long for you alone
this life you have given me will not end
one day sooner than you have planned--
so enable me to live each one of them--
but i so desperately long and ache to see you!
my Comfort,
my loving Abba,
my gentle Shepherd,
don't leave me i beg you
don't let me take my eyes off your unfailing love,
for you alone will never fail me.
H
because you alone will hear and answer my plea
grant rest and peace to this aching heart
for my heart strays from your precepts all the day
i am sickened by my sin
it is ever present before my eyes
and now,
this new hurt
another of which i did not anticipate
oh Jesus, i long for you alone
this life you have given me will not end
one day sooner than you have planned--
so enable me to live each one of them--
but i so desperately long and ache to see you!
my Comfort,
my loving Abba,
my gentle Shepherd,
don't leave me i beg you
don't let me take my eyes off your unfailing love,
for you alone will never fail me.
H
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