Jaima released her book on Amazon some time ago. It's an amazing collection of introspection and discovery of God's work in someone's life. Every time I read it I get more out of it.
Her announcement is here on her blog.. aptly named "Notes from the Chase"
But you can buy the book on Amazon
Thursday, July 09, 2015
Thursday, February 13, 2014
It's a magical world
So, I'm reading a book, this morning. And I understand how that might confuse you, but bear with me.
I'm reading a history book about Ireland. They are discussing St Patrick, and here is this little poem, and a commentary about it:
I'm reading a history book about Ireland. They are discussing St Patrick, and here is this little poem, and a commentary about it:
I SEE his blood upon the rose
And in the stars the glory of his eyes,
His body gleams amid eternal snows,
His tears fall from the skies.
I see his face in every flower;
The thunder and the singing of the birds
Are but his voice—and carven by his power
Rocks are his written words.
All pathways by his feet are worn,
His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea,
His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn,
His cross is every tree.
This magical world, though full of adventure and surprise, is no longer full of dread. Rather, Christ has trodden all pathways before us, and at every crossroads and by every tree the Word of God speaks out..... In this tradition, there is a trust in the objects of sensory perception, which are seen as signposts from God.
Um... yeah..... what he said.
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
Kislev
As the sun goes down Sunday Nov 3, we say goodbye to Cheshvan and welcome the new month of Kislev. Kislev is the 9th month of the spiritual calendar, and the 3rd month of the civil calendar. It comes quite early this year, usually Kislev spans the end of November and deeper into December.
Kislev marks the onset of the winter seasons, and is the 3rd month of the rainy season in Israel. The days are getting shorter, and the darkness is getting longer this month. As the darkness moves in, there’s a tendency to embrace despair. When dark times come upon us, for whatever reason, it’s easy to focus on the darkness. When we backslide in finances, or health, or relationships, we focus on the slide we are on. The fact that we are falling isn’t so bad, it’s that we don’t know how far we will fall, and so we despair, thinking the fall will never end. Once we hit bottom, it’s not so bad, because then we can start to climb back up, and the progress is positive. But until then, we tend to lose hope. Our future is hidden, uncertain.
But God called forth light from the darkness, and it is in our darkest times that he responds with light, hope, and His presence. During these dark days, we are asked to search the darkness for His light. We are to look for His promises, His presence, and His embrace when it seems darkest.
And when we do that, God does what He always does. He responds.
The 40 days and nights of rain that caused the great flood of Noah ended this month. And so as the rains end, we can expect to see a rainbow. A reminder of the promise of God to never forsake us.
This year (2013) we have a special coincidence between the US civil calendar and the hebrew calendar. Thursday Nov 28, or the 25th of Kislev, is Thanksgiving here in the US. It is also the first day of Chanukah. On the 25th of Kislev, the Maccabees liberated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The victorious Jews repaired, cleansed and rededicated the Temple to the service of God. But they found only one small vial of ritually cleansed oil, the rest had all been defiled. But they lit the Menorah anyway, giving thanks for what they had, and worshiping with what they had. Miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days until more oil arrived. Today, for 8 days, jews celebrate with a feast that God’s provision never ends. When we bring forth what light we have in the darkness, God will always respond.
Some say that this is a month of dreams as well. That this is a month we should trust fully in God, and sleep well. And as we sleep, we will have dreams and visions. It seems fitting. Jacob, for example, was a man whose greatest visions came to him when he was alone at night, far from home, fleeing from one danger to the next. When he escapes Esau, afraid for his life, he sleeps alone with only a stone for a pillow, and dreams of a stairway to heaven. Later, when fleeing Laban, and terrified again of his brother Esau, he leaves to be alone and wrestles all night with a stranger that renames him Israel. These events happened when he was in that ‘slide’, when he isn’t sure how far he’s going to fall. He’s not at a starting point, or a destination, he’s in transition. A scary place. And in that place, God meets him, and defines him and sets him on a course that will define a nation. His destiny is defined in those dark places. And so is ours.
So, as we walk through Kislev, when you have a dark moment, find some time to be alone, and light a candle. Let God’s rest come over you this month and embrace his shalom sleep. This month God will answer you in the darkness, and his dreams and visions will propel you into your new future.
Thursday, October 03, 2013
Cheshvan
Friday October 4th, we finally say goodbye to Tishrei. Tishrei, a month of celebrations and festivals, the holiest days of the year, and the month where our destiny and identities are confirmed, comes to a close at sundown on Friday. And so begins the month of Cheshvan.
Cheshvan is the 8th month of the year. Historically, the flood began on the 17th of Cheshvan, and ended the following year on the 27th of this month. On the following day, the 28th of Cheshvan, Noah brought his sacrifice to God and God swore never again to bring a flood upon the earth to destroy all mankind, and then revealed the sign of His covenant with the world, the rainbow. The first temple was also completed on the 17th of Cheshvan.
After all the festivals and Holy days of Tishrei, it seems odd that Cheshvan has no festivals. It is in fact, the only month in the year with no holidays or special events. In Tishrei, we were flooded with divinely appointed days to embrace God and prepare our selves for the new year. Tishrei is the 'head' of the year and all the functions of the head are engaged during the month. Intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually we are filled during Tishrei. All of our senses are engaged as we feast, dance, sing, blow shofars, worship with abandon, and embrace our God as He embraces us.
In fact many compare Tishrei with a wedding, where we accept the proposal of our Lord (given during Elul when the King comes to our field), and culminating in the wedding of Yom Kippur and the wedding celebration, or honeymoon, of Sukkots.
Tishrei effectively fills our heads and hearts, and prepares us for the year, by engaging all the senses. It is quite the contrast that Cheshvan, a month that has no festivals, is often associated with the heel of the foot. The heel is the least sensitive part of the body.
Cheshvan, being the 8th month of the year, is a month of new beginnings. It is traditionally considered to be a month set aside for the Messiah. It is said that the Messiah will inaugurate the 3rd temple during the month of Cheshvan.
So, what is so special about this month?
We are fully packed and prepared for the year ahead thanks to last month. So, this month, we reach out and take the hand of our new (or renewed) Husband (our Messiah) and begin our walk (on our heels) into the new places He has set destined and prepared for us. Now we begin our walk with Him to our promised lands of this year. It may seem mundane after the festivals to simply walk hand in hand with someone, but there is a powerful romance at work here. As anyone who has a sweetheart can tell you, sometimes there is nothing better than just walking together holding hands.
So, this month, don't be discouraged as you walk though a quiet 'mundane' month with no festivals. Instead enjoy the quiet time of just being with your beloved as you walk together toward your destiny. Search for those moments you can share with Him, and let him share His moments with you. And most of all…. enjoy the romance.
Cheshvan is the 8th month of the year. Historically, the flood began on the 17th of Cheshvan, and ended the following year on the 27th of this month. On the following day, the 28th of Cheshvan, Noah brought his sacrifice to God and God swore never again to bring a flood upon the earth to destroy all mankind, and then revealed the sign of His covenant with the world, the rainbow. The first temple was also completed on the 17th of Cheshvan.
After all the festivals and Holy days of Tishrei, it seems odd that Cheshvan has no festivals. It is in fact, the only month in the year with no holidays or special events. In Tishrei, we were flooded with divinely appointed days to embrace God and prepare our selves for the new year. Tishrei is the 'head' of the year and all the functions of the head are engaged during the month. Intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually we are filled during Tishrei. All of our senses are engaged as we feast, dance, sing, blow shofars, worship with abandon, and embrace our God as He embraces us.
In fact many compare Tishrei with a wedding, where we accept the proposal of our Lord (given during Elul when the King comes to our field), and culminating in the wedding of Yom Kippur and the wedding celebration, or honeymoon, of Sukkots.
Tishrei effectively fills our heads and hearts, and prepares us for the year, by engaging all the senses. It is quite the contrast that Cheshvan, a month that has no festivals, is often associated with the heel of the foot. The heel is the least sensitive part of the body.
Cheshvan, being the 8th month of the year, is a month of new beginnings. It is traditionally considered to be a month set aside for the Messiah. It is said that the Messiah will inaugurate the 3rd temple during the month of Cheshvan.
So, what is so special about this month?
We are fully packed and prepared for the year ahead thanks to last month. So, this month, we reach out and take the hand of our new (or renewed) Husband (our Messiah) and begin our walk (on our heels) into the new places He has set destined and prepared for us. Now we begin our walk with Him to our promised lands of this year. It may seem mundane after the festivals to simply walk hand in hand with someone, but there is a powerful romance at work here. As anyone who has a sweetheart can tell you, sometimes there is nothing better than just walking together holding hands.
So, this month, don't be discouraged as you walk though a quiet 'mundane' month with no festivals. Instead enjoy the quiet time of just being with your beloved as you walk together toward your destiny. Search for those moments you can share with Him, and let him share His moments with you. And most of all…. enjoy the romance.
The Month of Tishrei
The Month of Tishrei
During the month of Elul, we spent our days preparing ourselves to re-align ourselves with God. God joins us in the field to help us align during that month, but now, as we enter Tishrei, God seals us in our destiny as we reconnect with Him.
Tishrei is the 7th month of the year, and within Tishrei we have the holiest days of the Hebraic calendar. This is the month where we are restored, renewed, and reconnected with ourselves, our destiny, and our relationships. It is linked with the tribe of Ephraim whose name mean to be fruitful and multiply.
The first of Tishrei (Sept 5, 2013) is Rosh Hashanah, which means "Head of the Year". It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve and also the anniversary of the binding of Isaac. Rosh Hashanah thus emphasizes the special relationship between God and man: our dependence upon God as our creator and sustainer and His place as our absolute sovereign God. Each year on Rosh Hashanah, the work we did in Elul to prepare us for what God wants for us is submitted before the throne when “all inhabitants of the world pass before God like a flock of sheep,” and it is decreed in the heavenly court “who shall live and who shall die . . . who shall be impoverished, and who shall be enriched; who shall fall and who shall rise” But this is also the day we proclaim God the "King of the Universe". It is Coronation Day and we recognize and re-emphasize God's sovereignty over us and the world. During this time, we recognize our own personal creation, and our personal creator. And so, on Rosh Hashanah, God does a work in us and we reaffirm our God is our God, and we receive God's identity and destiny for ourselves for the coming year.
Having re-established God's sovereignty on Rosh Hashanah, we have 10 days of awe as we recognize His absolute sovereign power. We walk in trembling faith during these days as we move towards the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur (Sept 14, 2013). This is the day it is said we are closest to both God and the quintessence of our own souls. Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, "For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before God" (Leviticus 16:30). This day is a solemn fasting day, yet an undertone of joy is evident throughout this day. We have joy because we can express confidence that God will accept our repentance, forgive our sins, and seal us for a year of prosperity and life in Him. During the Hebrew day, there are 5 prayer services, a confession of sins 8 times, and a recitation of Psalms throughout the day as well as several other solemn services, all focused on recognizing our need for forgiveness, and God's willingness to forgive us. The closing service climaxes with the resounding cries of "Hear O Israel.. GOD IS ONE!" and then we break into song and dance. The evening after Yom Kippur is a joyous festival, celebrating God's forgiveness of us. On Yom Kippur, we are reconnected and realigned fully with God as we should be and as He desires.
5 days later (Sept 19, 2013), we enter into perhaps the largest feast of the year. The Feast of Sukkots. Sukkots is known by many names: The Feast of Sukkots, Feast of Tabernacles, The Feast of Ingathering, (Ex. 23:16, 34:22) "The festival of the seventh month" (Ezek. 45:25; Neh. 8:14) "At the end of the year when you gather in your labors out of the field" (Ex. 23:16), it is also designated as "the Feast of the Lord" (Lev. 23:39; Judges 21:19) or simply "the Feast" (1 Kings 8:2, 8:65; 12:32; 2 Chron. 5:3; 7:8). The festival of Sukkot is the most joyous of the three biblically mandated festivals. In the holiday prayers, each festival is given its own descriptive name: Passover is the "Season of our Liberation," Shavuot is the "Season of the Giving of our Torah," but Sukkot is described simply as the "Season of our Rejoicing"!
During Sukkots we remember God's kindness and reaffirm our trust in His providence by dwelling in a sukkah, a temporary shelter. For 7 days, all hebrews live, and feast, and celebrate in Sukkahs. This is in remembrance of the 40 years in the Sinai Desert prior to the Hebrew's entry into the Holy Land, when miraculous "clouds of glory" surrounded and hovered over them, shielding them from the dangers and discomforts of the desert. The talmud says "The sukkahs were the clouds of glory that surrounded and protected us."
In the times when the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, there was a grand Water Drawing Celebration. Unique to the holiday of Sukkot is the mitzvah to offer a water libation on the altar. This water was drawn on the evening beforehand, amidst great fanfare, singing, reveling, and even acrobatic stunts performed by the time's greatest sages. If the sages were engaging in acrobatic stunts, you can begin to imagine the level of joy and laughter surrounding this feast. The talmud says "one who has not witnessed the Festival of the Water Drawing has not seen joy in his lifetime!" It is God's commandment for us to enjoy this feast, and we should take that commandment seriously!
For these 7 days, we feast with friends and family in the Sukkah, and we enjoy and re-establishing our relationships and the heritage we come from. Families discuss the ancestors of their faith, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and others, and reaffirm their relationship with their heritage and with each other.
There is a theme throughout the month of Tishrei, and that theme is the theme of reconnecting with our root sources. First we reconnect with ourselves as we recognize our creation and receive God's identity and destiny for us at Rosh Hashanah, then God reconnects us with Him as He cleanses and re-unites us with Him during Yom Kippur. Then we reconnect with our family and heritage and affirm our worldly relationships during Sukkots, as well as reveling in the love of God. The joy of them all spills out into our lives with joy and celebration. This month is not unlike the woman in Mt 9, who reached out to touch the hem of Jesus. Because of her bleeding, she was unable to walk in her destiny, she needed a touch from her God for healing. Because she was bleeding she was considered unclean and unable to connect with her family as she should. She reached out to God and touched Him, and in so doing she reconnected with her identity with herself and became hale and whole, and her relationship with God was firmly established, and her relationships with family were restored because she was no longer unclean. And so, this month, we have a the opportunity to reach out and restore ourselves, to be the people God ordained us to be. Reach out to your God and receive all that He has for you this month, and let him seal you in Him for this coming year.
During the month of Elul, we spent our days preparing ourselves to re-align ourselves with God. God joins us in the field to help us align during that month, but now, as we enter Tishrei, God seals us in our destiny as we reconnect with Him.
Tishrei is the 7th month of the year, and within Tishrei we have the holiest days of the Hebraic calendar. This is the month where we are restored, renewed, and reconnected with ourselves, our destiny, and our relationships. It is linked with the tribe of Ephraim whose name mean to be fruitful and multiply.
The first of Tishrei (Sept 5, 2013) is Rosh Hashanah, which means "Head of the Year". It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve and also the anniversary of the binding of Isaac. Rosh Hashanah thus emphasizes the special relationship between God and man: our dependence upon God as our creator and sustainer and His place as our absolute sovereign God. Each year on Rosh Hashanah, the work we did in Elul to prepare us for what God wants for us is submitted before the throne when “all inhabitants of the world pass before God like a flock of sheep,” and it is decreed in the heavenly court “who shall live and who shall die . . . who shall be impoverished, and who shall be enriched; who shall fall and who shall rise” But this is also the day we proclaim God the "King of the Universe". It is Coronation Day and we recognize and re-emphasize God's sovereignty over us and the world. During this time, we recognize our own personal creation, and our personal creator. And so, on Rosh Hashanah, God does a work in us and we reaffirm our God is our God, and we receive God's identity and destiny for ourselves for the coming year.
Having re-established God's sovereignty on Rosh Hashanah, we have 10 days of awe as we recognize His absolute sovereign power. We walk in trembling faith during these days as we move towards the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur (Sept 14, 2013). This is the day it is said we are closest to both God and the quintessence of our own souls. Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, "For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before God" (Leviticus 16:30). This day is a solemn fasting day, yet an undertone of joy is evident throughout this day. We have joy because we can express confidence that God will accept our repentance, forgive our sins, and seal us for a year of prosperity and life in Him. During the Hebrew day, there are 5 prayer services, a confession of sins 8 times, and a recitation of Psalms throughout the day as well as several other solemn services, all focused on recognizing our need for forgiveness, and God's willingness to forgive us. The closing service climaxes with the resounding cries of "Hear O Israel.. GOD IS ONE!" and then we break into song and dance. The evening after Yom Kippur is a joyous festival, celebrating God's forgiveness of us. On Yom Kippur, we are reconnected and realigned fully with God as we should be and as He desires.
5 days later (Sept 19, 2013), we enter into perhaps the largest feast of the year. The Feast of Sukkots. Sukkots is known by many names: The Feast of Sukkots, Feast of Tabernacles, The Feast of Ingathering, (Ex. 23:16, 34:22) "The festival of the seventh month" (Ezek. 45:25; Neh. 8:14) "At the end of the year when you gather in your labors out of the field" (Ex. 23:16), it is also designated as "the Feast of the Lord" (Lev. 23:39; Judges 21:19) or simply "the Feast" (1 Kings 8:2, 8:65; 12:32; 2 Chron. 5:3; 7:8). The festival of Sukkot is the most joyous of the three biblically mandated festivals. In the holiday prayers, each festival is given its own descriptive name: Passover is the "Season of our Liberation," Shavuot is the "Season of the Giving of our Torah," but Sukkot is described simply as the "Season of our Rejoicing"!
During Sukkots we remember God's kindness and reaffirm our trust in His providence by dwelling in a sukkah, a temporary shelter. For 7 days, all hebrews live, and feast, and celebrate in Sukkahs. This is in remembrance of the 40 years in the Sinai Desert prior to the Hebrew's entry into the Holy Land, when miraculous "clouds of glory" surrounded and hovered over them, shielding them from the dangers and discomforts of the desert. The talmud says "The sukkahs were the clouds of glory that surrounded and protected us."
In the times when the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, there was a grand Water Drawing Celebration. Unique to the holiday of Sukkot is the mitzvah to offer a water libation on the altar. This water was drawn on the evening beforehand, amidst great fanfare, singing, reveling, and even acrobatic stunts performed by the time's greatest sages. If the sages were engaging in acrobatic stunts, you can begin to imagine the level of joy and laughter surrounding this feast. The talmud says "one who has not witnessed the Festival of the Water Drawing has not seen joy in his lifetime!" It is God's commandment for us to enjoy this feast, and we should take that commandment seriously!
For these 7 days, we feast with friends and family in the Sukkah, and we enjoy and re-establishing our relationships and the heritage we come from. Families discuss the ancestors of their faith, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and others, and reaffirm their relationship with their heritage and with each other.
There is a theme throughout the month of Tishrei, and that theme is the theme of reconnecting with our root sources. First we reconnect with ourselves as we recognize our creation and receive God's identity and destiny for us at Rosh Hashanah, then God reconnects us with Him as He cleanses and re-unites us with Him during Yom Kippur. Then we reconnect with our family and heritage and affirm our worldly relationships during Sukkots, as well as reveling in the love of God. The joy of them all spills out into our lives with joy and celebration. This month is not unlike the woman in Mt 9, who reached out to touch the hem of Jesus. Because of her bleeding, she was unable to walk in her destiny, she needed a touch from her God for healing. Because she was bleeding she was considered unclean and unable to connect with her family as she should. She reached out to God and touched Him, and in so doing she reconnected with her identity with herself and became hale and whole, and her relationship with God was firmly established, and her relationships with family were restored because she was no longer unclean. And so, this month, we have a the opportunity to reach out and restore ourselves, to be the people God ordained us to be. Reach out to your God and receive all that He has for you this month, and let him seal you in Him for this coming year.
Friday, August 09, 2013
The King is in Your Field!
August 7th, 2013 in the Hebraic calendar marks the 1st of Elul. This is the 12th month of the Civil year (which begins at Yom Kippur), and the 6th month of the ecclesiastical year (which begins at Passover). It is linked with the hebrew tribe of Gad, and is a key month of preparation for the high holy days of Tishrei (next month).
1 Elul - Moses ascends Sinai for 3rd 40 days (1313 BCE) - notice that even though the Hebrews screwed up bad with the calf, God took this month as an opportunity to get it right!
This month follows Tamuz and Av, the 2 months which contain some of the greatest low points and greatest sins in Jewish history (the sin of the Golden calf, the sin of the spies, the falling of the temples, etc). And if you understand God's heart, it's no surprise that this month is a reflection of God's mercy. Elul is about cleansing and repentance. Sin causes pain for us all. Not just for us and those around us, but it pains God's heart as well. The hebrew word T'shuvah, is a key concept for this month. It's often translated as repentance, or apologizing for sins. But T'shuvah means more than that because repentance isn't really enough. If we have hurt someone, ask yourself this: Does saying "I'm sorry" take away the pain? The answer of course is no. Yet T'shuvah is about taking away the pain. T'shuvah represents re-uniting the will of God with those mistakes in our past. It's about restoring that which was broken especially the brokenness of our hearts. Through God's grace this month, we have an opportunity to realign our broken hearts and lives with God's intended destiny for our lives. God will give you special insights into restoration this month. But this is not just a spiritual journey. It's also physical.
In this month, it is said that "the King is in the Field." Normally, the Hebrew calendar distinguishes two general qualities of times. The "mundane" and the "holy". For example, we have 6 normal days of the week, and a 'holy' Sabbath day. We have regular days, and then we have holidays and feasts. Elul is a haven in time, where these two sort of merge. On Holy days we approach the throne, we come to God in His places, following his protocols. This is not unlike when Esther came before the King, in that we put the 'mundane' away and go before him in holiness under special protocols. But this month, the King leaves his thrown and comes down into our lives, and into our fields. Instead of the farmer getting cleaned up and going to the palace, the dirty sweaty farmer finds the King walking in the field with him, and enjoying the work with him. The King is coming into our lives to make our 'mundane' things Holy. During these days, we can approach the King in any way, about any thing, and He embraces us in all our messiness, and shares with us his smiling face, and appreciation for our work. And so, our physical as well as our spiritual selves are aligned with His plans and purposes and blessed.
But it's not just about healing either. As always, it's about relationship and the passion that God has for a deeper more intimate relationship with us. The 4 letters of Elul form an acronym for the initial letters of the key phrase in Song of Songs (6:3) "I am to my beloved, and my beloved is to me." "I am to my beloved" represents our hearts desire to return fully to God, while "My beloved is to me" is reflective or God's desire to be united with us, and represents His mercy and forgiveness that allows that union to happen. And this month He strives to make sure it's not just in a special way on some special spiritual celebration, but in our every day lives. As the scripture says: "A tower of might is the Name of God, into it shall run the righteous and become exalted." In hebrew literature, the "tower of might" represents the bride, The tzadik, the groom, runs, with all of his might, to enter the "tower of might." God is sprinting to be with you this month.
So, this month, let God into your Field. Show him your challenges and problems. Show him your weaknesses and what you think are your strengths. Don't hold back, but embrace the gifts of grace He brings you this month. This is the month He fixes all those problems that are holding you back. His goal is to fix those problems, and then seal you into a whole state next month. United with Him, and ready to leap to a new Glory next year.
Below are some key events that happened this month. Consider the mercy of God in all of them. He's always looking out for you and is ready to 'reset your clock' on any mistakes you have made in your life. Notice that throughout this month, God is always creating new things and making right the mistakes of the past. Through this, we are especially prepared to be sealed in the new when the new year starts next month.
10 Elul - Noah Dispatches Raven (2105 BCE)
17 Elul - Noah Dispatches Dove (2105 BCE)
23 Elul - Dove brings Olive Leaf to Noah (2105 BCE) - Noah searched this month for an end to the floods that were devastating everyone, and this month, he found an end!
25 Elul - The 1st day of Creation (3761 BCE) - Creation is what God loves to do! What will He create in your life?
25 Elul - Jerusalem Walls Rebuilt (335 BCE) - Re-Creation is God's recreation. He loves to rebuild/restore that which was broken back to it's wholeness. He wants to do that with you too.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Deep calls unto Deep
Why does God call us to the deep waters?
It's in the deep waters that the problems sink to the bottom where you can't find them.
If you only play in the shallow waters, you can dig them back out of the shallow places and make them a part of your life again.
God tells us to drop them in the deepest trench. Then the most you can do is mourn their loss
It's in the deep waters that the problems sink to the bottom where you can't find them.
If you only play in the shallow waters, you can dig them back out of the shallow places and make them a part of your life again.
God tells us to drop them in the deepest trench. Then the most you can do is mourn their loss
Been away for a bit
It's been an interesting few years. I don't think many people are paying any attention anymore to this site, but it's time I started putting stuff back up here on a regular basis again.
God's been working hard on me. I hope what comes out of it blesses you.
God's been working hard on me. I hope what comes out of it blesses you.
-Grand Imperial Pooh-bah
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
It's BETTER
I am currently on a road trip vacation with my family. 5 of us are trekking across the country in a van from Colorado up to Maine, around the Northeast, and then back home.
(yes, you may pray for me, and yes, Thank you! I will wait for you to finish)
Late last week, we made a stop at Niagara Falls. Except for my wife, who made a stop when she was a young girl, none of us had ever been there before.
It’s an impressive place. On average, almost 4 million cubic feet of water fall over the crest of these falls every minute, and it’s hard to avoid recognizing the power of the nature God has created. It makes you feel rather insignificant sometimes when you look at the world. There are natural forces which can reduce decades or centuries of work by man and men to rubble in seconds. And standing next to these falls, and looking over the edge, you get a feel for that power.
Of course, that wasn’t enough for MY family. We wanted to experience MORE POWER. (insert your grunts here)
So, we decide to take a walk at the bottom of the falls. We put on our raincoats (FREE! with our tour tickets), and our water proof sandles (FREE!) and took the elevator down through solid rock about 170 feet to the cave of the winds where we could check out this wonderous place from below. Down there are walkways where you can walk out and see the falls, and get a great perspective on them from below. The last platform has a corner called “Hurricane Point”. It has a corner that juts out very close to the rocky base of Bridal Veil falls. Even though this is the smallest of the falls on the US side, the force of the water and air forced against you at this point is overwhelming. If the platform was just a few feet closer, I’m sure injuries would be unavoidable. When standing there the force of the water literally feels like a hurricane is blowing you away. It’s loud, powerful and very windy and wet.
VERY windy and wet.
I’m thinking those raincoats (FREE!) were better at keeping the water IN, than out.
We all had a great laugh and enjoyed testing our weakness against the awesome power of the falls at Hurricane point. But my day was made when my daughter Elizabeth came running away from the point and screamed at me with all the joy of a little girl who had just enjoyed the greatest thrill ride ever, “THAT WAS BETTER THAN CHURCH!”
I had to laugh and quietly thank my God.
What else can you do when your kids are laughing and playing and recognizing the overwhelming scope of creation, experiencing once in a lifetime moments, and learning about how wonderous God is and the enormity of his creative works, and then your 9 year old daughter runs up to you to share her feelings, and she compares that with church!?!?!?!
No, she doesn’t compare it to a movie with awesome CGI.
Or a ride at an amusement park.
She compared it with every ‘normal Sunday’ at church.
Isn’t that what worship is supposed to be? Moving in as close as you can to the amazing, overwhelming power of the creator, and letting that ‘blow you away’? knowing that if you moved closer, you’ld probably get crushed by His magnitude? getting drenched in His glory and coming away changed knowing that was a moment you will remember?
I am forced to conclude that just maybe, Jaima and I are doing something right. Even if we aren't, God is.
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