Monday, July 31, 2006
?
what's a bored, sweaty, procrastinating-from-homework, mid-20's aged girl supposed to do when she's craving ice cream at 9:00 at night? quickly rid herself of all defenses and succumb to the inner urge. but first, take a quick walk to ease her guilty conscience .... and then .... shamelessly indulge.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
pillows and popsicles …
my list of thank you’s to God includes Caribou coffee, toothbrushes, Brazilian flip-flops, smiles & kisses, sun & rain, the smell of cut grass, falling snow, slushies, blankets, graham crackers and milk, fans, blank paper, empty cups waiting to be filled with lots of tasty possibilities, full gas tanks, fingernails & eyelashes, Pedro the Lion, sun-ripened oranges, fall colors, Frank Lloyd Wright, hot springs, fjords, pickled herring, Christmas & lefse, Carola, the Bible, wiggling toes, subtle winks, trash bags & toilet paper, clean water, C.S. Lewis, testimonies, friends, friends’ kids, friends’ kids antics, kissing owies, dripping icicles, fireplaces, wrestling brothers, off-key singing & bad hair days, MN State Fair mini-donuts & cheese curds, Lake Harriet & Summit Ave, raw cookie dough, a relationship with Jesus …
Friday, July 28, 2006
seasons and the glory of nature
i can’t help my affections for nature as it is God’s own stamp of workmanship and mastery … the testimony of His care and attention to detail. the complexity and interdependence of nature and eco-systems reminds me of His ability to work all things together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. when i walk in the woodlands i hear His contented sighs of delight and approval floating on the winds and i see the twinkle of enjoyment in His eye as it bounces off the leaves. as i spend time enjoying the beauty of nature i see more of His nature, His character, His heart and His mind … nature cries aloud and testifies to His glory!
i cannot see breath-taking, fiery colors of Fall without feeling the sweet breath of His whispers on my face, telling me the secrets of His architecture and design and His tender, sweet words of love for me …
then there’s the quiet, calming falling of snow on the frozen earth, mesmerizing me into a cocoon of peace and rest … hibernating in His affections, snuggling into His tenderness, keeping warm together in the passions of His love …
the slow, sure rising of the sun … His invitation to me to walk with Him another day … a tender Lover promising me His companionship and friendship, extending His hands to me as He promises His surety and constancy …
the eager freshness of spring … bubbly laughter of melting creeks, a sleepy earth stretching and awakening to a new season … hints of warm whispers on the breeze, murmurs of new life on the move … melting snow turning from drips to torrential rivers, washing out the old and ushering in the new … rumors whispered through the treetops of fresh beginnings and new seasons… opportunity to live again and learn lessons of growth, entering new stages of understanding and revelation … a watering and nourishing of the soul for the works He is equipping me to do …
the heat and intensity of summer … vibrant colors … what once was dead is now alive, thriving in the nourishment of the dirt, once frozen as earthen stone … a season of discipline and growth under the intense and watchful eye of the sun … a season of hard work before the rest of winter and the peaceful slumber it brings …
and a new cycle begins … similar to ones before but waiting to tell its own story. each season bringing new tales waiting to be told, of doubt and faithfulness, pain and ecstasy, death and life. one life dying so another, better one may take its place.
nature. the truth of God’s character as told through the most unsuspecting storytellers -- flowers and leaves, dirt and rocks, waterfalls and creeks, mountains and mole hills, shooting stars and lightning, rain and snow, sun and moon and you and me.
i can’t help my affections for nature …
i cannot see breath-taking, fiery colors of Fall without feeling the sweet breath of His whispers on my face, telling me the secrets of His architecture and design and His tender, sweet words of love for me …
then there’s the quiet, calming falling of snow on the frozen earth, mesmerizing me into a cocoon of peace and rest … hibernating in His affections, snuggling into His tenderness, keeping warm together in the passions of His love …
the slow, sure rising of the sun … His invitation to me to walk with Him another day … a tender Lover promising me His companionship and friendship, extending His hands to me as He promises His surety and constancy …
the eager freshness of spring … bubbly laughter of melting creeks, a sleepy earth stretching and awakening to a new season … hints of warm whispers on the breeze, murmurs of new life on the move … melting snow turning from drips to torrential rivers, washing out the old and ushering in the new … rumors whispered through the treetops of fresh beginnings and new seasons… opportunity to live again and learn lessons of growth, entering new stages of understanding and revelation … a watering and nourishing of the soul for the works He is equipping me to do …
the heat and intensity of summer … vibrant colors … what once was dead is now alive, thriving in the nourishment of the dirt, once frozen as earthen stone … a season of discipline and growth under the intense and watchful eye of the sun … a season of hard work before the rest of winter and the peaceful slumber it brings …
and a new cycle begins … similar to ones before but waiting to tell its own story. each season bringing new tales waiting to be told, of doubt and faithfulness, pain and ecstasy, death and life. one life dying so another, better one may take its place.
nature. the truth of God’s character as told through the most unsuspecting storytellers -- flowers and leaves, dirt and rocks, waterfalls and creeks, mountains and mole hills, shooting stars and lightning, rain and snow, sun and moon and you and me.
i can’t help my affections for nature …
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
so ... we just found out where we'll be going for stateside outreach. we leave september 14 for a week in chicago and then we'll head to washington d.c. for a week! we're all very excited to see the capitol (some for the first time) and i'm really excited to be in the midwest for a while again. i've missed it. texas is nice, but it's not the northland! :) after our two weeks in the states we'll head to our various foreign outreach destinations on october 5. after a month overseas we return to texas for debriefing week and then head home! i should be back in minnesota november 14. good times. until then, lakeville can await the return of the caribou coffee fiend.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
silence
sometimes it’s a good thing, signifying contentment. other times it forewarns of a storm brewing. as people grow in various relationships they learn to decipher the different kinds of silence and how to respond.
but how do i react when it seems God has stopped talking? when His silence is deafening? i’ve slowly begun to realize that it’s possible to be at that place where His silence is no longer threatening but a sign of true intimacy. it’s been said that a sign of true friendship is when silence between two people ceases to be awkward. how much truer should this be in my relationship with God? when it seems like He's not speaking to me do i panic, questioning my salvation, fearing that just maybe He doesn't love me as much as He used to? oh, to be in a place where i can be so confident in my standing with Him that I can rest in Him, even when He's quiet. there’s a place of learning that this silence isn't always a bad thing but a different dimension of relationship. when silence is scary it proves lack of faith. doubt and fear begin to be the roadside signs where there is shallow understanding of real love.
in retrospect i'm grateful for those seasons of silence I’ve walked through. the lessons learned have been so valuable. but if i'm completely honest with myself they were scary times. i wondered if i was "spiritual" enough to hear from Him. i doubted His love for me. i questioned His faithfulness. i challenged His character.
and i don't want to wonder ever again. this life was never meant to be wandered through but walked with faith and confidence. we know that our salvation was God's initiative towards us out of His deep and agonizing passion for us, an affection that never fades with time or circumstance. such a mystery. such a beauty.
should i not trust His intimate affections? should i not press in even harder through the silence? even when married couples have seasons of quiet and sparks get doused momentarily, their love remains constant. silence does not alter a state of existence. similarly, God’s character and intentions for me are constant and pure, even when He’s quiet in His love. sometimes His silence is the best expression of His tenderness.
but how do i react when it seems God has stopped talking? when His silence is deafening? i’ve slowly begun to realize that it’s possible to be at that place where His silence is no longer threatening but a sign of true intimacy. it’s been said that a sign of true friendship is when silence between two people ceases to be awkward. how much truer should this be in my relationship with God? when it seems like He's not speaking to me do i panic, questioning my salvation, fearing that just maybe He doesn't love me as much as He used to? oh, to be in a place where i can be so confident in my standing with Him that I can rest in Him, even when He's quiet. there’s a place of learning that this silence isn't always a bad thing but a different dimension of relationship. when silence is scary it proves lack of faith. doubt and fear begin to be the roadside signs where there is shallow understanding of real love.
in retrospect i'm grateful for those seasons of silence I’ve walked through. the lessons learned have been so valuable. but if i'm completely honest with myself they were scary times. i wondered if i was "spiritual" enough to hear from Him. i doubted His love for me. i questioned His faithfulness. i challenged His character.
and i don't want to wonder ever again. this life was never meant to be wandered through but walked with faith and confidence. we know that our salvation was God's initiative towards us out of His deep and agonizing passion for us, an affection that never fades with time or circumstance. such a mystery. such a beauty.
should i not trust His intimate affections? should i not press in even harder through the silence? even when married couples have seasons of quiet and sparks get doused momentarily, their love remains constant. silence does not alter a state of existence. similarly, God’s character and intentions for me are constant and pure, even when He’s quiet in His love. sometimes His silence is the best expression of His tenderness.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Saturday, July 01, 2006
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