May 22, 2008 at 6:28 pm
· Filed under Faith
While writing with a favorite pen, my hand was suddenly awash with ink. It happened months ago. I no longer remember what I started to write, just that I couldn’t finish stained by ink. Then today at a prayer meeting, I caught a picture of the blood and water flowing from the side of Christ, the Author and Perfecter of Faith.
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. New American Standard Bible
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January 5, 2008 at 3:20 am
· Filed under Archetype, Christianity, Communication, Faith, Hope, Love
I am at a loss for words when I think of Christ. He is beyond description. The kingdoms of this world do not compare to His Kingdom. Visible to those who walk in faith, it must be imagined to see. He is King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Suffering Servant. His Love is infinite. A thousand thousand wineskins cannot contain it. His Grace unmerited, He died for sinners; He died for me. His Peace, a mystery, “passeth understanding.” Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, He is Immanuel here and now. Laid before the foundation of the world, He is the Chief Cornerstone, Head of the Church. Fragrant as lily of the valleys, He is the rose of Sharon and True Vine. Lamb of God, Our Passover, the Bread of Life, in Him is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I am speechless in His Presence. Broken but not crushed, I see the dazzling Resurrected Savior. The Beloved will mend. He promised. He is the Word.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. New American Standard Bible
John 1:1 IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. Amplified Bible
John 1-2 The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one. The Message
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December 5, 2007 at 4:40 am
· Filed under Faith, Hope, Love, Matters of the Heart
The beauty of life is that no two lives, regardless of how entwined they become, are the same. ”God, not your marital status,” according to The Message, “defines life.” Doing life with Him has expanded the definition of mine. His Name is Love. He has been changing my name to His since the day we met.
Ephesians 5:1 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. The Message
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October 31, 2007 at 5:21 am
· Filed under Christianity, Faith, Hope, Love, Marriage, Matters of the Heart, Motherhood
They say when a memory is retold, it changes. Between the rust and diamonds of life, I found a pearl: the power of love that produces the memory does not change.
From 2006:
This post, like me, is a work-in-progress. Over the past few days, I have been exposed to the “rust and diamonds” of life, to quote a once popular folksinger. Isaac made another glistening handprint, this time on the window of my soul.
Proverbs 31:28 Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied), and her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying] 29 Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all. Amplified Bible
Throughout this chapter of Proverbs, the “virtuous woman” is defined by her character and capabilities. Her children call her ”blessed”; her husband calls her daughter of virtue. The footnote in the Amplified Bible explains that she has done more than Miriam, ”who led a nation of women to praise God,” more than Deborah, the judge, or Ruth, “the woman of constancy,” more than Hannah, the ideal mother, and the hospitable Shunammite woman, or Huldah, “the woman who revealed God’s secret message to national leaders,” and “even more than Queen Esther who risked sacrificing her life for her people.”
First and foremost, the virtuous wife and mother is a daughter of God, and His daughter is a virtuous wife and mother.
Proverbs 31:11 The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of [honest] gain or need of [dishonest] spoil. 12 She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her. Amplified Bible
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October 28, 2007 at 11:06 pm
· Filed under Christianity, Communication, Faith, Hope, Love, Marriage, Matters of the Heart, Relationships
“Someone tells me a story of a bishop who lost his wife and child in a tragic accident. And he said to his people, “I have been all the way to the bottom. And it is solid.”
“Does a marriage end with the death of one of the partners? In a way, yes. I made my promises to Hugh ’till death us do part,’ and that has happened. But the marriage contract is not the love that builds up over many years, and which never ends, as the circle of our wedding bands never ends. Hugh will always be part of me wherever I go, and that is good because, despite our faults and flaws and failures, what we gave each other was good. I am who I am because of our years together, freed by his acceptance and love of me . . . .”
“Hugh” is an apt name. It sounds like “hue,” pure color without tint or shade, the color of love. For Madeleine L’Engle, married 40 years, her husband’s acceptance and love exemplified Christ’s.
To my Hugh, I am who I am freed because of your freedom in Christ.
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October 27, 2007 at 7:19 pm
· Filed under Christianity, Faith, Hope, Love
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October 21, 2007 at 2:32 am
· Filed under Faith, Hope, Love
Riding through the countryside, I noticed a sign in front of a church: “Fear - Darkroom Where Negatives Develop.” I was also listening to a call-in talk show on the only radio station that didn’t crackle. Someone was sharing stories of Mother Theresa’s ministry to the dying. She urged a woman on the verge of death to forgive her son. The woman refused. Mother Theresa persisted until in her final breaths, the woman forgave and let go. On the brink of death when faith is gone, hope too, love remains. Love never ends.
I Corinthians 13:8 Love never dies. The Message
I Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails. New American Standard Version
I Corinthians 13:8 Charity never faileth. King James Version
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October 18, 2007 at 3:34 am
· Filed under Christianity, Faith, Hope, Love
Psalm 89:1 …Your love, God, is my song, and I’ll sing it! I’m forever telling everyone how faithful you are. I’ll never quit telling the story of your love— how you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it. Your love has always been our lives’ foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world… The Message
I once saw a house that I could live in, a house with a cathedral ceiling, great windows overlooking sand and sea, and a cozy fireplace. It proved impermanent, nothing like God’s palatial palace of faith, hope, and love.
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October 12, 2007 at 3:22 am
· Filed under Christianity, Faith, Hope, Love, Relationships
I arrived at the house veiled in darkness, curtains drawn, the porchlight burned out. Ironically I had just heard a teaching on people groups awaiting the Light of Christ. A friend once cautioned that giving power to others can lead to unlit paths. And so it does. The only reliable Light is that of Christ. His Light and Love go hand in hand. I’m so glad He took mine tonight.
I Corinthians 13:12 We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! The Message
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October 2, 2007 at 2:54 am
· Filed under Christianity, Faith, Hope, Love
Matthew 5:1-2 When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said: 3“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
6“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
10“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11-12“Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
The Message
I am at my rope’s end, hanging onto Christ.
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