Monday, May 30, 2005

Time's A'wastin'

It's been awhile since I've been here and it has also been awhile since I have been anywhere. It can be so easy to check out on life and then wonder why it feels like it is starting to cave in. It's kind of like building a defense against the onslaught of the tides, if you stop for too long the wind and waves have crushed the work of your hands. They do say that time is the great leveler and it is so true. Time spent in the wrong direction has an even greater abrasive action and life is the recipient of this breaking down. Of course life breaks down into pieces of death and that is my great ruin. For freedom He set me free, so then how great this bondage can be. Now, the spirit can rise above, but it takes a concerted effort in the right direction. I don't want to get into the semantics of faith and works because I would hope we are all past those elementary things. Relationships take work and relationships being built in the midst of a war zone are acutely susceptible to erosion if they are not attended to regularly. My relationship with my wife is like that. The whole of the world system is tearing at the seams that bind us, all the time trying to tear it apart. More so is my relationship with God. This is true because if that goes the whole house comes down. The reality is that this is being built in the midst of a war unlike the physical realm has ever seen. The other reality is that there are only two directions for time to be spent on this relationship....building or eroding.
Hmmmmm, what is it I was going to do now???

Sunday, May 15, 2005

All Power

You know it is inspiring how an inspired book can just keep on showing you insights and revelations. Of course I am referring to the Bible which is the only fully inspired writing. Today there were two nuggets that struck me in the face the first was during the mid-service prayer when Donna Bromley said that there was a connection between the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost,


and the dispersion at the tower of Babel. This connection being in the linguistics of the matter. At Babel, God gave out languages which dispersed all the peoples and at Pentecost He gave the languages again to those who knew them not so as to bring about unity. The difference in the situations was that at Pentecost the people were united in surrender before God. I thought that was a cool insight.
The other insight came while we were going into prayer, joining with Christians all around the globe for a feast of prayer. The prayer time was intro'd by Wes Campbell giving a message on prayer and what it is acomplishing around the globe. During this time he mentioned the exclamations of the saints in heaven in Revelations.
11And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
Part of that exclamation I have never understood was about the power. It seemed to me that God already had all the power. Of course this is true, but He is not the power mad egocentric He is often made out to be, is He? No, He isn't. I realised in that moment of prayer that what this means is the giving up of the power that God has given each of us back to Him from whom it originates. As a dad I am given power to rule my household. If I use it with my severely limited abilities, understanding and wits it all goes to hell pretty quick. If, on the other hand, I join with these saints and say to Christ "All power to you Lord", thereby handing the reigns back to Him, then His will quickly ensues and peace reigns. Even countries are given power and obviously don't know what to do with it. If they would join in this prayer daily, and give all power to the Lord on high, peace would ensue. Indeed in the Bible it says that there will be a day when the leaders of this world will say that and Christ shall reign, but oh for a piece of that today. Can you imagine if in true contriteness of heart and spirit our leaders arose in Parliment tomorrow and proclaimed this rather than their party platforms and politics!!! Let us pray for this great day of surrender. Let us pray for a piece of the bread of heaven for today in this country. Let us also in our own lives give the power to Him; let us join in the will of heaven while we yet travail upon this earth.

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Introducing....The Silken Sulleness

Hey, is this a family picture or the lastest earth grunge band posing for their new album cover?

I love those guys!

Happy Mother's Day Sweetie!!!

On this morning we remember this wonderful lady, my wife. She is the kind of mother who inspired this day with her commitment to her family and life of blessing to her husband. For all the
- weekend pancake breakfasts
- awesome birthday parties
- late night bad dream snuggles
- quiet watching and adoring
- dreaming and hoping
- harder work than we will ever know
- playtime laughter
- alphabet teaching
- song singing
- bathtime splashing
- family value modeling
- hugs, kisses, and loves
- more than I have room for here!!
The bible says that a wife like this is a crown on her husband's head and her children will rise up with her husband and call her blessed. So today we all rise up and say,


You are the GREATEST!!!

Saturday, May 07, 2005

O To Let Go

It is a wonder some days that the blood even flows through my body. This is not due to my love for Burger King, although that will definitely slow the flow. It is due to the way I can get wired so tight about life. The constriction is intolerable most times and yet as I search for where the knots started I cannot seem to locate the beginning of it all. It does have a start somewhere as all things other than God do, but in this instance it is only God who can find it. Why is it that in the economy of the kingdom to surrender and admit defeat is the height of victory for us? I ask why because this is the single most difficult thing for a human being to do. Of course we all know, or have seen, or have been the one who has just caved in and let life happen to them, but this is not surrender, this is a continuation of the fight on a different level. Surrender happens when we lay down all earthly effort and subject ourselves under God. We sit down and listen to Him explain where the knots begin. We use His tools to start pulling the strings, ropes and wires away from each other. We hand over the urge to scream and rage against the confinement and receive the patience to work it out. We know we want to be free, we know we are supposed to be free, but the patience and forbearance eludes us. This is the gift.


Of course all of this does not happen in a bubble, it happens as life is bearing down on you with all its fury,

it happens in real-time.
So, are we up for a chat with the Prince of Peace, or will we rail against it all until the fury has its way?

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

OK, So I'm Prejudiced...So What!!

OK. This tops the list of greatest all time album covers for me. There is such a seductive melancholy about it and yet it tingles with childlike hope. WOW! Good on the boys from the Choir.