Home Again (an original poem)

The day breaks with a clap of thunder and a peel of lightning

the chirping of birds goes silent in the ominous darkness.

Sunshine breaks through these thunderheads of autumn

cascading rays shine, warming the cool damp earth.

A flood of emotion overwhelms me to my knees

bringing Your Spirit back home after so long a time away.

The wisdom of another world gets cataloged in the vault of my mind

making my heart shed long awaited tears of joy.

Within this new awakening, Your Presence finally reaches my soul.

I stand shivering, elated from the warmth of Your touch.

Gently Your warm affirmations soothe my spirit, helping me
trudge through the memories of my life's most dreariest of events.

All of my triumphs and hardships are brought to Your doorstep

You see into my dark heart and cast aside the longing.

Welcoming and lovingly You open my heart to my mind

letting them commune with one another after so long a time apart.

At peace and in the folds of infinite oneness

Your promised gift to me I will cherish in my heart of hearts.

With love and affection I now walk among the many

sharing what I have been given to all who have yet to become.

Jonathan David Helser: fly

Trust, surrender and healing go hand in hand (in hand?). The more I trust, the more I surrender, the more I surrender the more I am healed by God. My heart longs to be fully free and fully alive. But, "the sad reality of our fallen condition is that we would rather live the way we are familiar and comfortable with, even if it means living in bondage, rather than embrace the new and unfamiliar way that Jesus has for us" (for more on this go here: living free). Now stepping off the edge, letting go and leaving it all behind will look differently for each of us. But, I believe at core of this cutting loose is the revelation that the plans that Father God has for us are far better than any plans we could ever have for ourselves. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"  (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

Straight Gate Church Choir: Breathe

What gives you life? There are two instances in the bible where God breathes. First, in Genesis 2:7 the Father breathes into Adam the breathe of life. Secondly, in John 20:22 Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit onto His disciples. What this says to me is that God is the Creator and Giver of life, both physical and spiritual, old and new. The bible also says that when a person comes to faith in Jesus, God pours His love into them by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5), who comes to dwell within that person (1 Corinthians 6:19) and that person becomes a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). In that instant a miracle happens. I believe from that day forward as a person embraces more and more living, moving and having their being within God (Acts 17:28), Holy Spirit continually breathes new life into that person each and everyday. So, maybe the better question is: "When's the last time you felt God breathe in or on you?"

Imogen Heap: Wait It Out

This song draws me in because it speaks about the "wretched hollowness" of living a meaningless life. Pesonally, I know what that's all about becuase I've spent most of my life chasing after the things of this world at a thousand miles per hour trying to get some sort of lasting fulfillment. Trust me I've tried to shoved all sorts of things into this hole in my soul (drugs, women, drinking, money, clothes, tattoos, piercings, etc.) but nothing been able to quenched this hunger and thirst: save God. There were so many nights that I would ask myself: "Where do we go from here? How do we carry on? I can't get beyond these questions..."

Most of my life I've spent searching not only for satisfaction, but also meaning. Today, what I've discovered is that God not only gives my life meaning, but also satisfaction. Meaning and satisfaction are intricately intertwined: when I find one I will find the other. The sadness of my life lay in the fact that I regret "just sitting there waiting and sweating it out." Rather than really seeking after truth and life. What is it that gives your life meaning? Are you actively going after living a life of meaning or are you just coasting on by living in the melancholy of lackluster?

God wants to illuminate your life where you shine like the stars in the night sky. God has this wonderful plan for your life, which includes making a mark in this world not only for yourself, but for Him as well. He wants to give meaning to your life and to bring healing to your pain. So, don't "just sit there, just waiting it out." Don't "sit there in the cold, just sweating it out as you wait it out." Go after living a life of meaning that's filled with deep satisfaction because there really is only "the one life that we've got." Ask God right now to enter your life and begin showing you the amazing plans He has for you.

schism

This video intrigues me because in many ways it shows the transition a believer needs to make in their journey with Jesus. Let me explain, the Scriptures talk about being a new creation in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17) where a person is to take off their old self and its practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed as we learn more about our Creator, becoming more and more like Him (Colossians 3:9, 10). Simply put, when a person gives their life to Jesus, God begins to transform them from the inside out through His Word and Holy Spirit.

But, what I've found out from personal experience is that walking this out is much easier said than done because living as my old self is what I know, it's what I'm comfortable with. So, like in the video, I'm walking around trying to live as my new self, but find myself stumbling about because I'm still trying to live according to my old life and its practices. Maybe this is a bit of a stretch with the video, but what I've come to realize is that living as my new self in Christ demands a persepctive change: It demands a new way of seeing myself, others, and the world.

Unlike in the video, instead of trying to figure it all out and trying to take matters into my own hands, I need to continue to live by faith and trust that God is not done with me yet (Philippians 1:6) and that He will help me to transition into this new life that He has for me in Jesus which for all intensive purpose means I need to become more comfortable with my new self and let my old self fade away. It means embracing the future God has for me and doing all I can in not fighting this transition from old to new.