Once Upon a Time....

This art work shows what the books are about visually.

Is there something you like to daydream? Is there someone you wish you could be? Have you ever tried to write a story or poem or song, or make some other form of art, and put yourself entirely into it? If you look at an artist's body of work you can pick out their voice and the things that inspire them. You can find out the themes they have learned and watch them grow up/different piece after piece.

It's like a story that I have been working at for all my life. It's a story about royalty and peasantry, betrayal, glory, pain, hope, fear, love, and brokenness. And it is frustratingly unfinished... ugg. I've found out over the years that this story is me more than anything. Where am I going with this....

Two Things
1---Your stories, poem, music, art, dramas, daydreams are directly from your heart, take care of them, protect them and ask God about them. Your heart is your well-spring of life and it is the thing that the world will crush the fastest. Do you ever ask God, "what is your plan/will for me" do you wonder like most of us, "what am I supposed to do with my life?" Psalm 139: 13-14 says

“For YOU created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful I know that full well.” 

 Those dreams and thoughts, artistic, mathematical, analytical, awesome tendencies are something God put in you for the beginning. It's good to know who you are.

2---Also maybe a way for you to know God is to know yourself and what he gave you. Like an artist's body of work shows who they are knowing God's art work (you) will help you know Him. Look at His creation, the WOW! factor is there. 

You were created, God can give you more, God is bigger, your heart is important, when God saves and reconciles (cause to co-exist in harmony) us to himself, he does it completely. (Colossians 1:15-20- 15 (ESV))

 What do you think?

Daddy's Arms

Today is a sick day, it is supremely annoying but I suppose I'll survive. (cough cough COUGHCOUGH COUGH... coff). While looking on my facebook feed I saw this movie about surprise reunions between the people fighting in Iraq and their family's. Some jump, some laugh, some bawl, some run, some walk in disbelief. all we're welcomed in to a loving embrace.
 When you watch this, think about your heavenly daddy. No matter how you come to him, there is a loving embrace, doesn't matter what your doing before, or what your wearing. All that God wants is for us to turn to Him. He loves, loves, loves you.

 Solider Surprise Reunions

p.s. Here is a great song to go along with the theme.

All I Need is You

With every cloud there is a sliver lining.

     Today while walking the dog... usually not a fan but since the family is away it falls to me to perform this duty... I was thinking on what I think God is doing in my life, about trusting him, and all that fun stuff :P But then I saw the sun set.... Glory rays and all. It was beautiful as the sun shone through the clouds lining them with light and beams of silky gold.

     Hmm, an idea came to me, those clouds framed and showed off the sun so perfectly. But only if the clouds were broken apart. You can't see the sun on a thick cloudy day and it is hard and dangerous to stare at the sun without covering some of it. (I got 8 at the sun stare! haha). With the cloud covering it partially, you can see the sun and what it can do.

    And now the meaning I got from it. Looking right at God is dangerous and pretty much impossible so you need a covering. As Christians was are called to be like Jesus and point to the Father. We are the clouds! A chosen people to show what God is like. However, how can people know what God is like if we don't open up, if we obstruct God with our own bullheadedness or fears of imperfections, our pride?  What people need to see is not seeming perfection but rather the chinks in our armor, our places of failure and vulnerability and how God is making them beautiful. It's a place of freedom and nakedness before those who love you and those who don't. But like the clouds frame the sun in broken beauty our lives display God's beauty when we are broken.
    I hope this makes sense. Here is a visual :D

In the Caribbean while at YWAM 2009.

Relent

There is this song that I've been listening to for some time. Do you ever get to that place where you feel numb but you know you can't stay there? Like in the midst of the haze you know it should be better but you just don't know how to get free.  The song lyrics are:

You won't relent
Until You have it all
My heart is Yours

I'll set You as a seal upon my heart
As a seal upon my arm
For there is love that is as strong as death
Jealousy demanding as the grave
And many waters cannot quench this love

Come be the fire inside of me
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me
Until You and I are one

 

I don't want to talk about you like your not in the room

want to look right at you

want to sing right to you.

Looking at the thesaurus you get a bigger understanding of the word Relent.

Main Entry:	relent
Part of Speech:	verb
Definition:	die down; let up
Synonyms:	acquiesce, be merciful, capitulate, cave in, change one's mind, come around, comply, cool it, cry uncle, die away, drop, ease, ease off, ease up on, ebb, fall, fold, forbear, give in, give quarter, give some slack, give up, give way, go along with, go easy on, have mercy, have pity, lay back, let go, let it happen, lighten up, mellow out, melt, moderate, quit, relax, say uncle, show mercy, slacken, slow, soften, subside, wane, weaken, yield
Antonyms:	build, increase, rise

So God will not ease up, comply, capitulate, be merciful (?), until our hearts are His. Scary and comforting, He will not leave me in the haze, he won't give quarter until I am all he created me for.
 Here is the song link for you.
You Won't Relent

Continuation

This is the beginning, but also a continuation of the reminder that if i'm not living a life to be followed (even as a blog) then what in the world am I doing? haha. So let's start with a bang, an explosion of refulgence! I hope your day is awesome.

Fireworks from camp... back in the day :D