"The true soldier soldier fights not because he hates what is before him, but because he loves what is behind him." G.K Chesterton
War is a certain reality & takes several appearances. It is both personal & global, private & corporate. It invades countries, neighborhoods, schools, our hearts & thoughts. It is war in which soldiers lay down their lives for their country & it is also war that lives in the quietness of a home which no one ever sees. Currently, in my life, war has looked like anxiety which has placed a sort of havoc on my mind. It comes out of nowhere, looks to hold me captive & take aware the things dear to me. But, after two anxiety attacks, a few weeks of reflection & a few rounds to the counselor, the unease of anxiety is leaving some understanding in it's wake.
The Lord is not afraid of war or a fight, especially when He gets to fight for us (Exodus 14:14). He not only calls us to be soldiers (2 Timothy 2:3) but encourages us as warriors (Judges 6:12). I have stopped asking myself whether or not war is real or necessary, I believe it is both real & necessary while I am in the world. The question has taken different forms.
What truth is this war trying to reveal?
Am I willing to fight?
What in my life is sitting just beneath my understanding that war beckons me to look at?
What am I scared to death to examine or accept as true? Accept as false?
C.S. Lewis, who served in the British army during WWII, wrote, "The war creates no absolutely new situation; it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so we can no longer ignore it."
The posture of my spirit, be it passive or certain, motivated in anger or love, matters more than I have previously considered. What I have noticed is the little progress I have made in fighting battles while I only fight against the Enemy. While most of my victories exist in the moments I fight for something, not simply against. We all are inspired by the stories of the hero that dies for the love of his life, for his country or for his faith. Why do these selfless heroes & their stories over shadow the story of the one who fights in anger? Why do we cheer along the superhero protecting an innocent person rather than root for the villain whose intent is to destroy? The answer is sitting before us. The one who fights out of love is better equipped for battle & there is something about their fight that registers with our very being. Without having to try, we want the righteous soldier to prevail, it's a story etched in our bones & embedded in our DNA. The posture of our heart matters eternally as we walk into war.
I believe I am made to fight &, if I am being honest, I do it everyday. Somedays the fight is noble, others not so much. But the war in my life is real. The villains are real. The Savior who fights for me & alongside me is real. As soon as I accepted this my life changed. I see it now as clear as I have seen anything & each day I see it clearer still as the Enemy looks to seize my life, my marriage, family, friends & anything I hold dear. But there is so much that I love which motivates me & infinitely more that Jesus loves. When Jesus went to war with Death, His greatest motivation was His love for us.
So the question is not whether or not war is real but am I willing to fight? If I am not, prehaps I should. For if I choose the life of a pacifist, my enemy will not. If I choose to fight in hate, the one who fights in love will overcome me, just as it should be.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Friday, October 31, 2014
Teeth Fall Out
God gave us teeth on purpose, you know?
running around town with empty, eager pales
we were young monsters then & we would scream & shout
and we would eat candy until our teeth fell out.
God gave us teeth again; big, shinny & new
all so we could eat cake, laugh & smile.
we would scream, shout & keep them sparkly white
and we would brush our teeth every day & night.
Once more our teeth disappeared but with none to spare
so we stayed at home & filled the eager, empty pales
and with our gummy smiles we would scream & shout
that we still love each other even though our teeth fell out!
running around town with empty, eager pales
we were young monsters then & we would scream & shout
and we would eat candy until our teeth fell out.
God gave us teeth again; big, shinny & new
all so we could eat cake, laugh & smile.
we would scream, shout & keep them sparkly white
and we would brush our teeth every day & night.
Once more our teeth disappeared but with none to spare
so we stayed at home & filled the eager, empty pales
and with our gummy smiles we would scream & shout
that we still love each other even though our teeth fell out!
Monday, September 22, 2014
The Hero's Door
His father was early as he walked through the door.
The son ran into his open arms as tears would collide with the floor.
Together they untied his boots; the ones that were tired, dusty & tore.
And the son held tight to his father's leg as he wept, "Please don't go anymore."
His father smiled gently as he picked up his boy & whispered to him
Softly, "Being home with you is my greatest joy."
He watched his father kiss his mother & with his thumb wipe away her tear.
Then they sat to eat together as they hadn't done in a year.
It was late when his father lay him down to sleep & the son asked, "Daddy, will you stay with me?"
His father tucked in the covers of his superhero bed & whispered, "I will always be with you & you will always be free."
The boy woke early the next day, before the sun had rose. He went to try on
His father's boots while thinking, "One day I will fit into those."
It was not long until the father needed to leave once more. So the son woke early
To clean his father's boots & to watch him walk out the hero's door.
His father sent letters & stories back to their small, suburban home,
"I am always with you, so you will never be alone."
Soon there came a knock & two serious men that stood outside. The son peaked around the dress
Of his mother while they spoke & all three of them cried.
The son grew into a man like David & always kept his father's letter.
For when he read the words, "You will never be alone." He would always feel better.
The son now had a wife & daughter of his very own & with every passing night
He would whisper to them both, "I am always with you. You will never be alone"
The day came with haste as he went to board the plane walking through an isle of salutes.
But he was caught by his daughter who said through her tears, "You have a smudge on your boots."
With her tears she cleaned them & sniffled, "Daddy, you are my best friend. Will you come home to mommy & me?"
He smiled gently at his daughter & said, "There is no greater friend than the one that leaves you free."
The son ran into his open arms as tears would collide with the floor.
Together they untied his boots; the ones that were tired, dusty & tore.
And the son held tight to his father's leg as he wept, "Please don't go anymore."
His father smiled gently as he picked up his boy & whispered to him
Softly, "Being home with you is my greatest joy."
He watched his father kiss his mother & with his thumb wipe away her tear.
Then they sat to eat together as they hadn't done in a year.
It was late when his father lay him down to sleep & the son asked, "Daddy, will you stay with me?"
His father tucked in the covers of his superhero bed & whispered, "I will always be with you & you will always be free."
The boy woke early the next day, before the sun had rose. He went to try on
His father's boots while thinking, "One day I will fit into those."
It was not long until the father needed to leave once more. So the son woke early
To clean his father's boots & to watch him walk out the hero's door.
His father sent letters & stories back to their small, suburban home,
"I am always with you, so you will never be alone."
Soon there came a knock & two serious men that stood outside. The son peaked around the dress
Of his mother while they spoke & all three of them cried.The son grew into a man like David & always kept his father's letter.
For when he read the words, "You will never be alone." He would always feel better.
The son now had a wife & daughter of his very own & with every passing night
He would whisper to them both, "I am always with you. You will never be alone"
The day came with haste as he went to board the plane walking through an isle of salutes.
But he was caught by his daughter who said through her tears, "You have a smudge on your boots."
With her tears she cleaned them & sniffled, "Daddy, you are my best friend. Will you come home to mommy & me?"
He smiled gently at his daughter & said, "There is no greater friend than the one that leaves you free."
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Fuel for Strength
Today I am writing because I feel incredibly weak but not without hope. In fact, I found that I was far more encouraged by my weakness than I have been for sometime. I will explain.
When I was a kid I thought I might like scary movies since all my friends did. Spoiler alert, I found I hated scary movies. I still do. They can so easily launch me into a state that leaves me floating in the awful emotions of worry & anxiety. Many times I would voluntarily sit with friends in a movie night that was filled with girly screams, from me & my buddies, & paranoid drives home thinking at any minute there could be an attack from that scary person/monster/alien/etc. The average horror movie offers up a cheap thrill which invites in a collection of thoughts & evil that never should never belong to any human. My tangent is nearly done.
There was a season, no more than half way into elementary school, when my dad purchased cable TV & there was a particular night I remember watching a terrible horror movie, one not even worth mentioning. The protagonists were strong & intelligent yet they could never overcome the antagonist. The villain prevailed & it seemed so contradictory to my very nature that it left me in a state of near catatonia. I was petrified. I thought that I was strong & intelligent but realized that I may be overdone by another more fierce & clever creature. So as my dad was tucking me into bed that night I made him promise he would see me in the morning because I was left so full of doubt & so sure of an impending attack. Ultimately that promise was not enough & I had to sleep in his bed for the next handful of nights. The only comfort was the refuge of my dad's bed. This step into horror movies made me so terribly aware of how weak I was & had no awareness of how to be strong. I had no idea who to call on to defeat the demons that were attacking my mind.
This is one of the million ways that weakness has found me. So often the face of weakness looks different; it looks like a hurt or betrayal from someone we trust, it looks like the loss of something or someone we love, it looks like anything that leaves us mindful that we are inadequate to fight on our own. Everyone, if they desire truth, will one day see that they are immeasurably weak on their own. This, ironically, is where everything gets better. As we sit in the lowly place of our weakness, thanks to the Spirit, fully aware that we cannot overcome the obstacle behind, before or within us, we find that our weakness will be the greatest fuel for our strength. In our weakness the power of Jesus is made perfect.
When we find our feeble bodies & minds siting right before us, our first impulse is often to desire strength & to find it within ourselves. The stronger I perceive myself to be the more I become an island. The further I push out to sea the worse off I am. Perceived strength is a driving force into isolation. This is a constant through our world. Have you every heard someone say, "I don't needs help here" or "I can do it on my own" & did it leave them in good company? There may be a time when what is they desire can be achieved but not forever & not without the cost of loneliness. Does an individual's strength push us into relationship or away?
The beautiful awareness of our weakness pushes us into relationship with Jesus when properly guided. Awareness of weakness in the world leaves us in addictions of various sorts. When we are weak & face it truly head on & ask Jesus into our lives, His spirit comes to live in us & His spirit is one of power. That is exactly what we are after & that is exactly what Jesus gives us.
So as we pray, may we ask for eyes to see the voids of weakness in our lives that Jesus can fill with His power. Our weakness is the fuel for His strength. On my own I hardly have strength to walk through my average day of blessing. With Christ I have in me a power that has overcome demons & death. There is nothing to fear, nor need to feel weak, when calling on the name of Jesus & sitting in His embrace. This is good news.
My prayer is to learn to rejoice in my weakness as Paul did,
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness,' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
When I was a kid I thought I might like scary movies since all my friends did. Spoiler alert, I found I hated scary movies. I still do. They can so easily launch me into a state that leaves me floating in the awful emotions of worry & anxiety. Many times I would voluntarily sit with friends in a movie night that was filled with girly screams, from me & my buddies, & paranoid drives home thinking at any minute there could be an attack from that scary person/monster/alien/etc. The average horror movie offers up a cheap thrill which invites in a collection of thoughts & evil that never should never belong to any human. My tangent is nearly done.
There was a season, no more than half way into elementary school, when my dad purchased cable TV & there was a particular night I remember watching a terrible horror movie, one not even worth mentioning. The protagonists were strong & intelligent yet they could never overcome the antagonist. The villain prevailed & it seemed so contradictory to my very nature that it left me in a state of near catatonia. I was petrified. I thought that I was strong & intelligent but realized that I may be overdone by another more fierce & clever creature. So as my dad was tucking me into bed that night I made him promise he would see me in the morning because I was left so full of doubt & so sure of an impending attack. Ultimately that promise was not enough & I had to sleep in his bed for the next handful of nights. The only comfort was the refuge of my dad's bed. This step into horror movies made me so terribly aware of how weak I was & had no awareness of how to be strong. I had no idea who to call on to defeat the demons that were attacking my mind.
This is one of the million ways that weakness has found me. So often the face of weakness looks different; it looks like a hurt or betrayal from someone we trust, it looks like the loss of something or someone we love, it looks like anything that leaves us mindful that we are inadequate to fight on our own. Everyone, if they desire truth, will one day see that they are immeasurably weak on their own. This, ironically, is where everything gets better. As we sit in the lowly place of our weakness, thanks to the Spirit, fully aware that we cannot overcome the obstacle behind, before or within us, we find that our weakness will be the greatest fuel for our strength. In our weakness the power of Jesus is made perfect.
When we find our feeble bodies & minds siting right before us, our first impulse is often to desire strength & to find it within ourselves. The stronger I perceive myself to be the more I become an island. The further I push out to sea the worse off I am. Perceived strength is a driving force into isolation. This is a constant through our world. Have you every heard someone say, "I don't needs help here" or "I can do it on my own" & did it leave them in good company? There may be a time when what is they desire can be achieved but not forever & not without the cost of loneliness. Does an individual's strength push us into relationship or away?
The beautiful awareness of our weakness pushes us into relationship with Jesus when properly guided. Awareness of weakness in the world leaves us in addictions of various sorts. When we are weak & face it truly head on & ask Jesus into our lives, His spirit comes to live in us & His spirit is one of power. That is exactly what we are after & that is exactly what Jesus gives us.
So as we pray, may we ask for eyes to see the voids of weakness in our lives that Jesus can fill with His power. Our weakness is the fuel for His strength. On my own I hardly have strength to walk through my average day of blessing. With Christ I have in me a power that has overcome demons & death. There is nothing to fear, nor need to feel weak, when calling on the name of Jesus & sitting in His embrace. This is good news.
My prayer is to learn to rejoice in my weakness as Paul did,
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness,' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Thursday, May 22, 2014
The Race Before Us
The ceremony was beautiful. After it's close I walked out while it was still early in the day with the sun high & illuminating Pikes Peak & a barely visible trail up the side of the mountain know as the 'Incline'. It had been over a year since I had gone to climb the Incline but something about it today left me yearning for the challenge it offered. I had a set of gym cloths with me & little else. So after a brief lunch with my good friends I set off westward to encounter a challenge & spend some time with God.
The Incline has become famous in southern Colorado for it uniqueness. It is a trail aimed perfectly linearly of the side of Pikes Peak's base. The trail begins at over 9,000 feet in elevation & less than one mile later it spits you out at over 11,000 feet. The air is thin here, the steps to the top number in the thousands, the grade of the trail exceeds %60 in many spots & I am like a chubby kid in a skinny body. I undertook this challenge with the understanding I am in poor shape for it.
Regardless, I set out. I started at a steady pace, one where I could talk quietly to God as I walked, one that would not set any land speed records. Soon I felt the pains of lactate building in my legs & the burn of Colorado altitude on my lungs. I wanted to take a break soon after I had started &, normally, I would.
But my small conversation with God quickly turned into Him challenging me. In whispers that only my soul can hear He would speak.
"God, my lungs hurt."
"You can't stop"
I would set my eyes on the next goal & slowly press on.
"Lord, feel like I shouldn't have done this. Are you sure I can make it without stopping."
"Yes. You can't stop."
"But God, if you are telling me I can't stop I will need the endurance to make it."
"You can't stop."
It was clear for me in this small adventure that He was asking me to develop my endurance by asking Him, by trusting Him just alittle. My legs continued to burn, as did my lungs but first the first time I never stopped on my way to the top of the Incline. As I resolved to press on despite my physical state I realized what He was asking me to do in the other races of my life; work, relationships, engagement, in serving &, come July, marriage. In these seasons I can't rest unless it is in Him. My endurance must come from Him if I wish to finish the race. When I am married this July there will not come a day when I wake up & say,
"Lord, this marriage hurts too bad. I need to stop."
I know He will surely reply,
"You can't stop."
The beautiful redeemed part of me was overwhelmed with joy for this. I don't want to stop running the race, regardless the pain. This is a bold statement, I know, but the Lord gives freely all the endurance, strength & will that we ask Him for. It is His joy to see us to the end of the race & to give us what we need to persevere. For at the end, He will place on us the Victor's Crown, the crown of eternal life.
In 44 minutes I stepped over the last step & onto the top. I didn't stop the whole way. I felt a closeness to God I hadn't when I stood from the bottom of the trail those few minutes before. I held in the strongroom of my heart a renewed confidence to finish the race set before me.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders & sin that so easily entangles, & let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1)
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12)
Monday, March 10, 2014
Shipwreck
Suppose you or I was marooned on an island. We scoured the island & on the eastern most shore saw the remains of shipwreck. The ship we approached had long been left vacant with the wear of the sea showing on it's hull. In the furthest reach of our gaze we could see western most shore of land, a land we knew would lead us home. After a short time, most of us would set our minds & efforts on repairing this worn vessel. We would search the island for supplies & pray for ways to keep from sinking. Perhaps, there would even come a time when the ship would become sea worthy again, certainly a reason to rejoice. However, soon we would realize the ship was to large to unearth & cast off under our own strength. Not only must the ship be repaired & worthy of sailing but the tide must rise in order to lift the ship from the grips of the earth.
It is not enough to simply repair the holes in a grounded ship but there must also be an accompanying rising of the tide & wind for the sails. The sea must replace the earth beneath the ship or it will never sail. The wind must come to move the ship westward or the waves will press it back to shore. So it is not enough to abstain from sin. Abstaining from sin is only partial obedience & partial obedience leaves us as a lukewarm human. No real love or good exists in the lukewarm & no one desires the halfhearted, especially God.
"So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:16)
If we only desire the removal of sin without it being replaced by grace we launch ourselves into an infinitely unfulfilled & ultimately hopeless existence. If only the sin is removed & not replaced by good, it leaves a person locked in a place of apathy, pride or any variety of other spiritual diseases. The sea of grace can come to tear the vessel from the mire. The tide will rise on us as our faith in Jesus grows.
Faith, then, is not enough. As the ship is repaired & the tide has risen, there is still no wind for the sails. James, the half brother brother of Jesus, writes, "In the same way, faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead." So our good actions done in Christ Jesus will fill our sails & we will set to sea. It is not our works that have see nus to freedom but the work of Christ on the cross. However, when Jesus makes his home in us, works are necessary in order for us to love our neighbor. Jesus himself did not sit idly when He was in the flesh on the earth, but served, healed & loved in unparalleled abundance.
We were not destined to live forever away from home as a ship is not meant to have only the rocks & sand meet with it's hull. We are meant for far more. We are meant to be a vessel prepared for sea & set on returning home.
It is not enough to simply repair the holes in a grounded ship but there must also be an accompanying rising of the tide & wind for the sails. The sea must replace the earth beneath the ship or it will never sail. The wind must come to move the ship westward or the waves will press it back to shore. So it is not enough to abstain from sin. Abstaining from sin is only partial obedience & partial obedience leaves us as a lukewarm human. No real love or good exists in the lukewarm & no one desires the halfhearted, especially God.
"So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:16)
If we only desire the removal of sin without it being replaced by grace we launch ourselves into an infinitely unfulfilled & ultimately hopeless existence. If only the sin is removed & not replaced by good, it leaves a person locked in a place of apathy, pride or any variety of other spiritual diseases. The sea of grace can come to tear the vessel from the mire. The tide will rise on us as our faith in Jesus grows.
Faith, then, is not enough. As the ship is repaired & the tide has risen, there is still no wind for the sails. James, the half brother brother of Jesus, writes, "In the same way, faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead." So our good actions done in Christ Jesus will fill our sails & we will set to sea. It is not our works that have see nus to freedom but the work of Christ on the cross. However, when Jesus makes his home in us, works are necessary in order for us to love our neighbor. Jesus himself did not sit idly when He was in the flesh on the earth, but served, healed & loved in unparalleled abundance.
We were not destined to live forever away from home as a ship is not meant to have only the rocks & sand meet with it's hull. We are meant for far more. We are meant to be a vessel prepared for sea & set on returning home.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
When my soul is thirsty.
These past several years have been the first since kindergarten that I have not been in a formal school setting. I realized how much I enjoyed the structure of a school system after it's season had passed. For me, this transition to full time work & having the crutch of college removed was not as seamless as I had envisioned. In light of this I acquired several hobbies in hopes of keeping myself free from an intellectual crisis. One of these hobbies was photography.
To say that I am a novice photographer would be generous. This I am learning as most of my pictures turn out too blurred, too bright or in the missed opportunities of shooting a smile or burst of laughter from leaving my lens cap on. This art is something, like most worthwhile things, which is difficult at first. Yet ever once in a thousand pictures I capture something that leaves me thankful. Sometimes I take a picture, seemingly by accident, that leaves me in awe. I hardly feel responsible for taking the picture at all. It was as if my soul was thirsty & from the picture it drew water to drink. There are other senses & mediums that do this for me as well; music, art, literature... All leaving me wildly thankful or peaceful or full of praise.
As I have done before I will steal an illustration from C.S. Lewis to help explain what I am getting at. In his autobiography Lewis uses the scent of a flower to illustrate the joy that God offers us. Joy is but the scent of the flower but what our heart really desires is to find the flower itself. While Lewis spent a large portion of his life in pursuit of joy he realized that the joy was really just pointing to God Himself. Frequently I find myself desiring great things; love, freedom, joy, grace & so on. Yet the greatest of all things is to desire Jesus Himself, not just the fruits & gifts He offers me. Lewis was reminded that the joy he possessed from Christ was there draw him closer to Christ. Jesus was the point all along. When we are pointed to God each fruit does it's work.
David understands this thirst for God. He wrote of it in his Psalm 143.
As I catch the sun setting it draws my mind to the One who causes it to set. When my camera is aimed at someone I love it leaves me in awe that He would make such beauty. He is continually quenching my thirst with His truth & beauty. It is all around me. But the truth is that the soul will drink in almost anything. When my soul draws in anything but Jesus it will thirst again. What my soul thirsts for & ultimately what I pour into it will not easily leave & we need help not drinking the poisons of the world. Perhaps this is why Solomon warns, "Above all else, guard our heart for it is the wellspring of life."
As I have done before I will steal an illustration from C.S. Lewis to help explain what I am getting at. In his autobiography Lewis uses the scent of a flower to illustrate the joy that God offers us. Joy is but the scent of the flower but what our heart really desires is to find the flower itself. While Lewis spent a large portion of his life in pursuit of joy he realized that the joy was really just pointing to God Himself. Frequently I find myself desiring great things; love, freedom, joy, grace & so on. Yet the greatest of all things is to desire Jesus Himself, not just the fruits & gifts He offers me. Lewis was reminded that the joy he possessed from Christ was there draw him closer to Christ. Jesus was the point all along. When we are pointed to God each fruit does it's work.
David understands this thirst for God. He wrote of it in his Psalm 143.
"I spread out my hand to you;
my soul thirsts for you like
a parched land." (v.6)
As I catch the sun setting it draws my mind to the One who causes it to set. When my camera is aimed at someone I love it leaves me in awe that He would make such beauty. He is continually quenching my thirst with His truth & beauty. It is all around me. But the truth is that the soul will drink in almost anything. When my soul draws in anything but Jesus it will thirst again. What my soul thirsts for & ultimately what I pour into it will not easily leave & we need help not drinking the poisons of the world. Perhaps this is why Solomon warns, "Above all else, guard our heart for it is the wellspring of life."
"You and I," Lewis wrote, "have need of the strongest spell that can be
found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has
been laid upon us." - See more at:
http://glennpackiam.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/02/on-going-to-church.html#sthash.8YjI2IFK.mOSM22Ah.dpufis is a reason Solomon warns, "Above all else, gaurd your heart for it is the wellspring of life."
"You and I," Lewis wrote, "have need of the strongest spell that can be
found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has
been laid upon us." - See more at:
http://glennpackiam.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/02/on-going-to-church.html#sthash.8YjI2IFK.mOSM22Ah.dpuf
I pray when we thirst we would spread out our hands to Him. I hope we drink of the living water found in Jesus, the water that will leave us never thirsting again. & when we see a picture that stirs us we give Him glory, when we hear a song that moves us we give Him praise, when we fall in love it is because of Christ's love for us.
"You and I," Lewis wrote, "have need of the strongest spell that can be
found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has
been laid upon us." - See more at:
http://glennpackiam.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/02/on-going-to-church.html#sthash.8YjI2IFK.mOSM22Ah.dpuf
"You and I," Lewis wrote, "have need of the strongest spell that can be
found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has
been laid upon us." - See more at:
http://glennpackiam.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/02/on-going-to-church.html#sthash.8YjI2IFK.mOSM22Ah.dpuf
"You
and I," Lewis wrote, "have need of the strongest spell that can be
found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been
laid upon us." - See more at:
http://glennpackiam.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/02/on-going-to-church.html#sthash.8YjI2IFK.mOSM22Ah.dpuf
"You
and I," Lewis wrote, "have need of the strongest spell that can be
found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been
laid upon us." - See more at:
http://glennpackiam.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/02/on-going-to-church.html#sthash.8YjI2IFK.mOSM22Ah.dpuf
"You
and I," Lewis wrote, "have need of the strongest spell that can be
found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been
laid upon us." - See more at:
http://glennpackiam.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/02/on-going-to-church.html#sthash.8YjI2IFK.mOSM22Ah.dpuf
"You
and I," Lewis wrote, "have need of the strongest spell that can be
found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been
laid upon us." - See more at:
http://glennpackiam.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/02/on-going-to-church.html#sthash.8YjI2IFK.mOSM22Ah.dpuf
"You & I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness that has been laid upon us." -C.S. LewisMonday, February 3, 2014
Death could not.
Part Four: Time and Eternity-Emily Dickinson
XXVII
Ever since we have been gifted life we have been infatuated with the idea of death. With almost everyone seemingly desiring more life this particular infatuation is ironic, really.
Across the Judeo-Christian world, as well as through many major religions, there is undeniable evidence of a fixation on death within a genre of writings known as apocalyptic literature, or in other words, how all things will end. In the last century alone hundreds of books, poems & even movies have been produced in this area. It would be no stretch to name at least one piece of art, literature or cinema that has left us wondering our own end or has made some attempt to portray it. It seems that America is especially interested in the preventing of death & often lives beneath a doctrine that preaches a false sense of invincibility in our flesh. But the truth is simply stated by an author I have long since forgot the name of, "No man can say with certainty he will be alive tomorrow." If you sit right now thinking you will certainly be alive tomorrow, you have no perspective into the miracle that is your every breath.
But what to make of death? What to think of such a mystery as this?
We will certainly achieve it, that is without question. As I spent the past several years working at the bedside in a hospital I have heard innumerable questions surface as the reality of death peers in the rooms of the sick.
How will it happen?
Will it be painful?
But the biggest of all.
What comes next?
When I spent years of my life trying to answer these questions through a lens of the world I was left in despair. There was no hope for me in the teachings of the world but when I met Jesus all that changed. What He taught me was not only true but it resonated with me in a way that spurred my spirit to hope again.
Jesus told me in the world I would find trouble. I have found it, again & again. Then He reminds to take heart when I reside in Him, for He has overcome the world. He has overcome death itself.
Paul wrote that the wages of sin is death & by all accounts, death is what I deserve because of my sin. Yet Paul continues on & says, "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
As I have walked these streets, as I have sat on the bedside of persons much older than myself in their last moments we share many of the burdens of the world & hopes in Jesus. We have tasted much of the same death & addiction. We have been touched by the same decay & loneliness. But every once & awhile we share the same hope of eternal life offered in Jesus. I have seen someone in their last hours of life hold onto more hope than a youth that lives with a physical vibrancy & spiritual dissonance. Jesus took unto Himself all the sin & death that was meant for me & you while He hung on that cross. When He took away sin, He took away our death. He paid the ransom of our souls.
Yet death, in one way or another, still exists. But it becomes a choice rather than simply the end of the road. We choose whether we die to ourselves & our own desires to live for Him or we choose to deny the freedom Christ offers us & walk down the road to old age, disease or the innumerable ways our flesh is destroyed. We can turn our backs to salvation, to genuine freedom to which their is no comparison or we can accept a gift, which none of our works can earn. Then when we deny our very flesh to accept Jesus's gift for us, death is swallowed. When we share in death with Jesus, accept His gift to us, death in our lives is defeated. Our soul that was was once destined for ruin is now liberated into the crown of life that God offers those who love Him.
When we return to dust, we will be raised up again in Christ Jesus. The perishable will be exchanged for the imperishable. Then no longer will we know death. We will be home in eternity where death could not be.
"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
" Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. "
(1 Corinthians 15:51-57)
XXVII
| BECAUSE I could not stop for Death, | |
| He kindly stopped for me; | |
| The carriage held but just ourselves | |
| And Immortality. | |
| We slowly drove, he knew no haste, | 5 |
| And I had put away | |
| My labor, and my leisure too, | |
| For his civility. | |
| We passed the school where children played | |
| At wrestling in a ring; | 10 |
| We passed the fields of gazing grain, | |
| We passed the setting sun. | |
| We paused before a house that seemed | |
| A swelling of the ground; | |
| The roof was scarcely visible, | 15 |
| The cornice but a mound. | |
| Since then ’t is centuries; but each | |
| Feels shorter than the day | |
| I first surmised the horses’ heads | |
| Were toward eternity. | 20 |
Ever since we have been gifted life we have been infatuated with the idea of death. With almost everyone seemingly desiring more life this particular infatuation is ironic, really.
Across the Judeo-Christian world, as well as through many major religions, there is undeniable evidence of a fixation on death within a genre of writings known as apocalyptic literature, or in other words, how all things will end. In the last century alone hundreds of books, poems & even movies have been produced in this area. It would be no stretch to name at least one piece of art, literature or cinema that has left us wondering our own end or has made some attempt to portray it. It seems that America is especially interested in the preventing of death & often lives beneath a doctrine that preaches a false sense of invincibility in our flesh. But the truth is simply stated by an author I have long since forgot the name of, "No man can say with certainty he will be alive tomorrow." If you sit right now thinking you will certainly be alive tomorrow, you have no perspective into the miracle that is your every breath.
But what to make of death? What to think of such a mystery as this?
We will certainly achieve it, that is without question. As I spent the past several years working at the bedside in a hospital I have heard innumerable questions surface as the reality of death peers in the rooms of the sick.
How will it happen?
Will it be painful?
But the biggest of all.
What comes next?
When I spent years of my life trying to answer these questions through a lens of the world I was left in despair. There was no hope for me in the teachings of the world but when I met Jesus all that changed. What He taught me was not only true but it resonated with me in a way that spurred my spirit to hope again.
Jesus told me in the world I would find trouble. I have found it, again & again. Then He reminds to take heart when I reside in Him, for He has overcome the world. He has overcome death itself.
Paul wrote that the wages of sin is death & by all accounts, death is what I deserve because of my sin. Yet Paul continues on & says, "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
As I have walked these streets, as I have sat on the bedside of persons much older than myself in their last moments we share many of the burdens of the world & hopes in Jesus. We have tasted much of the same death & addiction. We have been touched by the same decay & loneliness. But every once & awhile we share the same hope of eternal life offered in Jesus. I have seen someone in their last hours of life hold onto more hope than a youth that lives with a physical vibrancy & spiritual dissonance. Jesus took unto Himself all the sin & death that was meant for me & you while He hung on that cross. When He took away sin, He took away our death. He paid the ransom of our souls.
Yet death, in one way or another, still exists. But it becomes a choice rather than simply the end of the road. We choose whether we die to ourselves & our own desires to live for Him or we choose to deny the freedom Christ offers us & walk down the road to old age, disease or the innumerable ways our flesh is destroyed. We can turn our backs to salvation, to genuine freedom to which their is no comparison or we can accept a gift, which none of our works can earn. Then when we deny our very flesh to accept Jesus's gift for us, death is swallowed. When we share in death with Jesus, accept His gift to us, death in our lives is defeated. Our soul that was was once destined for ruin is now liberated into the crown of life that God offers those who love Him.
When we return to dust, we will be raised up again in Christ Jesus. The perishable will be exchanged for the imperishable. Then no longer will we know death. We will be home in eternity where death could not be.
"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
" Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. "
(1 Corinthians 15:51-57)
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Behind the Stones
Like a flower in the meadow a heart was grown,
As a seed in the shallow soil it found it's home,
Strangled by thorns, roots stretching as far as they they knew how.
Eager for love it was taken by an open hand,
Pulled from the earth in which it could hardly stand,
A heart carried away by a world it wished it had known better.
Soon the flower dropped to the earth, left for years,
All the while it discovered the source of it's fears,
As it lay on the dirt away from the hands of the Potter.
There the heart would stay, gasping & alone,
Around it was placed every stone,
A wall to be safe, a casket of the heart.
In the nightfall of the coffin the soul would lay,
Neither grown by sun nor nourished by rain,
Suffocated & safe from the hands of another.
A heart left barely beating from such a fall,
That behind the chest it was rarely noticed at all,
But still it found the words, "I will wait for you."
Then was glimpse of the first day,
All that was left was to tear each stone away,
So the heart could be given to love once again.
As a seed in the shallow soil it found it's home,
Strangled by thorns, roots stretching as far as they they knew how.
Eager for love it was taken by an open hand,
Pulled from the earth in which it could hardly stand,
A heart carried away by a world it wished it had known better.
Soon the flower dropped to the earth, left for years,
All the while it discovered the source of it's fears,
As it lay on the dirt away from the hands of the Potter.
There the heart would stay, gasping & alone,
Around it was placed every stone,
A wall to be safe, a casket of the heart.
In the nightfall of the coffin the soul would lay,
Neither grown by sun nor nourished by rain,
Suffocated & safe from the hands of another.
A heart left barely beating from such a fall,
That behind the chest it was rarely noticed at all,
But still it found the words, "I will wait for you."
Then was glimpse of the first day,
All that was left was to tear each stone away,
So the heart could be given to love once again.
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