I woke up this morning in the camper that I'm living in and thought, "I am so rich." I have no money that is truly mine. I have no income. I don't have money to go out and shop, get my nails done, or get a new car, but I am so rich. My parents give me just enough money every month to cover food, gas, and my gym membership. I live in a camper. I drive an old car with almost 190k miles on it. I shop at Goodwill. Despite these things I consider myself to be very rich.
My needs are always met. I'm rich.
I have a wonderful family. I'm rich.
I have a few good friends. I'm rich.
I have a roof over my head. I'm rich.
I have food on my table. I'm rich.
My car runs. I'm rich.
I have an education. I'm rich.
I have Jesus Christ. I'm ABUNDANTLY rich.
Henry David Thoreau said, "Wealth is the ability to fully experience life." True wealth is not quantified. I pity those who count their dollars rather than their blessings, because in doing so, they will always discover that they are lacking and will continually be working for more.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
First Impressions
There are times when we are all put into situations where we aren't able to be ourselves. Perhaps it's an awkward situation, a bad day, our of your comfort zone... whatever it might be for you, it's inevitable that during one of those times you will meet someone and make a first impression that doesn't necessarily reflect who you are. This poem is about one of those times.
The many commas in the poem are meant to convey the speaker's uncertainty, hesitation, insecurity, and overall discomfort at saying any of this. It's a rambling of sorts -- saying it, taking it back, questioning, doubting, but in the end just coming out and saying it. It's spoken quickly with hesitations.
DISCLAIMER: Like much of the poetry I write, while this may be inspired by a situation that I was in or by a person that I met, but isn't necessarily an accurate representation of my feelings toward the person or situation. I think the most accurate thing in the entire poem is the last two lines and they are more a reflection of my desire for people to look beyond the initial shyness that they may see in me. So here it is.
The Verbosity of Uncertainty
Had we but time, and I courage,
I dare say, but I do hesitate
To believe, that you and I
Could perhaps, but I’m not sure,
Know one another better than today.
If I may have but this one wish,
Neither asking nor expecting, but hoping
That you would, by some chance,
In some way or another,
Desire to know me more.
In opposition to your previous
Experience with me I beg of you,
With the verbosity of uncertainty,
Mistake not my silence
As an indication of indifference.
The many commas in the poem are meant to convey the speaker's uncertainty, hesitation, insecurity, and overall discomfort at saying any of this. It's a rambling of sorts -- saying it, taking it back, questioning, doubting, but in the end just coming out and saying it. It's spoken quickly with hesitations.
DISCLAIMER: Like much of the poetry I write, while this may be inspired by a situation that I was in or by a person that I met, but isn't necessarily an accurate representation of my feelings toward the person or situation. I think the most accurate thing in the entire poem is the last two lines and they are more a reflection of my desire for people to look beyond the initial shyness that they may see in me. So here it is.
The Verbosity of Uncertainty
Had we but time, and I courage,
I dare say, but I do hesitate
To believe, that you and I
Could perhaps, but I’m not sure,
Know one another better than today.
If I may have but this one wish,
Neither asking nor expecting, but hoping
That you would, by some chance,
In some way or another,
Desire to know me more.
In opposition to your previous
Experience with me I beg of you,
With the verbosity of uncertainty,
Mistake not my silence
As an indication of indifference.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
A Shelter in the time of Storm
The temperature has dropped at least ten degrees in the last twenty minutes. The thunder has been rumbling for about the last forty-five minutes and the storm clouds have been rolling in from the south. I know it's the south because I looked at the map and saw which direction the road ran and it runs SE to NW and so I determined that the storm is coming from the south. The lighting is shooting bright streaks of electricity from the sky to the ground. The rain has just started to fall heavily. The wind chimes on my front porch are making a lot of racket. The dog warned me of the coming storm long before I noticed the thunder as she ran into my room and hid under my bed.
When I began writing this post, I was sitting out on my front porch. I watched as the storm rolled in and sat there as it began pounding the earth with its fury. In the middle of the storm, all I could think was this is so peaceful. And then I watched the bikers drive by on their motorcycles on their way to find shelter from the storm.
Sometimes life’s greatest lessons are realized in the simplest of moments. I had shelter from the storm and as a result, I could watch the storm and feel nothing but peace. The bikers, on the other hand, were not feeling peaceful as they rode through the middle of it with nothing but leather to protect them. Life is like that.
There is a storm raging around us and I know the direction from whence it comes. It comes from Satan. Like lightning Satan fell from Heaven (Luke 10:18). God’s voice has often been described in the Bible as a voice of thunder and I can imagine His thundering voice warning Satan of his impending doom as the battle for our hearts is waged. There are times when the rain falls down and the wind blows hard giving evidence of the storms around us. I can have peace in the midst of this storm, because I have shelter in the shadow of the Almighty God (Ps. 91). There are some who choose to remain in the midst of the storm, trusting in their own merits to save them, but they have no peace.
My prayer is that in the midst of life’s storms, in this storm waging between the Eternal God and the Enemy, that you will take shelter and find peace in Jesus.
For lyrics to the song, you can click here.
When I began writing this post, I was sitting out on my front porch. I watched as the storm rolled in and sat there as it began pounding the earth with its fury. In the middle of the storm, all I could think was this is so peaceful. And then I watched the bikers drive by on their motorcycles on their way to find shelter from the storm.
Sometimes life’s greatest lessons are realized in the simplest of moments. I had shelter from the storm and as a result, I could watch the storm and feel nothing but peace. The bikers, on the other hand, were not feeling peaceful as they rode through the middle of it with nothing but leather to protect them. Life is like that.
There is a storm raging around us and I know the direction from whence it comes. It comes from Satan. Like lightning Satan fell from Heaven (Luke 10:18). God’s voice has often been described in the Bible as a voice of thunder and I can imagine His thundering voice warning Satan of his impending doom as the battle for our hearts is waged. There are times when the rain falls down and the wind blows hard giving evidence of the storms around us. I can have peace in the midst of this storm, because I have shelter in the shadow of the Almighty God (Ps. 91). There are some who choose to remain in the midst of the storm, trusting in their own merits to save them, but they have no peace.
My prayer is that in the midst of life’s storms, in this storm waging between the Eternal God and the Enemy, that you will take shelter and find peace in Jesus.
For lyrics to the song, you can click here.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Lesson of the Amaryllis
A friend received an amaryllis bulb as a gift. It came with a soil disk and a pot. She planted the amaryllis and we watched as the bulb took root and the first green shoots sprung up out of the soil. Daily she watched over that little plant, making sure that it had enough water, the right amount of light, and that everything was done to ensure its growth. After a week of watching the plant, it's growth slowed and she became discouraged and doubted that the plant would ever produce flowers.
Sometimes witnessing is like that amaryllis. I try to share God's love with others and through all of my efforts I try to make them know and love God. Just like my friend did everything possible to ensure that the plant would grow and produce flowers, I do everything I can to ensure that those around me will grow in Christ and produce more Christians. So often, I become discouraged when their lives do not reflect my efforts.
Jesus tells a parable about this very thing. He says, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows--how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come" (Mark 4:26-29). The man who sows the seed is clueless as to the work that actually takes place beneath the soil and inside of the plant to make it grow and produce. In the book Christ's Object Lessons, the author says, "Man has his part to act in promoting the growth of the grain. . . but there is a point beyond which he can accomplish nothing. No strength or wisdom of man can bring forth from the seed the living plant. Let man put forth his efforts to the utmost limit, he must still depend upon One who has connected the sowing and reaping by wonderful links of His own omnipotent power."
Just as my friend put forth all of her effort to promote the blossoming of the amaryllis, as Christians we must put forth all of our effort to produce more Christians. There was nothing more my friend could have done to make the plant blossom -- the rest was up to God. And so it is in our witnessing.
Christ's Object Lessons says, "The good seed may for a time lie unnoticed in a cold, selfish, worldly heart, giving no evidence that it has taken root; but afterward, as the Spirit of God breathes on the soul, the hidden seed springs up, and at last bears fruit to the glory of God. In our lifework we know not which shall prosper, this or that. This is not a question for us to settle. We are to do our work, and leave the results with God."
The Lord says, "not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit..." My friend watched the amaryllis for weeks and it eventually bloomed, but it was not by her efforts, but by God's. In this life there may be times when we put forth all of our efforts, and never see the results. Sanctification is the work of a lifetime and we are called to put forth our efforts and allow God to sanctify the heart.
The object of the farmer in planing the seed and tending the growing plant is to produce grain to provide bread for the hungry and seed for a future harvest. So, it should be in the Christian life. CS Lewis wrote,"The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christ's. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose."
As Christians we must do everything we can to ensure a ripe harvest and allow God to do the work of sanctification. As soon as the harvest is ready, Jesus will not tarry to return and gather us all home.
Eat. Grow. Share.
("Eat. Grow. Share." is borrowed from The Lower Room, a ministry of the Spartanburg Seventh-day Adventist Church.)
Sometimes witnessing is like that amaryllis. I try to share God's love with others and through all of my efforts I try to make them know and love God. Just like my friend did everything possible to ensure that the plant would grow and produce flowers, I do everything I can to ensure that those around me will grow in Christ and produce more Christians. So often, I become discouraged when their lives do not reflect my efforts.
Jesus tells a parable about this very thing. He says, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows--how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come" (Mark 4:26-29). The man who sows the seed is clueless as to the work that actually takes place beneath the soil and inside of the plant to make it grow and produce. In the book Christ's Object Lessons, the author says, "Man has his part to act in promoting the growth of the grain. . . but there is a point beyond which he can accomplish nothing. No strength or wisdom of man can bring forth from the seed the living plant. Let man put forth his efforts to the utmost limit, he must still depend upon One who has connected the sowing and reaping by wonderful links of His own omnipotent power."
Just as my friend put forth all of her effort to promote the blossoming of the amaryllis, as Christians we must put forth all of our effort to produce more Christians. There was nothing more my friend could have done to make the plant blossom -- the rest was up to God. And so it is in our witnessing.
Christ's Object Lessons says, "The good seed may for a time lie unnoticed in a cold, selfish, worldly heart, giving no evidence that it has taken root; but afterward, as the Spirit of God breathes on the soul, the hidden seed springs up, and at last bears fruit to the glory of God. In our lifework we know not which shall prosper, this or that. This is not a question for us to settle. We are to do our work, and leave the results with God."
The Lord says, "not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit..." My friend watched the amaryllis for weeks and it eventually bloomed, but it was not by her efforts, but by God's. In this life there may be times when we put forth all of our efforts, and never see the results. Sanctification is the work of a lifetime and we are called to put forth our efforts and allow God to sanctify the heart.
The object of the farmer in planing the seed and tending the growing plant is to produce grain to provide bread for the hungry and seed for a future harvest. So, it should be in the Christian life. CS Lewis wrote,"The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christ's. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose."
As Christians we must do everything we can to ensure a ripe harvest and allow God to do the work of sanctification. As soon as the harvest is ready, Jesus will not tarry to return and gather us all home.
Eat. Grow. Share.
("Eat. Grow. Share." is borrowed from The Lower Room, a ministry of the Spartanburg Seventh-day Adventist Church.)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Perfect Dissonance
I am black and white
Hot or cold, never just right
Clean lines, sharp corners
Thunder and lightning
Hitting hard, leaving quickly
Florida summer
You are shades of gray
Cozy and comfortable
Soft lines, round edges
The perfect weather
April showers, May flowers
A typical Spring
Opposites attract
You and I are night and day
Perfect dissonance
Hot or cold, never just right
Clean lines, sharp corners
Thunder and lightning
Hitting hard, leaving quickly
Florida summer
You are shades of gray
Cozy and comfortable
Soft lines, round edges
The perfect weather
April showers, May flowers
A typical Spring
Opposites attract
You and I are night and day
Perfect dissonance
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
50 First Dates
I had a date this morning. In fact, I've had a date every morning for the last 50. And I have to say... I am falling madly in love. Now, ya'll need to understand something. I am NOT a morning person. I don't do mornings. Ask my brother -- I punched him for waking me up once. I know what you're thinking. It's ok, go ahead and pity my date. He knew exactly what he was getting into though. He knows what I look like in the mornings before my shower. He knows I'm a grouch. And he even knows I punched my brother.
In January, I made a decision to spend time with God every day. I've said it before, I know, but it's never stuck. I would always wake up when I felt like finally getting up and I would say, "I'll do it later." Oh right, like you've never had a case of the doitlaters. You know what I learned? When you have doitlateritis NOTHING ever gets done! I knew that if I really wanted to make God a priority and if I really wanted to spend time with God then it would require a huge change in my life. I would have to get up earlier in the mornings and that change, my friends, requires going to bed earlier. That's another thing ya'll need to understand. I love staying up late.
Satan has fought me on this one and he's fought hard! The first night, I could NOT fall asleep. I tossed and turned all night long, but that's ok, because God won that battle. At 5 AM, I gave up and got up! One night I set my alarm and didn't turn it on. Three minutes before it was supposed to go off, I woke up and felt impressed to roll over and look at the clock rather than roll over and go to sleep.
50 dates with Jesus. 50 life-changing mornings. I titled this post "50 First Dates" after the movie. In the movie, this girl, Lucy, had a car accident and has short-term memory loss. She relives the same day every single day. Henry meets Lucy and thinks she's amazing. The next day, she forgets him and he has to make her fall in love with him again. Fast-forward to the end and you'll see Lucy waking up in a strange bed, with a video on the table that she's supposed to watch. She watches the details of the accident and what's happened in her life since then and she's caught up on where she is in life. She walks out on the deck of the boat and finds her husband, her daughter, and her father.
I have had 50 first dates with God. Every day God makes me fall in love with Him all over again. When I forget how far my life has come, God reminds me of everything He's done in my life.
It wasn't easy for Lucy to deal with learning about the accident for the first time everyday. It wasn't easy to wake up every morning in a strange bed with strangers who know you and love you, but you don't know at all. She could have walked away and gone back to her old life, but every morning when she was reminded of Henry's love for her, she chose to stay. She WANTED to stay.
I want to stay. I choose God. For the past 50 days and for the next 50 years and more, I choose God. I choose to fight out the tough times and let God fight Satan for me. I choose to get out of bed every morning, not because it's easy or because I've become a morning person, but because I am in love with God and He tries everyday to win my heart and make me fall in love with Him again.
50 days have changed my life. I can't begin to tell you the peace that I feel because I KNOW that God is going to take care of me. There are no words that can express to you how my faith has grown. School should be stressing me out, but it's not. God's gonna take care of me. I have a deep contentment and inner peace, that truly surpasses all understanding. I can tell you right now, the peace I feel is NOT of myself. It is not medication-induced. It is not from friends or counseling or the support of family. God makes all the difference in my life.
I want to challenge you to have 50 First Dates with Jesus and let Him change your life.
In January, I made a decision to spend time with God every day. I've said it before, I know, but it's never stuck. I would always wake up when I felt like finally getting up and I would say, "I'll do it later." Oh right, like you've never had a case of the doitlaters. You know what I learned? When you have doitlateritis NOTHING ever gets done! I knew that if I really wanted to make God a priority and if I really wanted to spend time with God then it would require a huge change in my life. I would have to get up earlier in the mornings and that change, my friends, requires going to bed earlier. That's another thing ya'll need to understand. I love staying up late.
Satan has fought me on this one and he's fought hard! The first night, I could NOT fall asleep. I tossed and turned all night long, but that's ok, because God won that battle. At 5 AM, I gave up and got up! One night I set my alarm and didn't turn it on. Three minutes before it was supposed to go off, I woke up and felt impressed to roll over and look at the clock rather than roll over and go to sleep.
50 dates with Jesus. 50 life-changing mornings. I titled this post "50 First Dates" after the movie. In the movie, this girl, Lucy, had a car accident and has short-term memory loss. She relives the same day every single day. Henry meets Lucy and thinks she's amazing. The next day, she forgets him and he has to make her fall in love with him again. Fast-forward to the end and you'll see Lucy waking up in a strange bed, with a video on the table that she's supposed to watch. She watches the details of the accident and what's happened in her life since then and she's caught up on where she is in life. She walks out on the deck of the boat and finds her husband, her daughter, and her father.
I have had 50 first dates with God. Every day God makes me fall in love with Him all over again. When I forget how far my life has come, God reminds me of everything He's done in my life.
It wasn't easy for Lucy to deal with learning about the accident for the first time everyday. It wasn't easy to wake up every morning in a strange bed with strangers who know you and love you, but you don't know at all. She could have walked away and gone back to her old life, but every morning when she was reminded of Henry's love for her, she chose to stay. She WANTED to stay.
I want to stay. I choose God. For the past 50 days and for the next 50 years and more, I choose God. I choose to fight out the tough times and let God fight Satan for me. I choose to get out of bed every morning, not because it's easy or because I've become a morning person, but because I am in love with God and He tries everyday to win my heart and make me fall in love with Him again.
50 days have changed my life. I can't begin to tell you the peace that I feel because I KNOW that God is going to take care of me. There are no words that can express to you how my faith has grown. School should be stressing me out, but it's not. God's gonna take care of me. I have a deep contentment and inner peace, that truly surpasses all understanding. I can tell you right now, the peace I feel is NOT of myself. It is not medication-induced. It is not from friends or counseling or the support of family. God makes all the difference in my life.
I want to challenge you to have 50 First Dates with Jesus and let Him change your life.
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