Second-Hand

Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems,

You shall possess the good of the earth and sun, (there are millions of suns left,)

You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books,

You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me,

You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your self. 

-- from "Song of Myself," by Walt Whitman

Giving vs. Sharing

This morning I was reading in Shakti Gawain's book Awakening.  She said concerning our inability to let people give to us, "To be able to receive, you have to be in touch with your vulnerability and be comfortable with the part of you that needs. You have to be comfortable allowing another person to feel strong and powerful in your presence."  It made me stop to wonder if, sometimes, my motive in giving is SO THAT I can feel powerful?  We are told it is "better to give than receive"--that we will be happier in the long run.  But now I suspect  sometimes it's because it gives us a sense of power over the "needy" person.  I am sure this is not what God intends when He calls us to help others.  

So, how can we be sure we're giving out of a place of love and not from a place out of our own need to feel empowered?

Destiny

"Sow a thought, reap an act;

Sow an act, reap a habit;

Sow a habit, reap a character;

Sow a character, reap a destiny." 

-- Charles Reade/Ralph Waldo Emerson

Plans

♫In God's Hands♫

"Plans are useless, but planning is invaluable." --Winston Churchill

This is where we throw the sticks I pick up in the yard.  It makes great kindling for our camp fires.  There are several piles of sticks set aside waiting until they are needed. ...

 

Give It Up

"Give it all up and you get it all back." --Alan Cohen

Alan Cohen tells the story of the time he and a friend went to see a production of Godspell.  When they found their seats they discovered someone else in them.  Their seats had been sold twice.  Seeing that the other folks were getting upset about it Cohen remembered Jesus' teaching, "If someone wants your coat, give them your cloak as well." So he told his friend, "Let's let them have the seats," and went to the ticket office to explain the situation.  They were given two more tickets which turned out to be closer to the stage in a better location.  

My God, in Him I Will Trust

Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." 

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 

5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 

7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 

8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge-- 

10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 

12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 

13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 

14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 

15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 

16With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.

                   

Truth

"....pursue Truth with all the reverence and tenacity in your heart, and so you will find fulfillment, for the lessons of Truth are the lessons of God."  --Alan Cohen, "The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore"

Many people reject Christ because they believe that truth is relative.  There are those who cannot fathom the idea that there is only one way to God and therefore reject that there is a God at all.  I don't know enough about relativism or atheism to comment about these beliefs, but I do know about Truth because this is my belief.  According to the dictionary for something to be true it is genuine, real or actual, accurate or exact.  It is the opposite of insincere, false, or inaccurate. 

Be Still and Know That I Am God

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 

2 Therefore we will not fear,though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 

3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. "Selah" 

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 

5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 

7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. "Selah" 

8 Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 

9He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. 

10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 

11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. "Selah"

 
              

                          

In Dependence Day

The 4th of July is celebrated in America as the day in 1776 the American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain....

Because the Founding Fathers were God-fearing men and because so many Christians came here to escape religious persecution we are considered a Christian nation by many people.  This has been a sticking point for me ever since 1978 when I was awakened to the indwelling Holy Spirit and began reading the New Testament.  I'd been a believer for 20 years by then, but no one had ever explained who the Holy Spirit was and His role in my life (John 14:26).  

D-Day

Seventy years ago the Allied Forces embarked on a military campaign to liberate Europe from the Nazi's.  We call it D-Day, a military term which refers to the designated day for the plan to go into effect.

Psalm 121

Psalm 121

                  1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? 

2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 

3 He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; 

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 

5 The LORD watches over you-- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 

6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; 

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

                                                                            

Listen to Your Heart

the human heart stripped of fat and muscle with angel veins

When I saw the above photo I was truly amazed at the intricacies of the human heart.  In ancient time the heart was considered the seat of the soul by many cultures.  There has been a running debate, ever since, whether it's the heart or the brain from which life emanates.  

The Lord is My Shepherd

  

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 

3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me 

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

           

                                                                                

God is My All in All

At the end of this post is the song that came to my mind this morning while I was journaling about how cheerful I felt.  I've written often about our need to rely on God, to turn to Him, to let Him live in us freely, to base our self-worth on Him alone.  I've also written about asking for happiness rather than for specific things since we don't always know what will bring us happiness.  

Lead Me in the Way Everlasting

Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

                                      

  

Building Blocks

Blocks have probably been around since children have been around.  Children, with their wonderful imaginations, build walls and castles and log cabins....

I like what Alan Cohen said in "Wisdom of the Heart" about building blocks:  "A setback is really a setup, and behind every tragedy awaits a gift....When you pray or intend for something to happen don't dictate the form or timing of the results.  Instead, pray for the quality of your experience.... pray for happiness, and the building blocks to that happiness will reveal themselves in the right way and time."

O, Holy One

This is the first in a series of scriptures that have been put into a song.  At the bottom of the page you can listen to the song by clicking on the album cover.
                                              

Psalm 40

1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. 5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. 6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. 7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come-- it is written about me in the scroll. 8 I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." 9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, as you know, O LORD. 10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulnessand salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly. 11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me. 12 For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. 13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. 14 May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. 15 May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" be appalled at their own shame. 16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "The LORD be exalted!" 17 Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.