A wisp of wind ruffles the hair
of a boy sitting upon the bench
guitar held loosely in his hands
as he looks up to the stars on high and
ponders all that has come before
and so he strums a note or two
before letting all fade to silence
except for the music of the stars
and because his face is marred
and his hands so full of scars
he knows that not all is as it should be
but he knows that all is not as it will be
because the music from far away
calls his name and seems to say
Come now, Come now
Little child
Come now and hear
Let go your past
Let go your fear
Let go your pain
and listen dear
Little child
Come now, Come now
and upon the scuffed concrete sidewalk
falls a tear
because the name he is known by
is known by
that One who he knows is
the One who composes
all the music of the stars
all the music of those scars
on the hands and on the feet
of the One whom he
is known by.
Flowing Gold, Softer Silver
A few minutes to write this morning. …as I drove in to work this morning, noted the overwhelming full golden moon in the west. Slowly did it sink towards the horizon. But I could not help but be staggered by the beauty of the golden moon contrasted with the dark early morning sky and the garish city lights…the gleaming yellow loveliness of the moon overshadowed all else. All praises to the One who made it so.
And…I suppose I have at least a couple minutes to write on my readings this morning? Oddly enough(or not?!), my readings – as disparate as they were – had a common theme running throughout. The love of money is a dangerous thing…for truly wealth is not all and it will flow away, as fickle and fragile as a moonbeam in your hand. So why do we put our trust in money? We have hope in something that is so much better, do we not?
A few words from the exceedingly chilling prophecies of Ezekiel(sadly I have not the time to write all the words…but you can read for yourselves Chapters 6 & 7 to get full context):
“Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations
to which they will be carried captive,
how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me,
and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols;
and they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which
they have committed, for all their abominations.
Then they will know that I am the Lord;
I have not said in vain that I would inflict this disaster upon them…
All hands will hang limp and all knees will become like water.
They will gird themselves with sackcloth and shuddering will overwhelm them;
and shame will be on all faces and baldness on all their heads.
They will fling their silver into the streets and their gold will not be able
to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord.
They cannot satisfy their appetite nor can they fill their stomachs,
for their iniquity has become an occasion of stumbling…
Make the chain, for the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence.
Therefore, I will bring the worst of the nations, and they will possess their houses.
I will also make the pride of the strong ones cease, and their holy places will be profaned.
When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there will be none.
Disaster will come upon disaster and rumor will be added to rumor;
then they will seek a vision from a prophet, but the law will be lost
from the priest and counsel from the elders.
The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed in horror,
and the hands of the people of the land will tremble.
According to their conduct I will deal with them,
and by their judgements I will judge them.
And they will know that I am the Lord.”
Sorry for the over-quoting. But truly, what serious words are those. Can your wealth save? Can your luxuries satisfy? Surely no. And what devastating words are these: “According to their conduct I will deal with them and by their judgements I will judge them.” That is what we all deserve, to be judged according to the full measure of our deeds. Oh what bleakness is that.
Secondly…I also read in Acts 3…the account of Peter and John healing the lame man. One line quite struck me:
“But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, ‘Look at us!’
And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
But Peter said, ‘I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you:
in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene – walk!'”
And just imagine that scene. Put yourselve in the lame man’s place…as he first anticipated that these kind gentlemen were about to give him money…and then in that split second after they said “I do not possess silver and gold,” imagine his disappointment. His face falls, his hope fails. That split second of disillusionment and pain. But then. Peter continues speaking and utters that most beautiful name – Jesus Christ. And as He heals the man through the power of God and changes this man’s life forever, what joy crosses that man’s face. He has received physical healing, yes. But of far more importance – eternity awaits! – he hears the name of Jesus and witnesses the power of God.
Do we understand this? We put so much faith and hope in earthly things – status, wealth, power. We think – surely if I had enough money, all would be well. Surely. But these things never satisfy. And so as the people of Jerusalem found out, all their wealth was as nothing in the face of their iniquities and the judgment of God. So too is all our money worthless for wiping away the stench and filth of our sins. Only One can take away our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness and that is Jesus Christ, very God Himself. So today, let us set aside our worries for the physical things of this world and instead set our eyes on Jesus, the true Author and Perfecter of our faith. All else may fail us. All else will fail us. But our God never shall leave us nor forsake us – He will truly be with us and watch over us and care for us, all the days of our life. The nearness of God is our good, for He has forgiven us all our sins. Let us remember, let us rejoice and let us ceaseless love.
Wolfpack
A gorgeous grey, rainy Saturday. And after a lovely walk, a few shots of espresso and good chats with John at home and MJ at Red…I’m now enjoying this Saturday in the best way I know how…grilled cheese, tomato soup and basketball on the tv – NC State vs. UNC. Thanks be to God for this beautiful day which He has made!!
Souvenirs
It is a peppermint mocha Friday!! I am oh so happy that Friday is finally here and rest is almost at hand…been a long and busy week(full of fun things and work things, just lots of things all around) and so not much sleep has been had. I’m very much looking forward to a quiet night tonight! Planning on making up a big batch of burritos, enjoying that for dinner…and then reading in peace. It shall be glorious. I so declare. As for the main reason I decided to post today, trying to continue to keep records of my reading…latest completion is as follows:
3. The Broken Eye by Brent Weeks. This is book 3 in a series known as Lightbringer. Received book 1 from Maryanne for Christmas and consequently devoured(along with Caisson – as we both got this, so it was fun to read in parallel when we were home for Christmas break!)…bought book 2 at the airport as I went to Calgary for Robbie’s wedding. Now I have also obtained books 3 & 4 via the Amazon and so now have completed this one and one more to go before the long wait for book 5(tentative 2019 release date?). Anyways! This is your typical fantasy novel set in a new world with a very colourful magic system and super rounded, real-feeling characters. Because of some crudity of language and content here and there, it’s hard to unreservedly recommend these, but I must confess I have much enjoyed reading – the plot and storylines are gripping and keep you reading and again…the characters are such a delight – even the minor ones I’ve fallen in love with! I also wonder if the author is Jewish and/or Christian…it’s hard not to when his characters have names such as Ben-Hadad and there are evil characters named Abaddon!! There are numerous quotes that convince me of his at least familiarity with the Bible – “You shall be repaid for the years the locusts have eaten…” Anyway, finished this last night so on to Book 4. And again – while I can’t wholeheartedly recommend these, I can say this book was a most enjoyable read, and has me thinking deeper thoughts than with most fantasy I read. Quality writing, indeed.
Shooting Star
A sleepy morning. Yet I must confess I had a most enjoyable reading time(with my eggs and coffee)…reading a couple of my favorite chapters – Luke 21 & 22. I don’t have time to fully explicate these chapters and describe my thoughts…but this morning as I read, I was just encouraged by the words and actions of Jesus. From Him telling Peter, “Simon, Simon – Satan has demanded permission to sift you as wheat. Yet I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. When you have returned, strengthen your brothers.” We could spend hours just discussing that alone!! Oh how I love the fact that although Jesus doesn’t deny Satan permission to test Peter….he does say He prayed for Peter – he prayed for his faith. Oh how I long that Jesus would pray thus for me. And later on…as Jesus is fervently praying and tired and emotionally worn out…he is strengthened by an angel from heaven. Then he comes back and sees the disciples and what are they doing? Sleeping of course. He tells them “Pray that you might not fall into temptation.” Oh might I heed these words – what is better, to be self-satisfied and confident in my own abilities, to be awake yet sleeping? Or to desparately pray for that aid which we know we need, that we not stumble and fall. And later on in the chapter of course…Peter denies Christ, as Jesus knew he would. And at that moment of Peter’s third denial, we read that “Jesus turned and looked at Peter”. What was in Jesus’ eyes? What was that look? I imagine it as sorrow and love mingled…yet I cannot say. But Peter responded as is only proper. He fled and wept bitterly. To deny our Lord and Christ – how can we do this? Yet we do it every day. Pray to the Father for relief from temptation. Cry out to the Lord in prayer, day and night. And remember…Jesus is even now(as per Luke 22!) at the right hand of God in glory and He never ceases to plead your case. Forgiven am I. Eternity with my God awaits. Ne’er should I doubt my future when such joy is assured.
reaching yet Falling
It’s…a Monday. Horrors! It’s actually not that bad of a day(yet) although I am very tired nonetheless as my weekend was very busy(with fun social things!) and I am most sure I did not get enough sleep. Alas. And even last night..though it was a free night and I should have probably gone to bed early, I was silly and decided to watch one of my recent fav movies(Dan in Real Life, which although silly and somewhat ridiculous for multiple reasons….is much loved by me, so says I). Now I’ve been wanting to write something for a while, as it’s been too long since I’ve been creatively writing…yet once again my muse fails me and my lack of sleep haunts me and so yet once again there will be nothing pretty written this day. Someday. Someday I will yet write of those diaphanous clouds floating through the silken skies, blue so bright the eyes water and head spins and yet the heart sings of bare-branched trees and sunlight brilliant, unwaveringly poured down upon the earth as honey upon the bread and yet – and still – the song is heard through the rustling of the dancing limbs of trees unfettered by grave-countenanced dusky shadows. Someday beauty comes.
that Danish charm
So this is a bit of a cruel post…just sitting here on the couch(watching Vikes/Eagles NFC championship game!) as my dinner cooks on the stove. Creamy chicken and vegetables(carrots, onions, parsley and mushrooms!) with mashed potatoes is the plan for this evening. Bit of a new recipe, but I felt in the mood for a nice hearty, warming meal…and I think this will suffice! Mmm, my mouth waters. Alright, I really have nothing more to say. Hope your Sunday has been peaceful and filled with joy. Love you all, dear friends!
Apples and Cinnamon
So today will be an interesting day. The weather conditions are advertised as being a “wintry mix”, which when hearing that – sounds delightfully pleasant right? Wintry mix sounds to me like maybe a peppermint tea or exotic hot cocoa or something delicious that can be sipped while cosy at home during the depths of winter. But no – this wintry mix is much more annoying – namely, very cold(probably sub-freezing) temperatures and various forms of precipitation. Yay? Driving here this morning, all the signs proclaimed: “ICE PREVENTION OPERATIONS AHEAD”. At least Houston is trying, am I right!? My one shoutout of the day goes to the woman I saw on her morning run as I drove to work. 5:45AM, 37 degrees and slight rain. And she still went on her run. I shake my head in admiration and shame – never am I that dedicated!!
But apart from the weather forecast, right now I’m enjoying my coffee here at work as I continue to wake up. Thankfully I’m less sleepy than I was yesterday! Totally slept through my alarm so had no time for breakfast or coffee…and why did I sleep in yesterday? Well, the night before that was Julian and Kelsey’s wedding – and oh what a gorgeous wedding it was!! I shan’t describe it all here…but their wedding was God glorifying – a simply beautiful ceremony of them affirming their marriage covenant to one another before God Himself. And I must briefly mention the beauty of the venue itself – outdoors surrounded by the mid-winter Texas countryside. As I stood by Julian’s side and gazed out at the setting sun, brisk air enlivening(and slightly shiver-inducing!) and fading light spirit invigorating…I had no thoughts but to thank God for blessing Julian and Kelsey so – for giving each of them to the other as partners in this beautiful, crazy, wonderful life. All praises to the One from whom all blessings flow. Amen.
What else can I write before it is work time? Well I suppose I should start on my pledge for this year. I typically enjoy reading very much(as you should know, if you know me at all), but I am very poor in recording what I’ve read. So I’ve decided this year to keep track of each book I read. Even re-reads(because yes, I do re-read quite a bit – and I don’t want to miss the chance to highlight good books, just because they’re not first reads). This is a slightly perilous resolution, for several reasons. Firstly, because I’m typically terrible at keeping on something like this, so I must be diligent at recording these, even if I have no time to write any fancy reviews. Secondly, because…this means my reading tastes will be exposed for the whole world to see – will be a good impetus to (try to) read quality books! For now though..here goes. I will record the books as I finish them, so here’s my first two, which coincidentally or not I completed last night.
1. Authority by D.M. Lloyd-Jones. This was a remarkably short book, less than 100 pages! But I much enjoyed this adaptation of several of Lloyd-Jones sermons he gave on the subject of authority, namely – the authority of Christ, the authority of the Scripture and the authority of the Holy Spirit. I much enjoyed this book(as I enjoy almost all of Lloyd-Jones’ writings!) and it encouraged my soul. Oh how we should more often remember that our faith does not come from within us and is not founded on the shifting sands of our moods or the ever changing tides of the wisdom of this world…but our faith is in Christ Himself, as revealed through the external witness of the Holy Scriptures and the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. Oh might we rejoice in this thought and take heart. Too easily do I get discouraged by my circumstances and by the trials and tribulations I find myself in. Let me more oft consider the God whose son I am.
2. Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. This is the complete antithesis of the previous book. Definitely not a short book – I don’t know the exact page count, but easily over 800 pages I would think. A classic high fantasy novel. Sanderson is truly one of my favorite authors and I think I own a higher percentage of his books than almost any other author. I’ve also met him a few times, which adds to my liking for him. His writing style is definitely not quite as beautiful as a Tolkien or a Rothfuss, but his world-building and action sequences are almost unparalleled. This book is the third book in his magnum opus Stormlight Archive series and so I shan’t attempt to summarize the plot here, but I much enjoyed this book and will be definitely revisiting it in later re-reads. I’m just sad I’ll have to wait a couple more years for the next book to come out…alas!
So there you have it – the first two books completed for 2018. Already begun another one, will record when finished!
Have a most lovely day, dear friends – may it be a day of joy and peace.
A slow Realisation
Oh what a wonderfully cold morning!! Now I sit nice and cosy at my desk, but previously walking outside feeling the brisk wind whip around me as I clung to my steaming peppermint mocha, feeding off the warmth therein…lovely. I certainly am not complaining about this cold – long may it continue! Also this morning I was listening to music as I drove in…probably my best mix, the tragic fall and most surprising Redemption of anakin skywalker. I always forget what a beautiful mix of songs of it is…a perfect storm of beauty in music. It is also almost certainly the best musical representation I’ve yet put together of a man’s(or woman’s!) journey from darkness to light, culminating in the joy that can only be found by knowing Jesus Christ. It’s been a gorgeous morning and for that I thank my God. Happy Friday, dear friends.
Signed and Sealed
Happy Wednesday friends!! A brief few words…reading in Jeremiah a bit today and was both encouraged and convicted by the words I read therein. Jeremiah is in jail. And the city of Jerusalem is literally under siege by the Chaldeans – with the fall of the city less than 2 years away. Bad circumstances, right? Jeremiah gets a word from the Lord however – telling him to purchase a piece of property as a sign that someday there will be a restoration. And so Jeremiah obeys. But after his obedience, he cries out to the Lord in prayer. And oh might we all pray as he does here – he names the attributes of God – namely, his omnipotence, omniscience, mercy and justice – and he exults in the name of the Lord. But even as he lifts up the name of the Lord, he also confesses and agrees as to the sins of the people and states that the city is surrounded and about to fall. Without questioning God as such, Jeremiah lists the works of the Lord – His judgment and promised redemption. And there is a hint of a question at the end, when Jeremiah mentions the fact that he bought a piece of property…even though the city is about to fall. But Jeremiah’s faith is indeed strong. And God replies(at length! but I shall reproduce only a line): “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”
Truly let us remember that this day. When all seems wrong and all is lost and we think surely nothing good is even possible…think on these words. Jeremiah is imprisoned in a city that is about to fall to a ruthless enemy. We are not normally in situations as dire as this, and so we have even less reason to doubt the goodness of God. Yet, we do doubt, I know. I know because I doubt. And at those times, cry out to the Lord in prayer. Think on the grand and beautiful attributes of God. Remember that God is a God of exceeding lovingkindness and mercy. Think on the great works of the Lord that He has done in your life. And at the end, rest. Rest in the promises of God – He shall surely never leave or forsake you, as long as you shall live. Remember the promises of Christ – His yoke is indeed easy and His burden is light. Go to Him, and you shall have rest for your souls.
