A cool new friend of mine, -- , introduced me to a C.S. Lewis poem. Wow.
--------
As the Ruin Falls
All this is flashy rhetoric about loving you.
I never had a selfless thought since I was born.
I am mercenary and self seeking through and through:
I want God, you, all friends, merely to serve my turn.
Peace, re-assurance, pleasure, are the goals I seek,
I cannot crawl one inch outside my proper skin:
I talk of love – a scholar's parrot may talk Greek –
But, self-imprisoned, always end where I begin.
Only that now you have taught me (but how late) my lack I see the chasm. And everything you are was making
My heart into a bridge by which I might get back
From exile, a grown man. And now the bridge is breaking,
For this I bless you as the ruin falls. The pains
You give me are more precious than all other gains.
(C.S. Lewis)
I'm in love... (cross-archive)
*grin* ...I'm wondering how much extra traffic I garnered by my title...
Have some tough issues I'm working over... lots to think about (yes. start groaning, those who know me too well). But what has awed me over and over the past few days is how God keeps drawing me to him. He'll overthrow my schedule, I'll get all frustrated because of things I should be doing... but God keeps calling. beckoning. And I am reminded that He is the most important thing in my life.
Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair. -- G. K. Chesterton
(from the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis:)
"Why, Daughter of Eve, that's what i brought you here for. I'm to lead you where you shall meet him," said Mr. Beaver.
"Is- is he a man?" asked Lucy.
"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion- theLion, the great Lion."
"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he- quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."
Rebecca St. James' song "Lion" for the Music Inspired by Narnia CD
Mysterious
That's what I call You
I'm curious about You
I'm scared and not sure that You are safe
But Your eyes seem to say that You are good
Chorus
This is not a dream that I'm living
This is just a world of Your own
You took me from all that I knew
Shown me how it feels to hope
With You with me, facing tomorrow together
I can learn to fly
Feels like I'm living in a lion's mouth, but the lion is an angel
Wise eyes, You see the core of me
Your gentleness melts me
And now I know that words cannot describe
The power that I feel when I'm with You
Peace and power, love forever
Who am I to stand before You?
I am speechless
But in my weakness
You are here and all is well
You took me from all that I knew
Shown me how it feels to hope
With You with me, facing tomorrow together
I can learn to fly
Feels like I'm living in a lion's mouth, but the lion is an angel
Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone? (cross-archive)
Had this hymn in today's family morning devotions. Interestingly enough, the lines initially compared Peter's martyrdom with us. "Shall Simon bear the cross alone, and other saints go free?"
Must Jesus bear the cross alone
And all the world go free?
No, there's a cross for ev'ryone,
And there's a cross for me.
The consecrated cross I'll bear
Till death shall set me free,
And then go home my crown to wear,
For there's a crown for me.
Upon the crystal pavement down
At Jesus' pierced feet,
Joyful I'll cast my golden crown
And His dear name repeat.
O precious cross! O glorious crown!
O resurrection day!
Ye angels, from the stars come down
And bear my soul away.
-- Thomas Shepherd and others
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Mark 8:34
One interesting thought struck me upon reflecting on all this. When Jesus spoke to the disciples, he had not been crucified yet. That's obvious, of course, but we often view what He said in light of what He did. I wonder what the disciples thought when He referred to crosses and giving one's life.
Must Jesus bear the cross alone
And all the world go free?
No, there's a cross for ev'ryone,
And there's a cross for me.
The consecrated cross I'll bear
Till death shall set me free,
And then go home my crown to wear,
For there's a crown for me.
Upon the crystal pavement down
At Jesus' pierced feet,
Joyful I'll cast my golden crown
And His dear name repeat.
O precious cross! O glorious crown!
O resurrection day!
Ye angels, from the stars come down
And bear my soul away.
-- Thomas Shepherd and others
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Mark 8:34
One interesting thought struck me upon reflecting on all this. When Jesus spoke to the disciples, he had not been crucified yet. That's obvious, of course, but we often view what He said in light of what He did. I wonder what the disciples thought when He referred to crosses and giving one's life.
A resolution (cross-archive)
Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. --John 15:4
You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomine, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing, and grace before I dip the pen in the ink. --GK Chesterton
Pray without ceasing. --1 Thessalonians 5:17
...whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. --1 Corinthians 10:31b
You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomine, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing, and grace before I dip the pen in the ink. --GK Chesterton
Pray without ceasing. --1 Thessalonians 5:17
...whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. --1 Corinthians 10:31b
Haunting Memories (cross-archive)
Ever had an image that lurks in the depth of your memory, that is a deep part of you, that, although it may not oft rise to the surface, it's a deep and inseparable part of you? Something you saw or heard once and it changed you forever. Or even possibly, it lurked deeply, threatening to change you in the future. Beckoning you. Calling you. And you know that, even as you attempt to ignore it, to bury it, that, almost as assured as a prophecy, you know one day you will surrender.
"...I was lying awake and wondering what on earth would become of me. And then - but mind you, it may have been a dream. I don't know."
"Go on," said Edmund, with considerable patience.
"Well, anyway, I looked up and saw the very last thing I expected: a huge lion coming slowly towards me. And one queer thing was that there was no moon last night, but there was moonlight where the lion was. So it came nearer and nearer. I was terribly afraid of it. You may think, that, being a dragon, I could have knocked any lion out easily enough. But it wasn't that kind of fear. I wasn't afraid of it eating me, I was just afraid of it - if you can understand. Well, it came closer up to me and looked straight into my eyes. And I shut my eyes tight. But that wasn't any good because it told me to follow it."
"You mean it spoke?"
"I don't know. Now that you mention it, I don't think it did. But it told me all the same. And I knew I'd have to do what it told me, so I got up and followed it.... The water was a clear as anything and I thought if I could get in there and bathe it would ease the pain in my leg. But the lion told me I must undress first. Mind you, I don't know if he said any words out loud or not.
"I was just going to say that I couldn't undress because I hadn't any clothes on when I suddenly thought that dragons are snaky sort of things and snakes can cast their skins. Oh, of course, thought I, that's what the lion means. So I started scratching myself and my scales began coming off all over the place. And then I scratched a little deeper and, instead of just scales coming off here and there, my whole skin started peeling off beautifully, like it does after an illness, or as if I was a banana. In a minute or two I just stepped out of it. I could see it lying there beside me, looking rather nasty. It was a most lovely feeling. So I started to go down into the well for my bathe.
"But just as I was going to put my foot into the water I looked down and saw that it was all hard and rough and wrinkled and scaly just as it had been before. Oh, that's all right, said I, it only means I had another smaller suit on underneath the first one, and I'll have to get out of it too. So I scratched and tore again and this under skin peeled off beautifully and out I stepped and left it lying beside the other one and went down to the well for my bathe.
"Well, exactly the same thing happened again. And I thought to myself, oh dear, how ever many skins have I to take off? For I was longing to bathe my leg. So I scratched away for the third time and got off a third skin, just like the two others, and stepped out of it. But as soon as I looked at myself in the water I knew it had been no good.
"Then the lion said - but I don't know if it spoke - You will have to let me undress you. I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it.
"The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off.... Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off - just as I thought I'd done it myself the other three times, only they hadn't hurt - and there it was lying on the grass : only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly looking than the others had been. And there was I as smooth and soft as a peeled switch and smaller than I had been. The he caught hold of me - I didn't like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I'd no skin on - and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And I saw why. I'd turned into a boy again..."
Eustace's tale in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Narnian series, C.S. Lewis)
I'm quite partial to the BBC productions of the Narnian series, and this scene in that movie has been burned deep within me. Lurking. Calling. Beckoning.
"...I was lying awake and wondering what on earth would become of me. And then - but mind you, it may have been a dream. I don't know."
"Go on," said Edmund, with considerable patience.
"Well, anyway, I looked up and saw the very last thing I expected: a huge lion coming slowly towards me. And one queer thing was that there was no moon last night, but there was moonlight where the lion was. So it came nearer and nearer. I was terribly afraid of it. You may think, that, being a dragon, I could have knocked any lion out easily enough. But it wasn't that kind of fear. I wasn't afraid of it eating me, I was just afraid of it - if you can understand. Well, it came closer up to me and looked straight into my eyes. And I shut my eyes tight. But that wasn't any good because it told me to follow it."
"You mean it spoke?"
"I don't know. Now that you mention it, I don't think it did. But it told me all the same. And I knew I'd have to do what it told me, so I got up and followed it.... The water was a clear as anything and I thought if I could get in there and bathe it would ease the pain in my leg. But the lion told me I must undress first. Mind you, I don't know if he said any words out loud or not.
"I was just going to say that I couldn't undress because I hadn't any clothes on when I suddenly thought that dragons are snaky sort of things and snakes can cast their skins. Oh, of course, thought I, that's what the lion means. So I started scratching myself and my scales began coming off all over the place. And then I scratched a little deeper and, instead of just scales coming off here and there, my whole skin started peeling off beautifully, like it does after an illness, or as if I was a banana. In a minute or two I just stepped out of it. I could see it lying there beside me, looking rather nasty. It was a most lovely feeling. So I started to go down into the well for my bathe.
"But just as I was going to put my foot into the water I looked down and saw that it was all hard and rough and wrinkled and scaly just as it had been before. Oh, that's all right, said I, it only means I had another smaller suit on underneath the first one, and I'll have to get out of it too. So I scratched and tore again and this under skin peeled off beautifully and out I stepped and left it lying beside the other one and went down to the well for my bathe.
"Well, exactly the same thing happened again. And I thought to myself, oh dear, how ever many skins have I to take off? For I was longing to bathe my leg. So I scratched away for the third time and got off a third skin, just like the two others, and stepped out of it. But as soon as I looked at myself in the water I knew it had been no good.
"Then the lion said - but I don't know if it spoke - You will have to let me undress you. I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it.
"The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off.... Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off - just as I thought I'd done it myself the other three times, only they hadn't hurt - and there it was lying on the grass : only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly looking than the others had been. And there was I as smooth and soft as a peeled switch and smaller than I had been. The he caught hold of me - I didn't like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I'd no skin on - and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And I saw why. I'd turned into a boy again..."
Eustace's tale in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Narnian series, C.S. Lewis)
I'm quite partial to the BBC productions of the Narnian series, and this scene in that movie has been burned deep within me. Lurking. Calling. Beckoning.
Pride (cross-archive-excerpt)
Anyway, I listened to a reading of The Great Sin, a chapter in Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis (on my to-read-very-soon list). Wow. Ouch. It's about pride.
"There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves."
uh huh. more later.
"...Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind. ...Pride is essentially competitive - is competitive by its very nature... Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it that the next man. ... It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. ...power is what Pride really enjoys: there is nothing makes a man feel so superior to others as being able to move them about like toy soldiers..."
this made me think of a picture. Hard to explain... Each man who rejects God is in essence saying he is God. Now, picture to yourself a worse war than all the epic Greek tales of the skirmishes of the gods and goddesses put together. Their fight for power was tame. But we humans? It's a bloody war. No one can stand being a lesser god. And we're so fighting madly against our fellow man, and against God.
This was a comforting confirmation of what I hinted at in my "To Know God" post.
"How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? I am afraid it means they are worshipping an imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them..."
And finally (although I would love to continue quoting!): "The real test of being in the presence of God is that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether."
uh-huh.
"There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves."
uh huh. more later.
"...Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind. ...Pride is essentially competitive - is competitive by its very nature... Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it that the next man. ... It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. ...power is what Pride really enjoys: there is nothing makes a man feel so superior to others as being able to move them about like toy soldiers..."
this made me think of a picture. Hard to explain... Each man who rejects God is in essence saying he is God. Now, picture to yourself a worse war than all the epic Greek tales of the skirmishes of the gods and goddesses put together. Their fight for power was tame. But we humans? It's a bloody war. No one can stand being a lesser god. And we're so fighting madly against our fellow man, and against God.
This was a comforting confirmation of what I hinted at in my "To Know God" post.
"How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? I am afraid it means they are worshipping an imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them..."
And finally (although I would love to continue quoting!): "The real test of being in the presence of God is that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether."
uh-huh. To know God (a forum post archive)
Once upon a time, in a land far far away...
Isn't that how we unwittingly but often view the Bible and our spiritual beliefs? How much is our title "Christian" just brand loyalty? It makes sense, satisfies our intellectual and existentual questions, and we have peace and warm fuzzies.
Recently, I had an awful experience. Forgive me for not making this clear, but because it is so deep, it is hard to explain. I'd gotten a spiritual spanking via a friend (quite unknowingly on his end) by realizing I had my priorities all out of wack. He reminded me that the Bible didn't talk about alot of things, but it did frequently talk about one thing, relationships. This is so important to God, that that is the focus of the two greatest commandments. "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:36-40
Wow. That's it. Love God. Love others. The most important things. I could go on and on about the second, but I think we often (I know I do) forget the first much more than the second.
Love God. That's the most important. Oh, sure it is. I know that! I love God! What God? Which god? The god in your brain? I was shocked once when I read somewhere about someone who would stare up at the corner of their bedroom when praying. Sounded similar to me. I won't stare up at anything in particular, but my prayers seemed to be just formulations of thought in my head and not directed to a specific person, but rather a hazy god. Have we ever stopped and tried to fathom the very real existence of God? This is what I meant by the awful experience. It is truly terrifying when you start to realize that all this is not just words and ideas, but reality. REAL reality. Sorry I can't explain more, but some things refuse to be put into words.
I'm still on this amazing journey to knowing God, but I want to share several quotes that have helped me. I hope I didn't overload, but these all are just so powerful!
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below:
Words without thoughts never to heaven go.
-- Shakespeare, Hamlet Act III, Scene III
I gave in, and admitted that God was God. --C. S. Lewis
If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get neither comfort or truth, only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. --C. S. Lewis
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. --C. S. Lewis
This could be taken a step further to say: "God, if nonexistent, is of no importance, but if He is real, He is of infinite importance. The only thing He is not is moderately important." Now translate that into your life!
Human beings must be known to be loved; but divine beings must be loved to be known. --Blaise Pascal
Man is not at peace with his fellow man because he is not at peace with himself, and he's not at peace with himself because he's not at peace with God. --Thomas Merton (as quoted by Ravi Zacharias)
God is like the sun. You cannot look at it, but without it you cannot look at anything else. --attributed to G. K. Chesterton
Nothing is important - except the fate of the soul. --G. K. Chesterton
You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body. --C. S. Lewis
When a man has found something which he prefers to life, he then for the first time begins to live. --G. K. Chesterton
God cannot give us a happiness apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. --C. S. Lewis
The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried. --G. K. Chesterton
How does finitude express the infinite; how does the dirty describe the clean; how does the impure talk about the pure? When you and I can't keep our hearts clean for a solitary hour, how can we do justice to the description of who our loving God really is? --Ravi Zacharias
To realize God's presence is the one sovereign remedy against temptation. -- Francois Fenelon
The most important thing in your spiritual life is your prayer life. If you fail there, you will fail everywhere. --Ravi Zacharias
(On giants in the faith) Every man who has been successful in his spiritual life has been successful first in his personal life alone with God. --Ravi Zacharias
If you're a praying Christian, your faith in God will carry you, if you're not a praying Chrisitian, you will have to carry your faith, and you will get thoroughly, thoroughly exhausted. --Ravi Zacharias
What seem our worst prayers may really be, in God's eyes, our best. Those, I mean, which are least supported by devotional feeling. For these may come from a deeper level than feeling. God sometimes seems to speak to us most intimately when He catches us, as it were, off our guard. -- C. S. Lewis
HEAVEN AND HELL by Francis Thompson
The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell. --C. S. Lewis
excerpts from THE HOUND OF HEAVEN by Francis Thompson
And, if you're still interested, here is a really good article:
RZIM's A Slice of Eternity 12/15/05
Isn't that how we unwittingly but often view the Bible and our spiritual beliefs? How much is our title "Christian" just brand loyalty? It makes sense, satisfies our intellectual and existentual questions, and we have peace and warm fuzzies.
Recently, I had an awful experience. Forgive me for not making this clear, but because it is so deep, it is hard to explain. I'd gotten a spiritual spanking via a friend (quite unknowingly on his end) by realizing I had my priorities all out of wack. He reminded me that the Bible didn't talk about alot of things, but it did frequently talk about one thing, relationships. This is so important to God, that that is the focus of the two greatest commandments. "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:36-40
Wow. That's it. Love God. Love others. The most important things. I could go on and on about the second, but I think we often (I know I do) forget the first much more than the second.
Love God. That's the most important. Oh, sure it is. I know that! I love God! What God? Which god? The god in your brain? I was shocked once when I read somewhere about someone who would stare up at the corner of their bedroom when praying. Sounded similar to me. I won't stare up at anything in particular, but my prayers seemed to be just formulations of thought in my head and not directed to a specific person, but rather a hazy god. Have we ever stopped and tried to fathom the very real existence of God? This is what I meant by the awful experience. It is truly terrifying when you start to realize that all this is not just words and ideas, but reality. REAL reality. Sorry I can't explain more, but some things refuse to be put into words.
I'm still on this amazing journey to knowing God, but I want to share several quotes that have helped me. I hope I didn't overload, but these all are just so powerful!
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below:
Words without thoughts never to heaven go.
-- Shakespeare, Hamlet Act III, Scene III
I gave in, and admitted that God was God. --C. S. Lewis
If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get neither comfort or truth, only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. --C. S. Lewis
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. --C. S. Lewis
This could be taken a step further to say: "God, if nonexistent, is of no importance, but if He is real, He is of infinite importance. The only thing He is not is moderately important." Now translate that into your life!
Human beings must be known to be loved; but divine beings must be loved to be known. --Blaise Pascal
Man is not at peace with his fellow man because he is not at peace with himself, and he's not at peace with himself because he's not at peace with God. --Thomas Merton (as quoted by Ravi Zacharias)
God is like the sun. You cannot look at it, but without it you cannot look at anything else. --attributed to G. K. Chesterton
Nothing is important - except the fate of the soul. --G. K. Chesterton
You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body. --C. S. Lewis
When a man has found something which he prefers to life, he then for the first time begins to live. --G. K. Chesterton
God cannot give us a happiness apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. --C. S. Lewis
The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried. --G. K. Chesterton
How does finitude express the infinite; how does the dirty describe the clean; how does the impure talk about the pure? When you and I can't keep our hearts clean for a solitary hour, how can we do justice to the description of who our loving God really is? --Ravi Zacharias
To realize God's presence is the one sovereign remedy against temptation. -- Francois Fenelon
The most important thing in your spiritual life is your prayer life. If you fail there, you will fail everywhere. --Ravi Zacharias
(On giants in the faith) Every man who has been successful in his spiritual life has been successful first in his personal life alone with God. --Ravi Zacharias
If you're a praying Christian, your faith in God will carry you, if you're not a praying Chrisitian, you will have to carry your faith, and you will get thoroughly, thoroughly exhausted. --Ravi Zacharias
What seem our worst prayers may really be, in God's eyes, our best. Those, I mean, which are least supported by devotional feeling. For these may come from a deeper level than feeling. God sometimes seems to speak to us most intimately when He catches us, as it were, off our guard. -- C. S. Lewis
HEAVEN AND HELL by Francis Thompson
| Quote: |
| 'Tis said there were no thought of hell, Save hell were taught; that there should be A Heaven for all's self-credible. Not so the thing appears to me. 'Tis Heaven that lies beyond our sights, And hell too possible that proves; For all can feel the God that smites, But ah, how few the God that loves! |
The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell. --C. S. Lewis
excerpts from THE HOUND OF HEAVEN by Francis Thompson
| Quote: |
| I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years; I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears I hid from Him, and under running laughter. Up vistaed hopes, I sped; And shot, precipitated Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears, From those strong Feet that followed, followed after. But with unhurrying chase, And unperturbed pace, Deliberate speed, majestic instancy, They beat--and a Voice beat More instant than the Feet - "All things betray thee, who betrayest Me." I pleaded, outlaw-wise, By many a hearted casement, curtained red, Trellised with intertwining charities; (For, though I knew His love Who followed, Yet was I sore adread Lest, having Him, I must have naught beside) ... Fear wist not to evade as Love wist to pursue. Still with unhurrying chase, And unperturbed pace, Deliberate speed, majestic instancy, Came on the following Feet, And a Voice above their beat - "Naught shelters thee, who wilt not shelter Me." ... Nigh and nigh draws the chase, With unperturbed pace, Deliberate speed majestic instancy And past those noised Feet A voice comes yet more fleet - "Lo! naught contents thee, who content'st not Me." ... Halts by me that footfall: Is my gloom, after all, Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly? "Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest, I am He Whom thou seekest! Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me." |
And, if you're still interested, here is a really good article:
RZIM's A Slice of Eternity 12/15/05
"What is that to thee? Follow thou Me." (cross-archive)
OK, I've put off posting this long enough.
Thoughts about different beliefs, particularly about lifestyle ones, but even others that are not fundamental (as much as they might seem to those who hold them).
Why do Christians believe so strongly contradictorily?
Why do sincere Christians have unshakable and unchangable disagreements?
Who is right?
....or does it matter.
Obviously, in some issues, one of them is right. BUT, in other issues, it might really not matter...
But I have a feeling we will never know here on this earth. So how do you reconcile such conflict?
What is that to thee? Follow thou Me. John 21:22
Maybe God purposely leads us in different paths because we are different and his purposes are bigger and all-encompassing.
Am I making sense?
Seems like Romans 14 has alot to say about this too. Excerpts:
4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth.
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
It was hard to choose - the whole chapter is powerful.
I've let up on alot of minor beliefs I used to hold quite strongly. Simply because they shouldn't matter as much. It's the fundamentals that really matter.
And not only that, but we should focus more on obeying Jesus than figuring out the rules for this and that.
ok, that's it for now. more thoughts are rolling about but not formulated yet.
Thoughts about different beliefs, particularly about lifestyle ones, but even others that are not fundamental (as much as they might seem to those who hold them).
Why do Christians believe so strongly contradictorily?
Why do sincere Christians have unshakable and unchangable disagreements?
Who is right?
....or does it matter.
Obviously, in some issues, one of them is right. BUT, in other issues, it might really not matter...
But I have a feeling we will never know here on this earth. So how do you reconcile such conflict?
What is that to thee? Follow thou Me. John 21:22
Maybe God purposely leads us in different paths because we are different and his purposes are bigger and all-encompassing.
Am I making sense?
Seems like Romans 14 has alot to say about this too. Excerpts:
4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth.
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
It was hard to choose - the whole chapter is powerful.
I've let up on alot of minor beliefs I used to hold quite strongly. Simply because they shouldn't matter as much. It's the fundamentals that really matter.
And not only that, but we should focus more on obeying Jesus than figuring out the rules for this and that.
ok, that's it for now. more thoughts are rolling about but not formulated yet.
Weird (cross-archive)
ever wonder why on earth this world was constructed so that when you are driving on (most) roads, you are practically playing chicken!?
one slight mistake, a hiccup, a swerve, and you're buttercup!
something i've always (well not quite) pondered/puzzled over.
(and makes me shudder when the fellow chicken is a large semi!! )
such is our world!
one slight mistake, a hiccup, a swerve, and you're buttercup!
something i've always (well not quite) pondered/puzzled over.
(and makes me shudder when the fellow chicken is a large semi!!
)such is our world!
Cosmos (cross-archive)
More thoughts related around that Who? song.
I recently watched Men in Black (for the first time, I'm a little slow), and, as usual, tried to learn from it. The ending really sticks with me, you know, how it zooms out and out and out, until these, what were they, giant lizards? Can't remember, are rolling around these marbles of galaxies that contain way within them our own galaxy. Helped me somewhat (!) grasp the sense of space.
So when I happen to be outside (being on a farm gives you quite a panoramic view of the sky) at night, listening to Who?, I just gaze up up up, and almost get a sense of how big it actually is (almost!), and again go, WOW! OUR GOD IS BIG!!!
I recently watched Men in Black (for the first time, I'm a little slow), and, as usual, tried to learn from it. The ending really sticks with me, you know, how it zooms out and out and out, until these, what were they, giant lizards? Can't remember, are rolling around these marbles of galaxies that contain way within them our own galaxy. Helped me somewhat (!) grasp the sense of space.
So when I happen to be outside (being on a farm gives you quite a panoramic view of the sky) at night, listening to Who?, I just gaze up up up, and almost get a sense of how big it actually is (almost!), and again go, WOW! OUR GOD IS BIG!!!
WHO? (cross-archive)
Ok, I give up. I'll never be able to get my thoughts formulated to give you decent blogs, so I'll just go ahead and write and disclaim responsibility.
My current fave song "of all time"?
Who? By Newsboys. This one is awesome to sing along with staring up at the stars! (even better than Michael Card's Starkindler!)
Who?
how you gonna reckon with a God like this?
when you gonna face what you can't dismiss
whatcha gonna say to the ...
soul kiss that is my God?
fearsome like the sag in a fat man's chair?
sweeter than a patch of rogain hair?
how do you define what you can't compare?
this is ... my God
and there's no use explaining
what can't be contained
Chorus
I'm not following a god I can lead around
I can't chain this deity
that's why Jesus is the final answer
to who I want my God to be
He's who (I want my God to be)
how ya gonna reckon with a God this great?
why you wanna measure what you can't equate?
watcha gonna say to the ...
check mate that is my God?
stronger than the burn of an aftershave?
tender than a burger in your microwave
rare than the air in an empty grave
this is ... my God
and there's no use explaining
what can't be contained
- Chorus -
Bridge 1
how we gonna work this out?
to fabricate a God like this no doubt
we'd end up worshipping a Christ of our own design
but Jesus doesn't fit that profile
His ways aren't mine
Bridge 2
I'm not following a God that's imagined
can't invent this deity
and that's why Jesus is the final answer
to who I want my God to be
He's who (I want my God to be)
- Chorus (3x) -
Text: Steve Taylor, Peter Furler / Musik: Peter Furler
© 2000 Dawn Treader Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) / Warner Sojourner Music / Soylent Tunes / SESAC
I just go "wow and amen". Need I elaborate further?
I often think about this song when people end up having a conflicting or insufficient vision of God because they try to fit Him into their box of beliefs.
BTW, I'd hate to start a discussion about this in thr forum, but I've been trying to figure out about music - what's good, what's bad. I'm familiar with the arguments against rock beats, and I tend to be more picky than my bros with music.... And then I hear songs like this, and scratch my head again. I don't like most CCM, but Newsboys really attract me, their powerful lyrics and all. Right now I'm listening to "Blessed be Your Name", another Newsboys. wow.
I guess that would be one qualification for me on whether I like certain CCM - powerful & hearable lyrics...
Ok, this is going to be a long post, but got me thinking...
I guess that is part of me, I always like movies, songs, etc. that are insightful. I'm one of those who is always "reading" into movies, and drawing lessons and points from them...
OK! 'nough said for now!
My current fave song "of all time"?
Who? By Newsboys. This one is awesome to sing along with staring up at the stars! (even better than Michael Card's Starkindler!)
Who?
how you gonna reckon with a God like this?
when you gonna face what you can't dismiss
whatcha gonna say to the ...
soul kiss that is my God?
fearsome like the sag in a fat man's chair?
sweeter than a patch of rogain hair?
how do you define what you can't compare?
this is ... my God
and there's no use explaining
what can't be contained
Chorus
I'm not following a god I can lead around
I can't chain this deity
that's why Jesus is the final answer
to who I want my God to be
He's who (I want my God to be)
how ya gonna reckon with a God this great?
why you wanna measure what you can't equate?
watcha gonna say to the ...
check mate that is my God?
stronger than the burn of an aftershave?
tender than a burger in your microwave
rare than the air in an empty grave
this is ... my God
and there's no use explaining
what can't be contained
- Chorus -
Bridge 1
how we gonna work this out?
to fabricate a God like this no doubt
we'd end up worshipping a Christ of our own design
but Jesus doesn't fit that profile
His ways aren't mine
Bridge 2
I'm not following a God that's imagined
can't invent this deity
and that's why Jesus is the final answer
to who I want my God to be
He's who (I want my God to be)
- Chorus (3x) -
Text: Steve Taylor, Peter Furler / Musik: Peter Furler
© 2000 Dawn Treader Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) / Warner Sojourner Music / Soylent Tunes / SESAC
I just go "wow and amen". Need I elaborate further?
I often think about this song when people end up having a conflicting or insufficient vision of God because they try to fit Him into their box of beliefs.BTW, I'd hate to start a discussion about this in thr forum, but I've been trying to figure out about music - what's good, what's bad. I'm familiar with the arguments against rock beats, and I tend to be more picky than my bros with music.... And then I hear songs like this, and scratch my head again. I don't like most CCM, but Newsboys really attract me, their powerful lyrics and all. Right now I'm listening to "Blessed be Your Name", another Newsboys. wow.
I guess that would be one qualification for me on whether I like certain CCM - powerful & hearable lyrics...
Ok, this is going to be a long post, but got me thinking...
I guess that is part of me, I always like movies, songs, etc. that are insightful. I'm one of those who is always "reading" into movies, and drawing lessons and points from them...
OK! 'nough said for now!
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