23 and me

The LORD is my shepherd, the one who watches over and guides my path and protects me from the dangers of the world, therefore, I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures, the places where I shall have more than enough provision, and leads me beside the still waters where I can find peace in Him and then through Him, He restores my very soul.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness, where I could not walk on my own, for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, no matter where His path may take me, I shall fear no evil, for You, LORD, are with me.

Your rod and staff, Your word and spirit, Your conviction and Your dicipline which guides, corrects, and protects me, are a comfort to my soul, because they show that You love me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, because with You nothing can touch me and I have peace in my spirit.

You annoint my head with oil, because You have a plan and a purpose for me and a calling and a mantle for my life.

My cup runs over with blessings, because You will provide all I shall need or desire as long as my heart is turned towards You.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for great length of days until eternity.

A Psalm to the Creator

Great is the LORD! How great is He!
Who thought and caused the universe to be,
He smiled and stars came into the night
He spoke and there was purest light

He breathed the sun into the blue sky
He gathered the clouds and taught them to fly
He laughed and the thunder's roars did abound
He danced and the Northern Lights danced around

Great is the LORD! Great is His hand,
Who reached into water and brought forth the land
Who touched the earth and made green things grow
All this a mere fraction of His greatness to show

He kneeled in the mud, that eath to bless
He shaped a figure, in His likeness
He sang as His fingers made the secret things
He gave His own spirit to make humans into beings

How great is the Father, His love He has shown
To give us a world, this planet as home
With the clear blue sky, and the deep blue sea
The green grasslands and the forests of trees.

How great is the Maker, the Great God of Heaven
Who made atom and supernova in days less than seven
How great is Creator God, to YHWH be all praise
His glory was there before and will continue always

The Brink

I stood on the very edge. The cool soft world enveloping me in folds of misty white. All was endless, coiling white fingers reaching to pull me ever closer, ever nearer. As if I did not know, as if I had not seen the edge, the brink, the long plummet that would await my next footfall. I did not step. I had come to wait. To wait a little while longer.

The air stirred. Something disturbed the rolling mists. The wind had changed its direction. It was time. I waited as mists poured away from me like a running river, over the brink and into the white expanse before me. And then the sky itself was transformed.

The deep blue light of day that saturated the predawn hours was beginning to fade away. The sky grew brighter, the air crackled with excitement as the world began to awake. The sky, now shades of violet and livid pink, was still dusted with sparkling silver stars as the black silhouettes of the morning birds crossed back and forth.

A moment, a breath, a single blink of an eye, and the sun awoke above the world. The mists were burned with golden color as the heavens became a large spill of mixing colors and shades, a playground of rainbows and stars. The swirling mists, burning golden bright, grew fainter and fainter as the sun rose higher. The dew steamed off the grass, and the height of the mists dropped lower and lower, revealing the plummet that awaited.

The last of the morning was gone, the golden sun revealed what lay beneath the flowing mists of morning. It roared, churned, and beat its fists against the cliff I stood. The mighty turquoise ocean, waves crested in brilliant white foam, threw itself against the world as bright sunlight sparkled upon bright waters.

And there stood I. There upon the very brink of the world, where the great ocean reached out beyond the far horizon. Gulls called, the wind blew stronger still, and the great emotion began to arise. I wanted to fall to my knees in the soft, wet earth. But I didn’t. Instead, I turned and walked away, the roar of the seas still behind me.

And then, I turned once more, gave a short run, and leapt from the brink of the world.

What I saw

I saw them all gather,
Travel from near and far
They came by means many,
Boat, bus, plane, or car.

I saw the look in their eyes,
Excitement tinged with joy,
The Spirit of Life was with them,
On woman, man, girl, and boy.

I saw what they came for,
Why they waited for hours on end.
They sacrificed much to be here,
Something waited round the bend

I saw my generation.
And those who came before,
With eager faces, grip worn Bibles,
As they raced down through the doors.

I saw them worship You,
Thousands of voices as one.
And though there were many divisions
All came to praise the Son.

I saw them turn the pages,
Notebooks, Bibles, and hearts.
As You spoke to them of commitment,
Human nature, and grace’s art.

I saw a sea of faces,
As the call was made for the broken.
So many. O God, there are so many,
Lives now awoken.

In them I saw a quick glimpse,
A fleeting, shiver of light,
Before tears filled my eyes,
I saw Your eternity that night

The Ballad of the Glass of Water

Like a glass full of water
My life stand still
And You bring some to drink
And others to fill
But these ones You've brought now
Lord, please hear my cry
Their souls are so thirsty
That they're drinking me dry

So this glass of water
Will sing to the Maker
The One who sets kings
The great mountain Shaker
And ask Lord in this place, you've brought me to
Will you give me the grace to make it all through

And as I sing this song,
Comes the rumble of thunder
The storm clouds draw near
Like some great Divine blunder
Lord, I asked for more grace
So why am I here?
In the midst of life's storms
Serrounded by fear

Still this glass of water
Will sing to it's Maker
The One who sets kings
The great mountain Shaker
And ask Lord in this place, You've brought me to
Will You give me the strength to make it all through

And as the rain falls down,
I realise Your goal
To use these storms
To make me whole
So that they can drink
Your grace and love
While I remain filled
From Your source up above

So this glass of water
Will praise its Maker
The One who sends storms
And who is the storm Breaker
And say Lord in this place, you've brought me to
Thank you for Your love that will bring me through

Healer

Things to Learn from the song "Healer"

+That a song should never be about who wrote it. Instead a song should be assessed on the truth of the words, the relevance of the music to the purpose of the song, and annointing of the spirit on it. This is one of the big issues that revolve around this song. For too many people the song was just about the person who wrote it, and when his confession came out suddenly the song was now irrelevant and sacriligious.

+What happens when a good person does bad things. This song is powerful because it acts as a perpetual reminder of the cost of unrepentant and secret sin, especially when it's found in a person of influence.

+That it is never my place to judge, and always my place to love and forgive.

+That God can take what the enemy intends for evil and use it for good. Look at the bad situation with this song. It seems that the song could only carry bad memories and shame with it, but really there are many good things we can learn from it and be reminded of when we listen to it.

What happens at Camp...

So I may not have gone to camp but this week I set aside and sanctified as special time with God. I have gone deeper in the word, have been fasting on more than one level, have been seeking God's face, and have been expecting Him to speak to me. He has and this is one of several things that I got from him this week. This was a song:

(Um, not mine, someone elses... just to clarify)

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Wasnt it far beyond my reach?
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

-Give Me Your Eyes
Brandon Heath
What If We

This is one of the main things God has been speaking to me about recently. Whether its from the pulpit at Church, my meetings with Ben, the songs I'm listening to on the radio, or simply the verse I'm reading in my devotions, there has been a common theme that God has been speaking to me recently. Loving people like he does.

I ride the bus. Through the years I have seen small children whose parents are drunk on the bus, letting them run around and fall down as teh bus lurches to stops. I have seen teenage mothers with three or four small chrildren trying to board the bus while their babies are crying and they're talking to their friends back at high school on their cells. I've seen young men who have thrown their lives away, giving in to drugs, sitting on the bus on the way to their box under the Hawethorn Bridge. And I have seen so many beautiful people with Down's Syndrome taking the trip from their house to McDonalds, trying so hard to live a normal life. I have seen so much pain, so much sorrow, and so many broken lives, that there is no way I coudl ever reach out to any of them. There are just too many and I just don't have enough time to help any of them.

So I did the only thing I could think of doing. I shut them out. Tried to ignore the hurt around me. I smiled when they looked up and made eye contact but that was it. And I felt my love, my compassion, drying up. And then it was gone.

But then today I was readng Mark. I read the story of how Jesus after doing great miracles and being very weary, went across the lake to the oterh side so that he and his deciples could get some rest. But then when they came to teh other side, Jesus saw the people had aticipated his move and had gathered there and so when he saw them he had compassion on them.

This is the essence of it. Jesus himself got weary from helping people and yet he still found compassion for the ones who needed him. I have come to realise that I might not be able to help all the people I encounter, but I can still have compassion, can still try and help as many as possible. The one thing I can't do is shut them out. Jesus didn't and neither can I.

So this is the thing that has been on my heart lately. I have decided that I want to help as many people as possible, though I'm not sure how yet. I'm thinking about world vision, and maybe helping out with one of Portland's homeless shelters, but I'm not sure which yet. If you guys have any ideas I'll gladly take them.

Comforter

When things happen I don't understand, when life seems so wrong, I have found that there is one place I find comfort. This may sound straneg but I find comfort in old hymns. There are several that God really uses to speak to me through. I thought I'd share them.

It Is Well With My Soul

"When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.


Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul."

This hymn was written after several traumatic events in Spafford’s life. The first was the death of his only son in 1871, shortly followed by the great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer). Then in 1873, he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the S.S. Ville Du Havre, but sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with another ship, and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the telegram, "Saved Alone." Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, the captain stopped the boat where his daughters had died, and when asked to say a word for all who had died, he sang this song.

You Raise Me Up

"When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up... To more than I can be."

When I listen or sing these songs, they act as a statement. A statement of faith. That no matter what life brings, no matter what I must endure, no matter how wrong life seems at times, ...It is still well with my soul and God will raise me up to rise above it.

Thank You Jesus.

You are good, all the time. And all the time...

Today I found some old Lakewood church music. All I can say is "awesome!" I can't believe how good these songs were/are. Right now I'm listening to "You Are Good" and it's so simple and yet it seems the simple truths are the hardest to comprehend.

Chorus:
"We worship You,
Halleluja! Halleluja!
We worship You,
For who You are!"

Bridge:

"You are good, all the time.
And all the time, You are good."


Stop!

Stop what your doing. Stop what your thinking, listening to, who your talking with, what ever it is that might draw your attention elsewhere.

Now. Say this out loud:

"God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good."

Think about what that means.

"God is good." In our world, when things go wrong, people do stupid things, we do stupd things, life seems stupid and the world/culture/country seems full of evil its nice to be able to say, and mean it, and know it's true. God is good.

"All the time!" So you've probably skipped ahead to this part already and figured out that it's not only amazing that God is good, but that he stays good forever. The other great thing about this simple truth is that He doesn't change.

If He is good. If He in His goodness wants to pour out blessings on my lfe, or keep them from me because He knows I'm better off without them. If He loves me with his loving kindness and has nothing but my best in mind. If nothing can touch me but by Him allowing it. If nothing can come against me that He won't give me victory over. If He will always love me. If He will always forgive me. If He is good, then nothing else matters anymore, as long as I keep my eyes on Him.

Because, not only is my Father/Councilor/Friend/Comforter/Healer/Lover-God good, but He is good ALL THE TIME.