the sunrise of the soul.

not being a morning person, it is a rare occurrence to see the sun rise... over the past 2 weeks i have seen it rise over the ocean on two separate occasions, in two different situations.  The peace and tranquility of watching sometime mysterious all alone.  Contrasted with the wonder of seeing an every day miracle amongst community.  While i cherish my morning watching the sky be painted by fiery illumination ... there is something sweet found in the presence of others experiencing the same beauty... the same conversion... the same newness.  The peace found in the hours before the world wakes up.  

There is great trust found in stillness... wether alone or with cherished friends.  Isn't it true, that when we hit the pause button in our lives, we are able to really see... Today, i choose to see where God is at work... in so many more places than i have realized.  and moving forward i am ready for the sun to rise in my soul and REALLY BRING THIS NEW DAY....

PTL.

The problem...

"The problem is that we know the end of the story so we don't get amazed in the middle of it ... "

It's a Choice

This verse hit me squarely for the first time today...
"Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever— therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken." (gen 3:22-23)

I never recognized this progression... 

Genesis 2:9
"And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

Genesis 2:16-17

"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Genesis 3:22-24
"Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever— therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.  He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life."

It's a choice . . . Adam & Eve were told they could eat from the trees.  BEFORE THE FALL THEY WERE FREE TO EAT OF THE TREE OF LIFE BUT THEY CHOSE NOT TO.  This never hit me so hard as today.  

Deuteronomy 30 brings the choice back to mind...  choose life and good ... or ... choose death and evil. 

Obey or Disobey.  Simple as that.

Today, we are presented with the same choice.

I wonder how often I pick from the tree of knowledge rather than the tree of life. 
From myself, or the world and humanity thank from Jesus Christ Himself...

Revelation 2, the church of Ephesus.  The church that tested false teachers, and hated the things that God hates, and yet lost their first love... The church i so easily resonate with.  The reward for overcoming... to eat of the tree of life...

Revelation 22... ooh for a glimpse of that...

I hope this draws you right to the feet of Jesus like it has for me...

giving...

what does it mean to give beyond our ability?

see 2 cor 8:3

"money never stays with me.  it would burn me if it did.  i throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it find its way into my heart." - John Wesley
oh boy.  here we go again... He asks for EVERYTHING.

the voice of God in strange places...

So today, I had spent quite a bit of time stressing about an envelope... you got it, a single envelope.  Inside it had a semi-significant amount of cash as well as some keys to my parent's vacation home.  I started searching realizing that if i were to find what i'm really looking for, it was gonna take some work... emptying out my car... going through the entire house... retracing my steps over the past couple days... and hoping that the envelope hadn't fallen out of the car in a place where i wouldn't be able to find it. 

After about 1 hour, I actually had a cleaned out car, but didn't see what i was looking for.  I had gotten so frustrated i began to pray (i know, this, should have been an earlier decision) while praying, the parable of the lost coin came to mind... "am i really seeking God with the same relentlessness as someone seeks a lost treasure?"  My head hung in shame.  as i realized i spent 60 minutes wholeheartedly pursuing an envelope and maybe 10 focused minutes pursuing Him today...
I still continued my search, driving to different places i had parked throughout the week, and began calling, "have you seen this envelope"?  "do you know what i did with it"? as i spoke with someone who remembered me having it a couple days ago, i began to have a little more peace that it was SOMEWHERE, as she was reflecting on where she last saw it, my phone died. 

I arrived to work, knowing the only possible place i could look was somewhere very familiar to me... my jacket pocket.  "but why would it be in there?!" as i walked to my desk to check my jacket, there was an advertisement on my keyboard for geico.  pictured on it was a little wad of cash with eyes staring right at me... the tag line... "It's right here.  It's easy." I found the source of the ad, and asked if it was a joke, or a clue, the truth is, she was clueless that i was even looking for money.  i stuck my hand in the pocket of my jacket which lay a foot away from the advertisement, and there it was...the very thing i spent time searching out...

the moral of the story?!?!

to pursue whole heatedly the kingdom of God, we will end up cleaning things out... the places where we spend our everyday.  sure, the obscure places need to be cleaned, but the place to start is where we reside.  Remember, "He's right here.  It's easy."  so many times we go running here and there... "oh i saw God there once" or, "Everybody says He's over there" again, He's in the place we spend our everyday.  the reason i didn't check my jacket was because i was so familiar with it as i  told someone, " i would know if it was in there... i would have felt it yesterday." Isn't it true... we need our eyes opened every day to see Him at work, we get so familiar with His blessing & grace that we forget where we came from... we forget that there is need to walk in a higher way...and that what we deserve, well... thats round about nothing good.

whilrwind.

wow, there has been quite a bit on my mind and my heart for the past little bit. . . this morning as i awoke, i looked outside and to my surprise (and everyone else's i'm sure!) there was snow...  it was EXACTLY what i needed to see... 

Over the past week or so, i have once again been reminded that i have a major sin issue... EPIC FAIL (defined!) and in the moments where i think about my sin, i totally feel helpless, drowned out and worthless... i began to wonder if God was punishing me with a sickness so i couldn't share the things i have been given with others.  i began to simply distance myself from Him for fear...well and pure tiredness.  yesterday however, i stopped by a friend's house as a surprise visit, we ended up talking for hours... it was as if a giant burden had lifted off my shoulder as we shared our hearts and spiritual journeys with one another.  (regrettably its been a long time since a conversation like that has occurred...as a two way) where had James 5:16 gone from my life?  the power of confession... the release, the acknowledgement of struggle, and the reminder that Christ calls us to PERFECTION... (also see 2 peter 1 -YOURS INCREASING, FRUIT!!!)   anyway... its been rough...and at the same time God has been knocking all along... 

fast forward to this morning, and the snow. . . Isaiah 1:18"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."

that dear friends, is a beautiful promise...

"prepare ye the way"

Last night, i was driving... a lot on my mind...
<again> a song came on my ipod, and ended up playing a couple times in a row... (by itself)
the words, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, Prepare ye the way for the kingdom"
nearly instantly, my mindset changed for the moment, my wandering mind lost track of wherever it was going... i think it was business and money thoughts... and suddenly, it was turned to kingdom thinking... amazing isn't it?  no longer, "how can I MAKE this or that work" but suddenly it was "God, is this possible... to do this for you?" then the examination of my heart... the excitement for things to come, and letting go of things that hold me, namely friendships that i've often been selfish with... realizing the fulfillment of a relationship that may not "benefit" me...but is focused on the other person... that whole "motivation" thing, yep, totally convicted about THAT yesterday... "where's the heart? isn't this REALLY where it starts...?" you know, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"  could it be, that when we CHOOSE to place our value on the things of the Kingdom, that then our hearts follow.  it's not an emotional choice... this i must remind myself of over and over again... a disciple... marked by obedience... given to follow... ignoring all else save the call and duty of God... so that's it... prepare the way... forget how to make all the plans and things of earth fall into place... my friends (and myself) invest in eternity...
with grace.