Picture taken at Time to Change youth party yesterday
пятница, октября 31, 2008
вторник, октября 28, 2008
Lessons from the campfire:
Last night we had a cookout; it was a lot of fun—roasting sausages, singing songs, climbing trees, telling stories. As the evening began to wind down and people started breaking into smaller groups to say their goodbyes, I sat watching the fire. And, as people began to leave, things we thrown into the fire—napkins, food that had fallen on the ground, now empty two liters. I watched the trash melt and begin to deform and eventually disappear completely. I started thinking about that part in Hebrews that speaks of God being a ‘consuming fire.’ Later this week I’ll probably look that part up again and read what is really written there; but for me, last night, it was all about me wanting to step into the fire that is my God and melt away until the only evidence of my previous existence is Him. I want to be consumed. :o)
Started rubbing sticks together
Thought a spark would take forever
Never dreamt this fire would appear
Moses saw the bush in flames
Heard the branches speak his name
Wonder if he felt this kind of fear
Cause I’m burning
I’m burning
And I know I’m gonna blister in these flames
I’ll stay here
Until this smoke clears
And I’ll find you in the ashes that remain
Used to be that I could say
My faith was one arms length away
From any flame that felt to warm
As for matches
I received a gallon full of gasoline
And now my cozy campfire days are gone
Now I’m burning
I’m burning
And I know I’m gonna blister in these flames
I’ll stay here
Until this smoke clears
And I’ll find you in the ashes that remain
“Knock with caution at the door.”
They said, “Beware of what you’re praying for.”
So I stand with my whole desire
In the middle of this forest fire
Till I’ve nothing left to show
And new life begins to grow
Cause I’m burning
I’m burning
And I know I’m gonna blister in these flames
I’ll stay here
Until this smoke clears
And I’ll find you in the ashes that remain
-Nichole Nordeman, Burnin'
Thought a spark would take forever
Never dreamt this fire would appear
Moses saw the bush in flames
Heard the branches speak his name
Wonder if he felt this kind of fear
Cause I’m burning
I’m burning
And I know I’m gonna blister in these flames
I’ll stay here
Until this smoke clears
And I’ll find you in the ashes that remain
Used to be that I could say
My faith was one arms length away
From any flame that felt to warm
As for matches
I received a gallon full of gasoline
And now my cozy campfire days are gone
Now I’m burning
I’m burning
And I know I’m gonna blister in these flames
I’ll stay here
Until this smoke clears
And I’ll find you in the ashes that remain
“Knock with caution at the door.”
They said, “Beware of what you’re praying for.”
So I stand with my whole desire
In the middle of this forest fire
Till I’ve nothing left to show
And new life begins to grow
Cause I’m burning
I’m burning
And I know I’m gonna blister in these flames
I’ll stay here
Until this smoke clears
And I’ll find you in the ashes that remain
-Nichole Nordeman, Burnin'
пятница, октября 24, 2008
среда, октября 22, 2008
Flirting with sin...
is always disastrous.
If there is line where purity ceases and sin begins then my goal is not to not cross that line, my goal is to be as far away from that line as possible.
Oh, believe me, that’s a lot easier said than done. And I’ve crossed the line far more often than I’d like to admit. But knowing that the call of my God is holiness, my standard for myself must be nothing less than that.
“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15-16
I acted out this idea in my friend’s kitchen the other day…using Giglio’s bubble analogy-- getting just close enough to the outer edge of a bubble so as not to pop it rather than rushing to the middle where God and holiness resided. She encouraged me to illustrate and post this idea on my blog. Being that I am a better actor than I am illustrator I shrugged her off. But, as I’ve noticed sin in my own life this past week and looked back to see how I got to the action of the sin, I realized it always began in a form of pride and/or selfishness. I stepped into a grey area sure that I wouldn’t cross over into the dark.
Take David for example, I don’t believe he woke up one morning and thought “I’d like to commit adultery today. And then I’ll have the husband killed” and so he went looking for Bathsheba. No, note that already he was not in the battle that was being fought—a place the king should have been. I don’t really know why he wasn’t there. But I’d wager that his decision to not be there was a step into the grey, opening the door for sin later. Had he been at the battle, he would not have been in a place to view Bathsheba. Had he not seen her, he would not have desired her. Had he not desired her he would not have slept with her, she would not have gotten pregnant, he would not have tried to deceive her husband, he would not have murdered Uriah. And all this because David, like me, chose to flirt with sin, pridefully believing “oh, I would never do something like that.” Forget the line, I’ll do my best to keep out of the grey, thank you very much! :o)
If there is line where purity ceases and sin begins then my goal is not to not cross that line, my goal is to be as far away from that line as possible.
Oh, believe me, that’s a lot easier said than done. And I’ve crossed the line far more often than I’d like to admit. But knowing that the call of my God is holiness, my standard for myself must be nothing less than that.
“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15-16
I acted out this idea in my friend’s kitchen the other day…using Giglio’s bubble analogy-- getting just close enough to the outer edge of a bubble so as not to pop it rather than rushing to the middle where God and holiness resided. She encouraged me to illustrate and post this idea on my blog. Being that I am a better actor than I am illustrator I shrugged her off. But, as I’ve noticed sin in my own life this past week and looked back to see how I got to the action of the sin, I realized it always began in a form of pride and/or selfishness. I stepped into a grey area sure that I wouldn’t cross over into the dark.
Take David for example, I don’t believe he woke up one morning and thought “I’d like to commit adultery today. And then I’ll have the husband killed” and so he went looking for Bathsheba. No, note that already he was not in the battle that was being fought—a place the king should have been. I don’t really know why he wasn’t there. But I’d wager that his decision to not be there was a step into the grey, opening the door for sin later. Had he been at the battle, he would not have been in a place to view Bathsheba. Had he not seen her, he would not have desired her. Had he not desired her he would not have slept with her, she would not have gotten pregnant, he would not have tried to deceive her husband, he would not have murdered Uriah. And all this because David, like me, chose to flirt with sin, pridefully believing “oh, I would never do something like that.” Forget the line, I’ll do my best to keep out of the grey, thank you very much! :o)
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