Sound the Shofar or Gabe's the Man!

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The Feast of Trumpets, A New Song!

Psalms 98
1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; 5 make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn-- shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; 9 let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

I was telling a friend this weekend that music is a language. Listening to music is nice but this Psalm tells us over and over again to speak the language of music. Whether you are playing a harp or shofar (ram's horn,) whether you are clapping like a river or singing like a mountain, or resounding like the ocean, we are commanded to make a joyful noise to the Lord.

What's really cool is that I taught the youth group this weekend about Rosh Hashana and the "I know" of the song 'Jesus Loves Me' and I used the ocean to tie them all together and then I find this Psalm this morning which connects them too. God is so much fun. I love Him.

Like I told my friend, there's this whole language she hadn't experienced yet. Whether you already love to make music or are challenged to try, may you be blessed this Rosh Hashana with 'jubilant song.'

Oh and don't forget this Psalm says to make a 'new song' to the Lord! That means try a new instrument or write a song. My third son, Micah got to play a synthesizer this weekend and he'll tell you it's awesome to try something new!

At the Back of the North Wind

"...... Nobody talks there. They only look at each other, and understand everything."
"Is it cold there?"
"No."
"Is it hot?"
"No."
"What is it then?"
"You never think about such things there."
"What a queer place it must be!"
"It's a very good place."
"Do you want to go back again?"
"No; I don't think I have left it; I feel it here, somewhere."
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald





Ephesians 4:2-16
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

A Friend

You know what a friend is? Not just an acquaintance or a co-worker or teammate but a real friend...that is someone who you show the real you.

With a real friendship, minds and hearts are laid open without deceit or dishonesty.

Jesus said, 'Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God, ' in Matthew 5:8.

That pure heart reigns supreme in a true friendship.

The cool thing is that God wants that kind of friendship with us!

John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

He wants to be totally open with us. He wants to call us his friends.

I am so thankful for the friends in my life who give me a glimpse of what this friendship with God is like.

When we have that pure, honest heart, friendships thrive and we can 'see God' in our lives.

Thank you, my friends.

No Small Comfort

Feeling low. I love to write but I don't think it touches anyone's heart.

So I turned to my George MacDonald. Flipped through the pages of Sir Gibbie and just started reading. Oh what I found! Donal had just read a poem he had written which is quickly dismissed by most of the listeners. But Gibbie, Gibbie hears it... he can't speak being a mute but he can respond with music which crosses the waters and touches Donal's heart. I love George MacDonald!

From Sir Gibbie by George MacDonald
Hardly had he ended, when Gibbie's pipes began from the opposite side of the water, and, true to time and cadence and feeling, followed with just the one air to suit the song -- from which Donal,to his no small comfort, understood that one at least of his audience had received his lilt. If the poorest nature in the world responds with the tune to the mightiest master's song, he knows, if not another echo should come back, that he has uttered a true cry.

'One' is enough, if not another echo should come back, to know that I have uttered a true cry.

The Feast of Trumpets is just days away. The cry of the shofar, the ram's horn makes my heart leap. Listen for the 'true cries' that are calling to you and respond with music of your own.

Jewish Feasts- holidays Jesus loves

I figured out a way to publish my book!

It's gonna be a blog and I'll add to it before each holiday this year.

I think it's called hebrewholidays.blogspot.com!

Hope you like it, the first chapter's on line now.

L'Shana Tova!

Hominids?

Hi Middle School Friends!

I was checking out your text book like some of you asked me to do and, yeah, found some problems in the hominid dept.

A hominid is an ancestor of humans, and there's been tons of contenders for this honor but no proven winners yet.

Your text book claims that there are three of them. They should have said that some scientists hope to prove that three fossil finds are hominids. No one has proven it yet.

Many scientists suggest that Homo erectus is actually just like us, a Homo sapien. That's what was proven about Neanderthals and that's why Neanderthal isn't in your text book (he was in mine, when I was in middle school!)

Next is Homo habilis. I'm surprised they included him in your text book because scientists are saying now that the fossil remains are actually ape and human remains mixed up. That's what happened with Peking man and Java man (they were in my text books too :)!

Finally we have Lucy! Australopithecus! I love Lucy!

The Lucy Show to Open in Houston
by Lawrence Ford
Associated Press
Essentially an ape-like creature that walked upright from time to time, Lucy “was quite like a bonobo chimpanzee,” according to ICR president Dr. John Morris, “with a chimp-sized brain, long curved fingers and toes for climbing trees, a protruding face, and large molar teeth.”
Despite Lucy’s celebrity status in the evolutionary sciences, the AP admits that debate “still rages over how close an ancestor to man Lucy would be, as many experts suspect she was anatomically far closer to apes than humans.”

That just means we just don't know if Lucy is a hominid. Your text book should have said that.

So we still don't have any proven ancestors, just us.

mystery of marriage

Jesus performed his first public miracle at a wedding, turning water into wine. That's kind of what marriage does. It takes plain old life (water) and turns into something magic (wine.) Eric wrote me a song once that compared me to 'fine wine.' That's the mystery of marriage, it can turn into 'fine wine.'

The process isn't as easy as Jesus saying 'fill these six clay vessels with water' and, presto! the best wine ever served at a wedding. It's more like real aged wine.

Two souls are intermingled to create a 'One.' This joining is a symbol of our relationship with God. It is a sacred and holy thing.

It's also a funny and annoying thing! Two opposites that are attracted to each other... the masculine and the feminine, the open and hidden, the solid and the soft. How can two human beings flawed and imperfect, different in so many ways create a 'One?'

One way is by tuning into the other's 'love language,' the actions that say, 'I love you,' louder than words. It could be making and eating dinner together or listening to the other's dreams in bed in the morning. Both of these create that essence of 'One.' They enable us to really listen to and get to know the other's soul. What is it that fills him with delight in life? How can I help her to feel the joy of creation and creating? What dreams can we share for our life together? The magic in a marriage has to do with the little things, the everyday conversations and interactions and acts that say, "we are 'One.'"

Like David crying out to God in the Psalms, a stomped foot and a tearful voice, are much better than silence. We need to tell the Lord our heart's desires and even more so our spouses. Maybe that's why God provided PMS to be sure the dirty socks piling up get laundered once a month. And over all this genuineness and vision into each other's souls.... may humor reign. The Bible says that love covers over a multitude of sins....well I think that humor covers over a multitude of faults. If we can laugh together at ourselves and our situations and give them over God, we can build a 'fine wine' magical marriage.

The really cool thing is that so much of this applies to our relationship to the Creator. He longs to be constantly in touch with us, with the little things, the everyday interactions. He wants to be 'One' with us in our dreams and visions for life. He even wants to laugh with us and help us clean out the dirty socks piling up in our lives. Let's seek Him anew each morning and let Him turn our lives into 'fine wine' brimming over with His Spirit.

Passion

"I think passion is important," said this gorgeous, blond friend of mine. This was years ago and at the time I thought she was wrong. How could 'passion' be important? Unconditional love is important, selflessness is important. Well, those are the soil, the good earth that our lives need to be rooted in. But my beautiful friend is right too. Passion is a gift.

What is the passion that God has put your in heart?

Ps. 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this..

In 1986, on my face before God, I asked Him for direction, for His guidance in my life. I'd graduated from college and took a job in LA as a banker. Okay, could there be a more passionless pursuit for me? I really hated it. Well, He gave me three clear answers; music and writing and teaching teens. These seemed so odd to me. Directions I had never really pursued.

Well, soon I was very passionately involved with playing my flute in a worship band and even found myself playing on a TV show with the Sea of Galilee in the background.

Writing has taken many forms for me over the years from letters home to a book about the Jewish holidays, the holidays Jesus loves! But I'd let it slip the last couple of years because of my joy in teaching the Bible. I wrote a 'goal note' last Rosh Hashanna that I wanted to start a blog and at the beginning of this summer still hadn't gotten it going. But here I am pursuing my passion. There may not be more than one or two readers but that's not the point of passion.

True passion grows from 'delight' in the Lord. That gift you have within, that bliss that has been given to you... is really a gift from God to the world.

Jaime said, "Our gifts are given to the world, we are the caretakers of them."

If you are 'delighting yourself in God, if you commit your way to Him and trust in Him also,' then ask Him to reveal to you those passion-filled gifts. Ask for His direction and pursue His purposes. You are a gift to the world, a creation of God's that was meant to bring Him glory.

You may not be the best or brightest at your passion gift. Heck, I'm really not much of a writer and I reach very few with these words, but God put this love of writing in my heart. I feel his Presence and closeness and I delight in Him when I write.

Seek Him first and He will give you the Passion-filled desires of your heart, the gifts to the world that He has placed within you, His own little poem.

letters from God

I see something of God each hour of the twenty-four, and each moment then,
.. I find letters from God dropt in the street, and every one is sign'd by God's name,
And I leave them where they are, for I know that wheresoe'er I go,
Others will punctually come for ever and ever.

-Walt Whitman

One of my teen friends said, "We can't 'know' God. We can't even know if this chair is really a chair.... my philosophy class is really messing with my head."

Then another friend, a teen guy answered, "Okay, but we can have faith there's a chair and God."

Can we 'know' anything? I love what Walt Whitman has to say. 'I know wheresoe'er I go' there will always be more letters from God, evidence of His existence and love 'for ever and ever.'

I love what Paul said about faith too...

Hebrews 11:1-3
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Letters from God are all around us. No matter what philosophy teachers are teaching, those letters are there, evidence of things not seen. Those notes from God are constant and never-ending, waiting to be opened and known more fully than any chair you've ever sat in, my friend!

I am so thankful for His constant infilling and Presence, divine appointments and songs in my heart. I even know what Whitman meant by leaving some letters in the street. There's just so much! On Star Trek, a telepathic alien meets another telepath and they start communicating. Then one, who is just a little biped like me, says, "Too much, more slowly!"

I get that. Sometimes there's just so very much. Oh yeah, we can 'know' there's a God.

Now as for the chair, I'll leave that for the philosophy teacher to decide.

Ransom

Yesterday, I ran across this passage from C S Lewis' book, Perelandra. I sent to my email so I could just read it for myself. This beautiful Eve-like creature, has never yet made a decision to turn away from her Beloved's will for her. Lewis plays with the idea; what if there's a world where Eve chooses not to sin? The main character, a man from Earth named Ransom finds himself in the 'garden' showing the Beauty that she could choose to walk away from God's will by listening to the 'serpent.'

‘I have been so young till this moment that all my life now seems to have been a kind of sleep. I have thought that I was being carried, and behold, I was walking… What you have made me see is as plain as the sky, but I never saw it before. Yet it has happened every day. One goes into the forest to pick food and already the thought of one fruit rather than another has grown up in one’s mind. Then, it may be, one finds a different fruit and not the fruit one thought of. One joy was expected and another is given. But this I had never noticed before - that the very moment of the finding there is in the mind a kind of thrusting back, or setting aside. The picture of the fruit you have not found is still, for a moment, before you. And if you wished - if it were possible to wish - you could keep it there. You could send your soul after the good you had expected, instead of turning it to the good you had got. You could refuse the real good; you could make the real fruit insipid by thinking of the other… And this, O Piebald, is the glory and wonder you have made me see; that it is I, I myself, who turn from the good expected to the given good. Out of my own heart I do it… I thought,’ she said, ‘that I was carried in the will of Him I love, but now I see that I walk with it. I thought that the good things He sent drew me into them; but now I see that it is I who plunge into them with my own legs and arms, as when we go swimming… It is a delight with terror in it! One’s own self to be walking from one good to another, walking beside Him as Himself may walk, not even holding hands. How has He made me so separate from Himself? How did it enter His mind to conceive such a thing? The world is so much larger than I thought. I thought we went along paths - but it seems there are no paths. The going itself is the path.’”

We can choose.
Today, as I was helping serve burgers to dozens of high schoolers at our church's 'Buck Buffet', one guy asked me if they had pork in them. I assumed he was Jewish and talked to him a bit about Rosh Hashana coming up soon. Then I asked his name... Ransom.
"Oh!" I said, "C.S Lewis wrote a..."
"Yes, I'm named after that Ransom."

So I just couldn't help writing about Perelandra!

In Lewis', novel, the Lady chooses not to leave the Father's will.
Here on Earth, there's a different story,

Isa 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

I think my new friend, Ransom would like this chapter in Isaiah. It's such a clear picture of Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus. I'm pretty sure Ransom is a Messianic Jew which means a Jew who believes that Jesus is the Messiah.

Here's what Jesus had to say about it.

Mat. 20:28 ... the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Unlike the Lady, we choose to go astray. No amount of fasting or alms-giving or sacrificing can make up for that fact. A ransom was paid, 'the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.'
Because of that ransom, we can choose to walk with Him, to live for Him, to abide in Him.

At the end of the book, they all join in the Great Dance, with the stars and the angels. No wonder I like it so much:)

Adventure

The test of an adventure is that when you're in the middle of it, you say to yourself, "oh, now I've got myself into an awful mess; I wish I were sitting quietly at home." And the sign that something's wrong with you is when you sit quietly at home wishing you were out having lots of adventure. 'The Matchmaker' (Hello Dolly) by Thornton Wilder

My 96 year old friend and neighbor went on the great adventure yesterday afternoon. My son, Gabriel said, "Well, Mom, now she really knows what it's all about!"

She was one of the people I hoped to bless in Tues. post but ended up getting blessed by! She was out all day Mon. driving around, getting stuff done. Then on Wed. she had a quiet day at home and ended up going all the way Home.

The cool thing about adventure is that you really can have them even sitting quietly at home. Every time you read a challenging author or the most adventurous read of all the Bible(the New International Version is nice), you can be driven to new depths and heights of possibilities. Then there's prayer. You can have a part in an amazing spiritual battle or experience while stretching on your roof deck watching for meteors. Also I don't know if it's the constant supply of homemade cookies or what but I've got tons of teenagers coming through my home everyday. I love it!

Maybe there's 'something wrong' with desiring adventure according to Mr. Wilder...
but I don't think so.

I'll be missing you, Camille.

consent to be made..

George MacDonald writes:
“The one secret of life and development is not to devise and plan, but to fall in with the forces at work – to do every moment’s duty aright – that being the part in the process allotted to us; and let come – not what will, for there is no such thing – but what the eternal Thought wills for each of us, has intended in each of us from the first. If men would but believe that they are in process of creation, and consent to be made – let the maker handle them as the potter his clay, yielding themselves in respondent motion and submissive hopeful action with the turning of his wheel, they would ere long find themselves able to welcome every pressure of that hand upon them, even when it was felt in pain, and sometimes not only to believe but to recognize the divine end in view, the bringing of a son into glory; whereas, behaving like children who struggle and scream while their mother washes and dresses them, they find they have to be washed and dressed, notwithstanding, and with the more discomfort: they may even have to find themselves set half naked and but half dried in a corner, to come to their right minds, and ask to be finished.”

read it again and I will too.

Lord, us help to welcome every pressure of Your hand.

treasure in heaven

Luke 12:32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

It's so fun talking to people about what they think 'treasure in heaven' is. I've heard so many ideas from a big mansion to tons of crowns, to a more important job. Well, I don't know what purpose a house would serve but I do know what the crowns are for... to throw at His feet, as for the more important job, no thanks.

I think I know what treasure in heaven is at least for me. It's people. Heck, that's the only thing I want to collect in heaven...more of us there to love.

Guess who agrees that people are treasure?

Actually it's the only thing referred to (and referred to often:) as His 'treasured possession.'

Psalms 135:4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession.

People, baby, we are His treasured possession!

So what does this mean for you and me? It might mean that our goals should be different than they are right now. It might mean cutting some things out that get in the way of this treasure. Or it might mean just rejoicing in that truth that we are a treasure to God.

Do not be afraid, fellow-little fluffy headed lambs, treasured possessions. It's the Creator's good pleasure to give us the Kingdom.

.

What do we live on?

Luke 21:1-4
1 As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

What do I live on? I don't mean money or food. But what feeds me within? What do I set my hope, faith and desire on? I know what I want it to be.... My connection with, my love and devotion for God. I desire to continually be in His Presence.

I'll bet that widow had that connection. I don't know why she decided to put those two coins in the treasury. But I want to follow her example. I want to take that thing that I am depending on that isn't God and let it go.

I was reading some of the prayer requests of the teens in our youth group last night and one of them was, 'Please don't let me be motivated by money.' That's pretty intense for a thirteen year old to be thinking. But it goes straight to my heart...'please don't let me be motivated by anything but Love.'

Lord, look into my heart today and make me like that widow, unwilling to live on anything but You.

blessings

Early morning...
Bunny's eating my apple tree. Micah's playing piano. Just made a ton of chocolate chip cookies and pancakes. Nick just texted Micah- Prov. 3:5 & 6. It's gonna be sunny this afternoon. We are so blessed.

Rosh Hashana is in two weeks! I like to count my blessings before the days of awe instead of digging up my yuckiness.

And if I can be used to bless someone that would be a huge blessing.

John 1:16 From the fullness of His Grace we have all received one blessing after another.

Later afternoon....
Oh Lord, thanks for your blessings to me. When I try to bless others, there You are blessing me!
When many are coming and going and there is little leisure,
give us grace,
O heavenly Father,
to follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who knew neither impatience of spirit or confusion of work,
but in the midst of his labors held communion with you,
and even upon earth was still in heaven;
where He now reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
world without end. Amen. (A prayer by C. J. Vaughan, 1816-1897)

Flowing with Love and Peace no matter what was going on around Him.
Connected to the Father, filled with the Spirit, streaming and resonating with Love.
Oh yeah, I want to be a hallow instrument of praise that He can use, vibrating with His Love.

Delirious

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4zw5kZ65w4

that one's for rockers,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE6sisrjPNk

this one's for non-rockers....

Revelation 22:1-5
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

I dreamed about a frozen water fall last night. We tried to climb it but it was impossible, it wasn't even beautiful just sad. But we stopped trying, the sun came and melted it into a rushing, clear, clean river. Then we could actually swim up it like in 'The Last Battle,' by C. S. Lewis. The end of that book is a treasure. His description of heaven is just delicious. I used parts of it in a memorial service once that I lead. Some of the guests had walked out on funerals that were 'too religious' in the past but I managed to keep them there and even get thankful emails from them.
Thank you, Clive Lewis!

We were learning this song yesterday which I think had something to do with my dream. The verses from Revelation above are really about heaven too. But when we sing and dance to this song by Delirious, I think we can enter into the Kingdom if we let the Son melt and heal our hearts. We can live in love forever, 'nuf said.

I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever

Over the mountains and the sea,
Your river runs with love for me,
and I will open up my heart
and let the Healer set me free.
I'm happy to be in the truth,and I will daily lift my hands:
for I will always sing of when Your love came down. [Yeah!]

I could sing of Your love forever,
I could sing of Your love forever,
I could sing of Your love forever,
I could sing of Your love forever.
[Repeat]
Oh, I feel like dancing
-it's foolishness I know;
but, when the world has seen the light,
they will dance with joy,
like we're dancing now.
Written by Martin Smith ©1994 Curious? Music UK

Unclosing Our Hands

Another fine thing in The Pr. & the Goblin is where Curdie, in a dream, keeps on dreaming that he has waked up and then finding that he is still in bed. This means the same as the passage [in Macdonald’s Lilith] where Adam says to Lilith “Unless you unclose your hand you will never die & therefore never wake. You may think you have died and even that you have risen again: but both will be a dream.”
This has a terrible meaning, specially for imaginative people. We read of spiritual efforts, and our imagination makes us believe that, because we enjoy the idea of doing them, we have done them. I am appalled to see how much of the change wh. I thought I had undergone lately was only imaginary. The real work seems still to be done. It is so fatally easy to confuse an aesthetic appreciation of the spiritual life with the life itself — to dream that you have waked, washed, and dressed, & then to find yourself still in bed. — Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis

What are the things that I have tighty clasped in my hands? Are there ideas and expectaions that I cherish outside of His Love and will for me? How can I learn to give Him all the faith He's given to me and open up my hands?
Maybe that's why I love to pray with my hands open and palms up. Once I tried a Tai Chi class but I only lasted about 5 minutes because I kept placing my palms up and this didn't fly with the instructor. She would come over and sweetly turn my palms over. I think we both realized this just wasn't for me.

I think C. S. Lewis is so cute here, 'the real work seems still to be done...' such a funny way to put it because the 'real' work is letting go, trusting, giving over the outcome to Him.

Curdie is dreaming that he will get up and save the princess. When he does really wake up, he saves many people but not the princess, she's been safe and sound all along. Sometimes all of our 'spiritual efforts' as Lewis put it, have a completely different purpose than we thought. Actually I think of our spiritual efforts are pretty useless. It's that 'unclosing of our hands' that God is waiting for, that complete willingness to trust in Him even when the thread of His leading is taking us on a difficult unexpected path.

Eph. 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I love the paradox here... we are not saved through our works but we are God's workmanship created to do good works and all it takes to be His little good work doer is really unclose our hands to ourselves and our death grip on our wants and desires and trust in His grace, the free undeserved gift of Love and Life He continually offers.

That's worth waking up for :)

Eternal Mystery

My neighbor and I were talking yesterday about how wonderful 'mystery' is in life and how someday we'll know a lot more but we both hope that there will still be mystery and things to find out.
She said, "God wouldn't be God if we could ever really understand everything about Him."

I said, " Well, the Bible says, 'we will know as we are known,' but there's really not that much to know about me."

Maybe that doesn't really make sense, I've been told that I really don't make sense a lot of the time, that a lot of what I say is pretty silly. So I'll try to explain what I mean...
maybe the amount that I'll 'know' is equal to the amount that can be known about me. That is not a whole lot. But I suspect it's even less with some people and maybe really, really little with people who are completely given to the things of this world.
1 Cor.7:31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

Things of this world are passing away.
1 Cor. 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, .....30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

You know what is so cool? That being foolish to the world, appearing weak to the world, being humble and even despised is okay. If we have the Love of Jesus in our hearts, if the wisdom of God can speak through us, if we depend utterly on Him for our strength and righteousness, that's enough, 'Deyanu!'

Mystery of mysteries, how crying with a friend is strength, how speaking of things that don't make a lot of sense to most people is wisdom, how dancing, laughing, hugging, like a fool is anything but!

Oh yeah, mystery will remain because God is God and so infinitely, mysteriously, beautiful.
The most amazing mystery of all is this Love that never fails and will remain eternally.

1 Corinthians 13:8-13
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

shedding

Bunny is shedding again. When I pet her or pick her up it's like a white, furry pig-pen cloud. I love it. I want to be like that, to shed this white, fluffy, cloud of God's love around me where ever I go. That Love really can get shed around if we are filled with His Spirit.

Yesterday, I got to shed on people at the grocery store from the checker who cried with me a little over the sad song that was playing, to the old friend's bro. who watches over his aging parents and needed a word of encouragement and then today I got to help with the Buck Buffet at a church near the high school. We make burgers for tons of teens and I get to tell them I love their shirt or their hair or their smile...It's the best....

So make it a fluffy, furry, Love shedding day!




Romans 5:5
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

well-watered garden

Jeremiah 31:12 ...they will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. 13 Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

Are you His 'well-watered garden'?... I had the senior girls in my small group last night(our youth group spilts up into smaller groups at the end.) They are such beautiful flower beds! We were talking about worshiping God through surrendering to Him. Relationships were the number one thing that they had learned to give up to God, to trust Him with watching over a Dad in Iraq, or a friend now in college, a mom having an operation tomorrow. They had this assurance that no matter what was changing around them, they could trust in His unfailing love and care. Awesome girls!

Isaiah 58:10...your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

I love that these 'well-watered' verses talk about dancing and strengthening your frame. It's important to give Him every bit of ourselves. Our hearts, souls, minds, AND strength.
Guess what those gals asked me to do? Grab our yoga mats and lead a 'Worship/Stretching/ Dancing Senior Girl's Small Group' tonight. They want me to teach them my worship/workout ideas. That's so cool, I've wanted to do something like this for many a moon.

Worshiping Him, delighting in Him, trusting in Him yields the desires of our hearts (Ps. 37.)
First thing we gotta do is think of a different name for the group:) One of my sons suggested 'Coga' for Christian Yoga. Another friend said, 'Christian Bending.' But both kind of leave out the dancing part and we can't have that!

'Love makes the Only Myness'

'You never made that song, Diamond,' said his mother.
'No, mother. I wish I had. No, I don't. That would be to take it from somebody else. But it's mine for all that.'
'What makes it yours?'
'I love it so.'
'Does loving a thing make it yours?'
'I think so , mother - at least more than anything else can. If I didn't love baby,...she wouldn't be mine a bit. But I do love baby, and baby is my very own Dulcimer.'
'The baby 's mine, Diamond.'
'That makes her the more mine, mother.'
'How do you make that out?'
'Because you're mine, mother.'
'Is that because you love me?'
'Yes, just because. Love makes the only myness,' said Diamond.
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald

Flowers from my Friend

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give. George MacDonald

My friend gave me flowers today. Not the kind that will wilt or fade but they are abundant with seeds. Oh the beautiful thoughts she sowed into my soul.

Your friendship to me is 'like a tree that grows beside a stream, that bears fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up.' (that's from Psalm 1.)

Thank you, my friend for 'giving as the angels give.'

My heart does leap when I hear the ringer on my cell reserved for you!

Love and Toy Cars

Let's talk about love. Paul wrote the passage in his letter to the Corinthians which lovers still have read at their weddings. But Paul wasn't talking about romantic love. Oh and Ruth's statement of love is read a bunch at weddings too. But she said those words to her mother in law.

Paul says before he starts his chapter 13 on love, 'And now I will show you the most excellent way.' He's saying love is better than gifts of healing or miracles or prophecies, or even self sacrifice. He says, 'but if I have not love, I am nothing.'

1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

John's whole letter talks about love. Sometimes I try to share God's love with people but I don't really love them. This just doesn't work. It's like I'm driving around in a little toy car trying to do stuff but the reality of the situation is in my heart being connected to the One great loving Heart.

J. Campbell has something cool to say about love too. Actually he's talking about the heart. He describes the heart as the organ of opening up to somebody else. It has to do with the spirit as opposed to the animal qualities of self-interest.

What are all these smart guys and gals saying? Love matters. That heart motive of opening up to another matters. There's a reality here that goes beyond 'words' as John said.

When we were praying yesterday, one person kept getting the word 'toy car' much to his confusion. Well it meant something to me. It means something to me. This life is like driving around in a little toy car which is okay because it gives us a good idea of the life that's surrounding us. There's a real Life of Love, of Spirit, of knowing God that surrounds our little toy car lives.

Here's what John says so beautifully...

1 John
4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
4:9
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
4:10
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
4:11
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
4:12
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
4:13
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
4:14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
4:15
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.
4:16
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
4:17
In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.
4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Oh I want to live in that love, I want to share it, I want to be complete in His Love even if I am driving in a little toy car.

Focus

Where's this red-head of mine at? Where's my focus today? My bunny has one focus if I'm anywhere near...me! She's constantly watching me to see if I'll give her a treat or pet her sweet ears.

I want my focus to be on my Master, Creator, Father. What's He got for me today? Maybe I'll walk into a mess 'cause my head's striding with Him but that's okay because my heart will be right and I'll be able to laugh and trust. Sometimes Bunny will miss the carrot top that's right next to her because she's watching this Carrot Top. But that's a good thing 'cause she'll get that treat and I'll pet her too:)
Here's something cool I've been mediating on this week...
(I looked it up in The Message on Crosswalk to get a different take on it.)

Romans 8

5b.. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them - living and breathing God! 6 Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. 7 Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. .

14 God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go! 15 This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike 'What's next, Papa?' 16 God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children.

So let's keep our bunny eyes and ears open to Him today.
Oh the places, we'll go with the 'What's next Papa?' focus !

filled up

I like the feeling of fullness. My husband and I had a beautiful sunset/sushi dinner last night. By the time the stars came out, we were full inside and inside again. Full of shared artichoke leaves and sushi rolls but also full of something else, kind of an 'at-oneness.' It's love and more, it's shared heart.

Maybe you know the feeling? It's talking and laughing (or perhaps crying) and really being 'with' someone.

That's the kind of fullness that Paul talks about over and over again in Colossians 1 & 2. It's a beautiful picture of the fullness of God in Jesus.

We can get little glimpses of that Fullness in prayer, in worship, in communing in the atonement and provides the 'at-oneness' of abiding in God. Oh it's a beautiful place to be.

Here's my prayer for you from parts of Paul's letter to the Ephesians....
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you......23....the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.

PS read my blog on prayer, 'Why Pray?' on July 9th at redhotanswers:)my other blog.