Hunger and Thirst Day #21

Hunger and Thirst as Hope

"Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will announce justice to the Gentiles. He will not fight or shout, no one will hear his voice in the streets; he will not snap off a broken reed or snuff out a smoldering wick until he has brought justice through to victory. In him the Gentiles will put their hope."
-- Matthew quoting Isaiah

Wednesday's Wonder #21

I used to think that lonliness was meant for me.
Like a message in a bottle lost out in the sea.
But now that we're together,
my whole world has been made new.
I wanna live my life for you.
And every star up in the sky
has driven me to testify
that I wanna know you.

That's why God made the moon.
For nights like these when we dream of all eternity.
As the angels sing the twilight symphony.
They sing la-de-de-de-da-da
la-de-de-de-da-da tonight.
That's why God made the moon.

There's a city in the distance,
but it seems so far away.
It's a place where lonely hearts await
The Son to light their day.
But up here I know it's silent.
There's no sorrow to be found;
just heaven all around.
And every star up in the sky
has driven me to testify
that I wanna know you.

That's why God made the moon.
For nights like these when we dream of all eternity.
As the angels sing the twilight symphony.
They sing la-de-de-de-da-da
la-de-de-de-da-da tonight.
That's why God made the moon.

And we all must feel the same
as we look up to a world that never ends.
It's hard to think that this is all coincidence.
Cause in the darkness
we need light to find our way.

That's why God made the moon.
For nights like these when we dream of all eternity.
As the angels sing the twilight symphony.
They sing la-de-de-de-da-da
la-de-de-de-da-da tonight.
That's why God made the moon.

Tuesday with Jesus #21

I wonder what answer Jesus would expect if he asked this question of any pastor you might suggest: "Is your church or congregation a safe place for sinners?"

And just how would he evaluate your answer?

Monday's Madness #21

"What if I told you that right now, someone was choosing if you were going to live or die?" the seventh-grader begins in a video recording of her speech on YouTube. "What if I told you that this choice wasn't based on what you could or couldn't do, what you'd done in the past or what you would do in the future? And what if I told you, you could do nothing about it?"

Lia, a 12-year-old girl in Toronto, took first place in a speech contest but only after an offended judge quit. Some idiot judge is offended by a defense of life!!!!!! That is madness indeed!

Rad the whole story here.

And here is the video from YouTube.

Sunday's Song #21

She walked to the mailbox
On that bright summers day
Found a letter from her son
In a war far away

He spoke of the weather
And good friends that he'd made
Said I'd been thinking 'bout dad
And the life that he had
Thats why I'm here today
And that the end he said
You are what I'm fighting for
It was the first of the letters from war

She started writing
You're good and you're brave
What a father that you'll be someday
make it home
make it safe

She wrote every night as she prayed

Late in December
A day she'll not forget
Oh her tears stained the paper
With every word that she read

It said "I was up on a hill
I was out there alone
When the shots all rang out
And bombs were exploding
And thats when I saw him
He came back for me
And though he was captured
A man set me free
And that man was your son
He asked me to write to you
I told him i would, oh I swore"
It was the last of the letters from war

And she prayed he was living
Kept on believing
And wrote every night just to say

You are good
And you're brave
what a father that you'll be someday
Make it home
Make it safe
Still she kept writing each day

Then two years later
Autumn leaves all around
A car pulled in the driveway
And she fell to the ground
And out stepped a captain
Where her boy used to stand

He said "mom I'm following orders
From all of your letters
And I've come home again",
He ran into hold her
And dropped all his bags on the floor
Holding all of her letters from war

Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home

Shabath #20

The true Sabbath -

"Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
-- Matthew

Hunger and Thirst Day #20

"How blessed are those who are persecuted because they pursue righteousness! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me!"
--- Matthew

Wednesday's Wonder #20

BEAUTIFUL!!!!

360-Degree View from Top of
Mt. Everest

(HT John Baez)

Tuesday with Jesus #20

Monday's Madness #20

Madness Repented:



And Anthony Bradley has a comment on repentance still needed.

Sunday's Song #20

Happy Birthday...so make a wish

Please accept my apologies, wonder what would have been
Would you've been a little angel or an angel of sin?
Tom-boy running around, hanging with all the guys.
Or a little tough boy with beautiful brown eyes?
I payed for the murder before they determined the sex
Choosing our life over your life meant your death
And you never got'a chance to even open your eyes
Sometimes I wonder as a foetus if you faught for your life?
Would you have been a little genius in love with math?
Would you have played in your school clothes and made me mad?
Would you have been a little rapper like your papa da Piper?
Would you have made me quit smokin' by finding one of my lighters?
I wonder about your skintone and shape of your nose?
And the way you would have laughed and talked fast or slow?
Think about it every year, so I picked up a pen
Happy birthday, love you whoever you woulda been
Happy birthday...

what  I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed

I made a mistake!

I've got a millon excuses to why you died
Bet the people got their own reasons for homicide
Who's to say it woulda worked, and who's to say it wouldn't have?
I was young and strugglin' but old enough to be your dad
The fear of being my father has never disappeared
Pondering frequently while I'm sippin' on my beer
My vision of a family was artificial and fake
So when it came time to create I made a mistake
Now you've got a little brother maybe he's really you?
Maybe you really forgave us knowin' we was confused?
Maybe everytime that he smiles it's you proudly knowin' that your father's doin' the right thing now?
I never tell a woman what to do with her body
But if she don't love children then we can't party
Think about it every year, so I picked up a pen
Happy birthday, love you whoever you woulda been
Happy birthday...

What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (yeah, make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed

I made a mistake!

And from the heavens to the womb to the heavens again
From the endin' to the endin', never got to begin
Maybe one day we could meet face to face?
In a place without time and space
Happy birthday...

From the heavens to the womb to the heavens again
From the endin' to the endin', never got to begin
Maybe one day we could meet face to face?
In a place without time and space

Happy birthday...

What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed

I made a mistake...!

Shabath #19

The story behind the song:



The song:



We are all suppose to be adopted. Shalom :-)

Hunger and Thirst Day #19

Personal Peace: Try Befriending Our Inner Enemies

How do we befriend our inner enemies lust and anger? By listening to what they are saying. They say, "I have some unfulfilled needs" and "Who really loves me?" Instead of pushing our lust and anger away as unwelcome guests, we can recognize that our anxious, driven hearts need some healing. Our restlessness calls us to look for the true inner rest where lust and anger can be converted into a deeper way of loving.

There is a lot of unruly energy in lust and anger! When that energy can be directed toward loving well, we can transform not only ourselves but even those who might otherwise become the victims of our anger and lust. This takes patience, but it is possible.

Wednesday's Wonder #19

Tuesday with Jesus #19

How does someone lead another person to Jesus, the Christ, Messiah, Savior, Lord and King?

By following Jesus.

Monday's Madness #19

As Rob Bell has pointed out, Jesus wants to save Christians, too. Read on ...

"A group of six church-goers came in last night after their evening services and sat down, not in [my daughter's] area but in another server's. When the girl came to greet them and take their drink order, one of them said, "We want to tell you up front that we will not be tipping you tonight because..."
"Are you ready?
" '...we do not believe in people working on Sunday.'
"The girl was taken full-aback, stammered out something that sounded like "I wouldn't have to work on Sunday if so many church people didn't come in," or some such. She was furious. So was the manager of the restaurant whom she summoned to deal with them. I think he should have tossed the people out on their...uh...Bibles. To his credit, and demonstrating something like agape all around, he ... "

Go read Tom Steegald's post at Prayer Pilgrimage for the rest of the story.

Let me be quite clear: If you don't want to tip your server at the restaurant don't blame God for your miserliness and don't leave a tract as a tip -- you are not serving God but you are a stingy, cheap b---- or son-of-a-b----.

Sunday's Song #19

Papa, I think I messed up again
Was it something I did?
Was it something I said?
I don't mean to do you wrong
It's just the way of human nature!

Sister, I know I let you down
I can tell by the fact
You never come around
You don't have to say a thing
I can tell by your eyes
Exactly what you mean

That it's time
To get down on my knees and pray
"Lord, undo me!"
Put away my flesh and bone
'Til You own this spirit through me Lord,
Undo me.

Mama, I know I made you cry
But I never meant to hurt you
I never meant to lie
While the world shook its head in shame
I let you take the blame

Brother, I know you labored
So hard to please
But I cut you down
And I left you on your knees
Well I know it must be

Time to get down on my knees and pray
"Lord, undo me!"
Put away my flesh and bone
'Til You own this spirit through me Lord

I am wanting, needing, guilty and greedy
Unrighteous, unholy; undo me. Undo me!

Abba Father You must wonder why
More times than Peter I have denied.
Three nails and a cross to prove
I owe my life eternally to you!

And it's time
To get down on my knees and pray
"Lord, undo me!"
Put away my flesh and bone
'Til You own this spirit through me Lord,
Undo me