This is Church
I told her that I was thankful for her. I told her that I needed her, that the church needs her, that we need to learn from her. I told her that there are things about Jesus that she understands that I can never understand, and that I envy her that. And we gulped in awkward silence as tears threatened to spill from our eyes.
Today I Remember (Good Friday)
Today I marvel at a love that says that even if you never did anything right, and even if you waited too long, and even if you ruined everything for yourself, the cross is for you. Today I remember that my own sin was enough to require blood, just as the thief's was.
This Winter
In so many ways this winter has been a reflection of this journey through the valley of death. We wait for spring. Each day we open the door desperate to feel warmth where the cold has cut through. Just when we think it's over, it comes back again, just as bad as the worst day.
Grief is Awkward.
Words can't fix it and acts of service can't change anything. To dance on eggshells with someone hoping and praying that you don't say the one wrong thing is cumbersome. Do they want you to ask? Do they want to avoid the topic? Should you offer words of comfort or say nothing?
Close Them Softly
One thing she shared with us is sure to stick in my mind forever. She felt that the Lord told her this:Open the doors with joy, and close them softly.
How Did You Feel
I hope that the look on her face gets burned into my mind. Beyond her tangled blonde hair and her gangly limbs, I hope the hunger in her eyes stays with me. We are all hungry for honesty. For reality. For authenticity. The people I speak to need me to be honest, and I need to share my heart honestly.
Go Play With Someone Else Then
I find in my own life that there are risks I want to take and things I want to do that I am not doing because of what a handful of people will think. Because surely they will roll their eyes at me and then rejoice if I fail.
The Real Heroes
I remember reading books about Amy Carmichael and David Livingstone. Missionaries were heroes. Champions of faith who sold everything and lived in a cave with a flashlight. Giants of Christianity who lived life with a spear at their throat.
Lessons Learned at the ISO
I noticed her during the movements of Appalachian Spring. She drew me in because, unlike the two other vocalists, she was lost in the music. As the orchestra took us with them through some - I'll use the word again - unbearably beautiful moments, she closed her eyes and had the hint of a smile on her face.
Paris is Pretty but Midwest is Best
You don't hold the prestige of Paris, no. You don't have cobblestone streets or fashion weeks. But just between the two of us, Indiana, Paris can't live up to you when it comes to autumn.
What Do You Want Me To Do For You?
The beggar was so confident of what he wanted. He simply wanted to see. Forget the money he would lose from the people who took pity on him. Forget the disappointment he might feel at things not being as exciting as he had hoped. Forget the other senses being dulled when he received sight. "Lord, I want to see!"
The Temptation of Christ...and Us
I first heard this story as a child, probably accompanied by an illustrated Bible or a flannel board story. Christ being tempted by the devil. It made no sense to me.
Belief vs Action
I know what I am in Christ. I know what I am capable of through Christ. Yet I hold back. I restrain myself. And why - for fear of looking stupid, fear of disappointment, fear of being wrong, fear of failing.
"Dump It All"
The realization settled on me - this was all that was left of her life. Everything she bought, everything she carefully considered and saved up for, every piece of art she had decided to hang on her wall - all of it was gone.
Forget Not the Benefits
At times I ask myself is it worth it. There are days when I ask God how He can think it's fair that I go through certain things, how can it be fair that those of us who have given up our lives to follow Him are going through pain or trial?