"The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'This is My body, broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."
May we never forget the price He willingly paid to provide for us a place at His table. May we live eucharistically and continually proclaim the Lord's death through the celebration of His Supper as a sign to the world until He returns.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Revel
Today I'm letting morose pass. Today I'm reveling in joy. In good times and in bad, the joy of the Lord is my strength! And this is a good time, it really is. I'm hard at work, but my work is honest and good. My life is honest and good. If at the end of the day, I've given all I can, then I must be satisfied with the results. I don't have to be the best, the highest, the #1. I simply have to be me, the person God created. Because He is the author and finisher of my faith, I know that I've been given all the raw materials I need to live a life that pleases Him. Those qualities I don't have, I've been given the ability to develop. God does not expect the impossible from His people (and indeed, with God, what is impossible, other than an inconceivable word?).
It's Saturday, and a beautiful one at that. On top of it all, tomorrow is the Lord's day! I've been given so much; why, other than ingratitude, would I not be joyful? May God give me the strength, the courage, the insight, and the gratitude to rejoice in Him always.
It's Saturday, and a beautiful one at that. On top of it all, tomorrow is the Lord's day! I've been given so much; why, other than ingratitude, would I not be joyful? May God give me the strength, the courage, the insight, and the gratitude to rejoice in Him always.
Today We Remember
Today we remember. May we never forget those who died as victims of terrorists or willingly gave their lives to save those of others on this date nine years ago. May we never forget, so that we do not repeat. Let us learn from the past to have a positive impact on the future.
"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
-2 Chronicles 7:14
May we be humbled so that He may heal. God bless America.
"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
-2 Chronicles 7:14
May we be humbled so that He may heal. God bless America.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Blue Like Jazz
My mood is so uneven. I am fine and then irked and then in tears. Irritations abound because difficulty abounds. Where is my peace? Where can I ever be safe from the tornadoes of the everyday?
The answer lies, I know, in the hollow of His hand. He is big, He is mighty, and He is shelter and rest. My inability to relax and rest in His peace is its own sort of learned helplessness, I suppose. Like the animal who refuses to leave its long-dwelt cage even when the door is open, so I too am trapped in my own insecurities. This is a lack of faith, because I know (but don't - can't? - really trust) that He is security, that God and my husband as an illustration of God are perfectly trustworthy and out for my good.
Maybe I've been running so long, kept and held so long as an object of responsibility rather than love, that I find it difficult to conceptualize what it means to be loved, what it means for others to care for real about my happiness and my success. I'e been told all my life that I am self-absorbed, that I am selfish, that I need to learn to think of others. Looking back, did I really ever have a problem, or were those who so instructed me simply revealing their own self-absorption? I don't know. I have worked at humility, but will I ever arrive? What's at play here? Are my womanhood and short stature relevant to my emotional state?
I am a loving person generally. Love is what drew me to God, and love is what drew the Lord to die for me. I would say that love is a, if not the, defining characteristic of my life. I care about others, or at least I think I do. How do I appear to others? Do they know that I love them, or do I seem concerned only with self? My goal is not to impress others, but to be a representation of truth if I can. No one can see my heart but me and God. I worry about my own motivations. Self-doubt has been both bred and instilled in me; nature and nurture are a double-whammy.
What do the two great commandments mean? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and like unto the first one, love your neighbor as yourself. The Law is LOVE. I have never had a big problem loving God or others, but do I love myself? Do I honor myself as a creation of the Most High God? The questions come easy, but the answers never may. In this area I am, as in all things, a work in progress.
"Everybody sings their song the way they feel it, everybody closes their eyes and lifts up their hands."
-Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz
The answer lies, I know, in the hollow of His hand. He is big, He is mighty, and He is shelter and rest. My inability to relax and rest in His peace is its own sort of learned helplessness, I suppose. Like the animal who refuses to leave its long-dwelt cage even when the door is open, so I too am trapped in my own insecurities. This is a lack of faith, because I know (but don't - can't? - really trust) that He is security, that God and my husband as an illustration of God are perfectly trustworthy and out for my good.
Maybe I've been running so long, kept and held so long as an object of responsibility rather than love, that I find it difficult to conceptualize what it means to be loved, what it means for others to care for real about my happiness and my success. I'e been told all my life that I am self-absorbed, that I am selfish, that I need to learn to think of others. Looking back, did I really ever have a problem, or were those who so instructed me simply revealing their own self-absorption? I don't know. I have worked at humility, but will I ever arrive? What's at play here? Are my womanhood and short stature relevant to my emotional state?
I am a loving person generally. Love is what drew me to God, and love is what drew the Lord to die for me. I would say that love is a, if not the, defining characteristic of my life. I care about others, or at least I think I do. How do I appear to others? Do they know that I love them, or do I seem concerned only with self? My goal is not to impress others, but to be a representation of truth if I can. No one can see my heart but me and God. I worry about my own motivations. Self-doubt has been both bred and instilled in me; nature and nurture are a double-whammy.
What do the two great commandments mean? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and like unto the first one, love your neighbor as yourself. The Law is LOVE. I have never had a big problem loving God or others, but do I love myself? Do I honor myself as a creation of the Most High God? The questions come easy, but the answers never may. In this area I am, as in all things, a work in progress.
"Everybody sings their song the way they feel it, everybody closes their eyes and lifts up their hands."
-Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz
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