A taste as sweet as honey.
A sound so magnificent resonating deep within the soul.
A sight so beautiful that a gaze too long will pierce the eyes.
A beautifully captivating fragrance penetrating deep throughout the nostrils.
A touch that heals all that press a finger to its garments.
All characteristics of Alpha and Omega, the Great Counselor, The Almighty, Yahweh, or more simply put- my God.
I find myself so absolutely overwhelmed by the goodness of the Lord. The guy (well, not really a guy at all) who gives off all of those senses in the most beautiful and harmonious way is the same guy who created the Heavens and earth; who is the same guy that created me.... AND THE SAME GUY THAT DESIRES A RELATIONSHIP ON A PERSONAL BASIS WITH ME.
The craziest part of it all is that the relationship is wrapped wholly and completely in love and nothing else. Not judgment, not wrath, but love. He knew we'd choose our independence... but could not bear the thought of not creating based solely on the idea that we would deliberately disobey His commands. Instead, He provided a reconciliation through the death of his Son. A love entirely for me, undeserved, yet meant to be.
"An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself so that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others," A.W. Tozer.
Amen Tozer, amen.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
I love finding the Lord in all that I do.
Evening time- step outside with my guitar, look out at the landscape before me. All I can say is 'Lord, you are beautiful. Look at you, you are beautiful.'
He found me tonight. The past week I hadn't paid Him much attention. But He loves me enough to say 'No way Courtney.. I'm not letting you drift away from what brings you the most joy.' That's not to sound conceited on the Lord's part, it's the truth. He is what makes me most happy.
And so tonight was filled with finding the Lord in everything, after He sought me.
Music- aside from Jesus, it is the passion of my soul. And though there aren't any levels of worship better than the other, to sing unto Him is a burning desire within me. He has blessed me with this talent- I am His- all that I have done and ever will do belongs to Him. Here's to you Father.
As the night sky encompassed around me, and the stars they were alight, my heart sang the joy, of the beauty within my sight.
Amen.
Evening time- step outside with my guitar, look out at the landscape before me. All I can say is 'Lord, you are beautiful. Look at you, you are beautiful.'
He found me tonight. The past week I hadn't paid Him much attention. But He loves me enough to say 'No way Courtney.. I'm not letting you drift away from what brings you the most joy.' That's not to sound conceited on the Lord's part, it's the truth. He is what makes me most happy.
And so tonight was filled with finding the Lord in everything, after He sought me.
Music- aside from Jesus, it is the passion of my soul. And though there aren't any levels of worship better than the other, to sing unto Him is a burning desire within me. He has blessed me with this talent- I am His- all that I have done and ever will do belongs to Him. Here's to you Father.
As the night sky encompassed around me, and the stars they were alight, my heart sang the joy, of the beauty within my sight.
Amen.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
We are saints made of plaster; our laughter is canned
We are demons that hide in the mirror
But the blood on our hands paints a picture exceedingly clear.
We are brimming with cumbersome, murderous greed
And malevolence deep and profound
We do unspeakable deeds, does our wickedness know any bounds?
Something's gone terribly wrong with everyone
All the world is mad
Darkness brings terrible things; the sun is gone-
What vanity! our sad wretched fires.
We can't medicate man to perfection again
We can't legislate peace in our hearts
We can't educate sin from our souls, it's been there from the start.
But he blind lead blind into bottomless pits
Still we smile and deny that we're cursed
But of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst.
Oh what little light we have
It only serves to show
The snares and seeds of wrath
We have already sewn on every path.
All the World is Mad- Thrice
We are demons that hide in the mirror
But the blood on our hands paints a picture exceedingly clear.
We are brimming with cumbersome, murderous greed
And malevolence deep and profound
We do unspeakable deeds, does our wickedness know any bounds?
Something's gone terribly wrong with everyone
All the world is mad
Darkness brings terrible things; the sun is gone-
What vanity! our sad wretched fires.
We can't medicate man to perfection again
We can't legislate peace in our hearts
We can't educate sin from our souls, it's been there from the start.
But he blind lead blind into bottomless pits
Still we smile and deny that we're cursed
But of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst.
Oh what little light we have
It only serves to show
The snares and seeds of wrath
We have already sewn on every path.
All the World is Mad- Thrice
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
I Can't Even Imagine....
Ok... so. This will pretty much just be me prattling on about this and that, and it may not make a whole lot of sense. Really I'm doing it because I desperately need to process my thoughts or I may just go insane. So, here goes nothin'.
I'm reading The Shack right now, and to be honest. I wish I'd gotten my hands on it sooner. But then again, I'm not so sure I would have been able handle all of the concepts that it has been throwing my way. Like, for instance, creation, aside from human beings.
"Sarayu, I know you are the Creator, but did you make the poisonous plants, the stinging nettles, and mosquitos too?"
"Mackenzie, a created being can only take what already exists and from it fashion something different."
"So, you are saying that you..."
"created everything that actually exists, including what you consider the bad stuff. But when I created it, it was only good, because that is just the way I am."
"But.. then why has so much of the 'good' gone 'bad'?"
"You humans, so little in your own eyes. You are truly blind to your own place in the creation. Having chosen the ravaged path of independence, you don't even comprehend that you are dragging the entire creation along with you."
Ok...what? I have always been interested in how creation fits into everything. And this idea rocked my world. To be honest I'm not sure how I feel about it. I've got two ideas emulating in my mind right now... This one; that because of our choice since day one in the garden to choose independence over God, emulating our own ideas and structures, we cause creation to fall with us because we inhabit the earth, or....
Natural disasters are God's way of showing us who is in charge. I mean, there was the great flood after all.
It's a crazy thing to think about.. especially because there's no way that an intangible nature that has no choice could 'sin,' right? Sin entailing natural disasters of course. So I suppose, at least based upon human understanding, the idea that our fall caused nature to fall as well doesn't really make much sense..
Unless there is something to be said about the realness of such expressions as 'the mountains cry out....,' but again, that doesn't seem to make much sense either...
And yet again, could it be because of the system we have engrossed ourselves in? I mean... we are so used to hierarchy operating system that not much else would make sense.... especially such a crazy relationship between God and man and Nature..
Anyway, to be honest, I'm not really sure where I'm going with all of this. All I know is, I desire that original relationship as it was intended to be, no matter how crazy it may look.
Peace.
I'm reading The Shack right now, and to be honest. I wish I'd gotten my hands on it sooner. But then again, I'm not so sure I would have been able handle all of the concepts that it has been throwing my way. Like, for instance, creation, aside from human beings.
"Sarayu, I know you are the Creator, but did you make the poisonous plants, the stinging nettles, and mosquitos too?"
"Mackenzie, a created being can only take what already exists and from it fashion something different."
"So, you are saying that you..."
"created everything that actually exists, including what you consider the bad stuff. But when I created it, it was only good, because that is just the way I am."
"But.. then why has so much of the 'good' gone 'bad'?"
"You humans, so little in your own eyes. You are truly blind to your own place in the creation. Having chosen the ravaged path of independence, you don't even comprehend that you are dragging the entire creation along with you."
Ok...what? I have always been interested in how creation fits into everything. And this idea rocked my world. To be honest I'm not sure how I feel about it. I've got two ideas emulating in my mind right now... This one; that because of our choice since day one in the garden to choose independence over God, emulating our own ideas and structures, we cause creation to fall with us because we inhabit the earth, or....
Natural disasters are God's way of showing us who is in charge. I mean, there was the great flood after all.
It's a crazy thing to think about.. especially because there's no way that an intangible nature that has no choice could 'sin,' right? Sin entailing natural disasters of course. So I suppose, at least based upon human understanding, the idea that our fall caused nature to fall as well doesn't really make much sense..
Unless there is something to be said about the realness of such expressions as 'the mountains cry out....,' but again, that doesn't seem to make much sense either...
And yet again, could it be because of the system we have engrossed ourselves in? I mean... we are so used to hierarchy operating system that not much else would make sense.... especially such a crazy relationship between God and man and Nature..
Anyway, to be honest, I'm not really sure where I'm going with all of this. All I know is, I desire that original relationship as it was intended to be, no matter how crazy it may look.
Peace.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Baila Baila!!!
Today was amazing.
I danced before the Lord for the first time in my life.....
It was the most freeing feeling ever.
Today at the boardwalk, aside from a few stragglers here and there, I was the only one out there. I decided to take full advantage of it. Upon ending my time of reflection and prayer, I listened to my i-pod and literally danced before God. It was the craziest thing. But I was just so overcome by His power and beauty that I simply could not contain myself. All the while I exclaimed out loud 'Let it rain,' which was a part of the song of course. But man, did I desire the rain!! :)
Lately I have been so rocked by the thought of what it must look like to fully live out in the joy of the Lord. A guy from my school comes to my mind frequently when I think about it. I don't even know his name. But every single chapel service during worship, he is constantly dancing and just kneeling before the Lord. And while most people probably think it's for show, I find myself wondering 'is this what it looks like? To be fully consecrated and completely engrossed by the divine joy of the Father?'
I have to believe that if we truly stumbled upon the joy everlasting that the Lord desires for all of us, right now, we would not be able to stop dancing. Is it any wonder, then, that the Lord tells us that few will find the way? But man, what a beautiful idea. And it IS possible. Paul, who is not superhuman but just like us, writes in Phillipians 'I consider everything loss compared with the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.'
This is what I desire. To live out knowing that the Lord is all that I need. That all else is RUBBISH.
Shortly after I graduate, I plan on doing something absolutely crazy, at least in most people's eyes. I'm going to lock all of my stuff away besides a small backpack with basic survival items and travel the world. I have no idea where I'll go or where I'll end up. All that I desire to make of the trip is to make a difference for Christ. To love on people and engage in their stories. And? To experience for myself, though I already believe it, that the Lord truly is all that I need.
Kickin' it in the streets? Here I come. And even after talking with a friend and asking whether I should pack money for food, to which she responded with a yes, I realized that even taking money for food is having something. So, as insane as it may be, I'm going to trust in the Lord with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all of my strength. If I do end up taking money (and this is not to make myself sound good by any means) I will spend it providing for those that have nothing. And after all, what is the one thing that the Lord tells us to test Him on?
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this" says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it," Malachi 3:10.
AMEN!! :)
I danced before the Lord for the first time in my life.....
It was the most freeing feeling ever.
Today at the boardwalk, aside from a few stragglers here and there, I was the only one out there. I decided to take full advantage of it. Upon ending my time of reflection and prayer, I listened to my i-pod and literally danced before God. It was the craziest thing. But I was just so overcome by His power and beauty that I simply could not contain myself. All the while I exclaimed out loud 'Let it rain,' which was a part of the song of course. But man, did I desire the rain!! :)
Lately I have been so rocked by the thought of what it must look like to fully live out in the joy of the Lord. A guy from my school comes to my mind frequently when I think about it. I don't even know his name. But every single chapel service during worship, he is constantly dancing and just kneeling before the Lord. And while most people probably think it's for show, I find myself wondering 'is this what it looks like? To be fully consecrated and completely engrossed by the divine joy of the Father?'
I have to believe that if we truly stumbled upon the joy everlasting that the Lord desires for all of us, right now, we would not be able to stop dancing. Is it any wonder, then, that the Lord tells us that few will find the way? But man, what a beautiful idea. And it IS possible. Paul, who is not superhuman but just like us, writes in Phillipians 'I consider everything loss compared with the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.'
This is what I desire. To live out knowing that the Lord is all that I need. That all else is RUBBISH.
Shortly after I graduate, I plan on doing something absolutely crazy, at least in most people's eyes. I'm going to lock all of my stuff away besides a small backpack with basic survival items and travel the world. I have no idea where I'll go or where I'll end up. All that I desire to make of the trip is to make a difference for Christ. To love on people and engage in their stories. And? To experience for myself, though I already believe it, that the Lord truly is all that I need.
Kickin' it in the streets? Here I come. And even after talking with a friend and asking whether I should pack money for food, to which she responded with a yes, I realized that even taking money for food is having something. So, as insane as it may be, I'm going to trust in the Lord with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all of my strength. If I do end up taking money (and this is not to make myself sound good by any means) I will spend it providing for those that have nothing. And after all, what is the one thing that the Lord tells us to test Him on?
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this" says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it," Malachi 3:10.
AMEN!! :)
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