2 years

Transformative Journey

you are the potter i am the clay
and these were the fires of hell

you dare not touch me now
i am melted. i am boiling.

yet beware me when i cool
i will be unbreakable

if you will see me on that day
you evaporate

You can now purchase my book!

Hey there..

My book is now available for purchase on Amazon.  Click on the link below!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L88NIDY

until soon,
b.

Of one mind

"I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose."  (1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT)

Be of one mind.  Here Paul is speaking to the church.. All believers and followers of Jesus.  I gotta tell ya though, I feel like he's speaking to me and that's enough.  It's hard enough for ME to be of one mind.  To know exactly what I want.  To stand firmly on one principle, one belief, one ideal.  People say things like... Well, I'm going back and forth on that... Or... I'm not sure what I feel about...

The Bible calls this a "double-minded man."  He's like a ship tossed about in the ocean.  The group Fun has a song out called "Some Nights."  It says "I'm still not sure what I stand for..."  Most of us feel this way about something in our lives.  

So how difficult it is, then, for an entire community of believers to be "of one mind."  United in thought and purpose.  As Christians, what is our purpose?  Some feel that it is to lead people to Jesus. Some feel our purpose is to convince sinners of their sin.  Some feel that it is to grow the church (through membership in the church social club).  We simply don't agree.  Yet sometimes we just simply don't agree with ourselves.  

So what do you stand for?  What's your purpose?  

until soon,

b.

I thirst

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God." (Psalm 42:1 NIV)

Thirst.  It is the body's way of signaling a basic need for fluid.  Without water, the body's salt content becomes too high which can cause problems such as renal failure, seizures, neurological problems (thank you, Google)... Everything has a craving.

Water.  It is the life force.  We are conceived and grown in water.  We are largely made of water.  We crave water.  We build cities on rivers.  We have died by large plagues resulting from contaminated water.  We have drowned in water.  There was a flood...

Yet my body pants for water.  I cannot live without it.  I cannot live without God.  WE cannot live without God.  We need pure God.  We try to siphon water from foods we eat, fruit, coke products, coffee.. We try to siphon God from the love of others, nature, highs... We need a tall glass of pure God.  To build our city on the river.  To pant for Him.  To be the tree that grows our roots down deep into the water reserve (a lot of metaphors but you get the picture).  

Are you dehydrated?  Run an I.V.  Attach yourself into our loving parent.  Or an umbilical cord, if you will.  Pant and crave and seek out His pure water.  Thirst.

until soon, 

b.

Abel still speaks

"By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead."  (Hebrews 11:4 NIV)

If you don't know the story, Abel and Cain were the children of Adam and Eve.. the naked people in the garden of Eden.  Abel and Cain were bringing sacrifices to God one day.  Abel brought a lamb and Cain brought some fruit.  Cain's fruit was probably bruised and half rotten, Abel's lamb was perfect.. The pick of the litter.  

The story is one of the heart.  God was pleased with Abel's offering because he had grout God his very best.  Cain brought his leftovers because he was saving the best for himself.  Well, Cain was mad at Abel for pleasing God and he killed him.. the Bible's first murder.

How is it that Abel still speaks to us?  

What does it mean to be righteous?

until soon, 

b.

Being an introvert

I am an introvert.  One of the small percentage of the quietly strange.  I am an observer of life, a watcher at gatherings, a listener to life's small whispers.

I notice the ignored.  The crickets in the prairie.  The crooked feather in the hawk's tail.  The squirrel in the underbrush.  

I lie in bed after waking to process my dreams.  I think about my thoughts.  Too much noise exhausts me.  Too much movement exhausts me.  I sleep long nights.  I nap in the day.  I drive with the radio off and the windows rolled down.

I am an introvert.  Part of a small, blessed percentage.  We are the introspective.  We are tuned into life's sacred rhythms.  We are the contemplative poets.  We are the tree blossoms that float down to the river and are rocked gently downstream.  

A small, blessed percentage in prayer for the rest of the world.

Until soon,

b.

A holy life

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14 NLT)

Living in peace.  I'm quite sure that those I am living with are the ones who would often second-guess my holiness.  They are the ones who witness firsthand how un-peaceful I can be.  

Living a holy life is hard work.  Truly, it must be worked at. And worked at. And worked at.  

And for the next part of that scripture I was wondering if that meant that if I did not live a holy life I would not "see The Lord"- or go to heaven.  But I read it a bit differently.  I think that those that are not "holy" (or folks that don't walk with Jesus) will never see Him if we don't live out what holiness looks like.  Walking with Jesus means that our lives SHOULD look different.. We should have more peace, more patience, more goodness, more faithfulness, more love, more joy, more gentleness, more self-control (the "fruits of the Spirit").  We should live lives that make them desire to see The Lord!  

But they will never see it if we don't show it to them.  Show them Jesus.  

It's hard to be like Jesus... But keep on.

Until soon,

b.