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.

Turtle suicide

Well today I saw a turtle getting ready to commit suicide.  I was driving home and he was starting to crawl out into the tollway where the trucks and cars were following fast behind me.  I looked into my rear view mirror and could no longer him... I knew not what his fate would be.  I wanted to stop, to pull my car to the side, to save him.  I sit a good four feet off of the ground and from where I am I can see that there is no future beyond the tollway.  There is only concrete and barrier.  Behind his slow crawl was a vast field of grass and wildflower.  I'm sure there were endless bugs for him to munch.  And beyond the field was a pond.  Perhaps that was were he came from.  His family was just too much to take.  They criticized him for moving too fast.  His shell had too many geometrical shapes.  He liked to sleep in the mud.

He was ending it all right in front of my eyes and there was nothing I could do.  I prayed that he would somehow understand the truth about his sweet turtle self before the tire came along.  Perhaps he would see a quick glimpse in the chrome of a passing vehicle.  Perhaps that was my vehicle.  He would see his reflection and notice his incredibly, artistically created design.  He would turn around and look for a pond full of artists.

So, this story has an upbeat ending.  Driving on the road later that day, I saw no totaled turtle bits.  

I like to think he found hope.  

And perhaps there's still hope for the rest of us as well.

Until soon,

b.

Following rules

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. (Romans 8:3 NLT)

I love this scripture.  God saved us because we are just too weak to obey any law, no matter how small of a commandment.  We cannot obey and will look for a way to break the law.  We are weak.

I am weak.  I cannot obey.  I cannot obey you, lord.  I cannot do what you ask me to do.  I will always follow my selfish flesh.  I will always look for a way to please myself.  I cannot save me.

In the garden of Eden.  They had one rule.  They broke it.  Then God gave Moses ten rules to follow.  They broke every single one.  And then Jesus came and said "follow me" and I'm thinking that pretty much sums up what he wants us to do but "it's hard to be like Jesus" as Rich once said...

So Jesus did the dirty work.  He said (paraphrasing, of course), "you give up yet?  Good.  Now do your best and let me take it from there because there's no way in hell you're gonna make it to heaven like that."

Okay.  I'm sorry for how much I suck, and yes, I give up.  Go ahead and take it.. Take me...  I'll try to follow you as best as I can...

with love, 

b.

A Holy Day

"So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 

And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. 

This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens."  (Genesis 2:1-4 NLT)

I love this image of God.  He has been working hard, creating the world and everything in it.  That's a lot of work!  I'm not one of those Christians who really cares how long this LITERALLY took to do- days or millions of years... I believe God is capable of working within process.  But I love the image of Him resting.  I love to rest.  I love to nap.  I love to sit by the pool in the sun with some music, spray bottle, snack, and pina colada.  I picture God sitting back saying, "Now THIS is a great day!"  and just His very words make it so.  It becomes THE GREAT DAY for all people, for all time.  He "declared it holy."  

Today is a Monday.  I am sitting outside on a cool, drizzly Kansas day.  Everything is green and I am resting.  I declare today "holy."  

Now THIS is a great day!

until soon, 

b.