an oversized list of some of my favorite lyrics on their new cd:
every thought a thought of You.
every look in search of You.
our darkest nights are days to You.
the trees raise branches high
like arms in church to grateful sky.
every song in praise of You.
no one here to believe but You.
everyone else is bound to leave but You.
when they swear their love is real,
they mean "i like the way you make me feel."
there's no one here to believe but you.
when letting all attachments go,
is the only prayer we know,
may it be so,
may it be so,
may it be so...
the horse's hay beneath his head
our Lord was born to a manger bed
that all whose wells run dry
could drink of his supply.
the donkey whispered in his ear
"child, in 30-some-odd years
you'll ride someone who looks like me-
untriumphantly."
the cardinals warbled a joyful song:
"he'll make right what man made wrong,
bringing low the hills
that the valleys might be filled."
when the rain picks up
and the sun goes down
sinners, come inside
with no money, come and buy.
no clever talk, nor a gift to bring
requires our lowly, lovely king.
come now empty handed, you don't need anything.
and the night was cool
and clear as glass
with the sneaking snake in the garden grass.
deep cried out to deep;
the disciples fast asleep.
and the snake perked up
when he heard You ask,
"if you're willing that
this cup might pass
we could find our way back home
maybe start a family all our own."
"but does not the Father guide the Son?
not my will, but yours be done.
what else here to do?
what else me, but You?"
and the snake who'd held the world
a stick, a carrot and a string,
was crushed beneath the foot
of your not wanting anything.
we all well know
we're gonna reap what we sow.
but grace, we all know
can take the place of all we owe.
so why not, let's forgive everyone everywhere everything...
all the time everyone everywhere everything.
we get split to pieces like an apple core husk to reveal the tree that's been hidden inside.
what a beautiful G-d, what a beautiful G-d, what a beautiful G-d there must be!
what a beautiful G-d, what a beautiful G-d, what a beautiful G-d You must be!
and the father [beetle king] explained, "you've been somewhat deceived,
we've all called me your dad, but your true dad's not me.
i laid next to your mom and your forms were conceived;
your Father's the light within all that you see.
He fills up the ponds as He empties the clouds,
holds without hands, and He speaks without sounds.
provides us with the cow's waste and coconuts to eat
giving one that nice salt taste, and the other is sweet.
sends the black carriage the day death shows its face;
thinning our numbers with kindness and grace.
and just as a flower and its fragrance are one,
so must each of you and your Father become.
now distribute my scepter, my crown, and my throne
and all we've known as wealth to the poor and alone.
without further hesitation, without looking back home,
the king flew headlong into the blazing unknown.
and as the smoke king curled higher and higher
the troops flying loops round the telephone wires
they said, "our beloved's not dead, but his highness instead,
has been utterly changed into fire."
why not be utterly changed into fire?
in everywhere we look
in everywhere we look
Allah, Allah, Allah
in everyone we meet
in everyone we meet
Allah, Allah, Allah
in every blade of grass
in every blade of grass
Allah, Allah, Allah
it doesn't matter what you done-
what effect is without a cause?
it doesn't matter what you done,
now lay your faithless head down.
in necessities cotton hand
there's a love that never changes
no matter what you done.
if you care to sing forgiveness songs
come down and join our band.
we'll cut you like a sword
and sing forgiveness songs.
Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts
Monday, April 20, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
the first step
| بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ | |
| الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ | |
| الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ | |
| مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ | |
| إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ | |
| اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ | |
| صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ |
In the name of God,
the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe,
The Compassionate, the Merciful,
Sovereign of the Day of Judgment.
You alone we worship,
and to You alone we turn for help.
Guide us to the straight path,
The path of those whom You have favored,
Not of those who have incurred Your wrath,
Nor of those who have gone astray.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
light
and we will burn, the starless night,
the truth will ring through depths of twilight.
Liberty, our hearts ignite,
let hope still ring through depths of twilight.
through the dark our hearts will scream,
for a world we’ve only dreamed.
and the past, it will decay,
so sing goodbye to yesterday.
i refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight... i believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
-MLK Jr.
the truth will ring through depths of twilight.
Liberty, our hearts ignite,
let hope still ring through depths of twilight.
through the dark our hearts will scream,
for a world we’ve only dreamed.
and the past, it will decay,
so sing goodbye to yesterday.
i refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight... i believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
-MLK Jr.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
caving
last week i got to jump in as a leader on altaer's wilderness retreat. it was quite an opportunity i think. :)
certainly a lot of fun. and a perfect way to spend time with a few people i wanted to spend time with.
i actually didn't have to do very many official leader-like things. but over and over again i was reminded how most leading is done through the tiniest of actions and words.
anyways
we got to do some neat things. namely rappelling, rock climbing, hiking, swimming (in a random lake deep in the woods), caving, and rafting.
caving is by far one of the coolest things i've ever done.
i tried to describe it in my journal, but it was too hard.
it was the most foreign place i've ever been.
and you feel like an explorer. (even though we had a group of 20 and a guide)
because darkness is everywhere and with every step you were going further into this dark, hidden, mysterious place.
it was mysterious.
Bible verses about light (i.e. "you are the light of the world") really start to mean something...
maybe that paints a bit of a picture.
caving was very fun and very exciting. :)
however
my favorite part
was coming out of the cave. :)
seems silly maybe. but you just can't understand unless you've done it. and understood it the way i did. trust me... this picture is just a visual aid. it doesn't begin to do the experience justice.
after 3 hours in a cave, you're quite used to the world of the cave.
your eyes are used to darkness- to little light.
and the grays and browns of rock begin to feel like the only colors you've ever seen.
the noise of other people and occasional rushing water start to seem like the only sounds you've ever heard.
the damp, dirt smell is the only thing you've ever smelled.
the cold air starts to feel normal.
big rocks and the cave wall are the only thing you touch.
uneven rocky ground or dirt is the only thing you walk over.
this is a bit exaggerated perhaps.
but you get the idea.
for the time we were in there, my mind was fixed on where i was. the cave was the only world i could see. it was the reality we found ourselves in. anything else was just a memory or a thought.
"They were a mass of bruises, and the wet sticky stuff on her face appeared to be blood. And such a mass of loose earth, shingle, and larger stones was piled up round her (and partly over her) that she couldn't get up. The darkness was so complete that it made no difference at all whether you had your eyes open or shut. There was no noise. And that was the very worst moment Jill had ever known in her life."
"Presently they were given food - flat, flabby cakes of some sort which had hardly any taste. And after that, they gradually fell asleep. But when they woke, everything was just the same; the gnomes still rowing, the ship still gliding on, still dead blackness ahead. How often they woke and slept and ate and slept again, none of them could ever remember. And the worst thing about it was that you began to feel as if you had always lived on that ship, in that darkness, and to wonder whether sun and blue skies and wind and birds had not been only a dream."
(both of those from Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis)
now,
as if that isn't hard enough to picture.
imagine coming out of it.
actually, on our way out, we stopped at the last point where no sunlight reaches and our guide told us to just stare down at our feet for the rest of the way out. and as we made it to the mouth of the cave he had us look up.
you just... can't imagine.
the world outside of the cave was overwhelming.
it was beautiful.
just one tree
was enough to blow your mind.
colors were more colorful.
green was more green than it had ever been.
the sky was bluer...
and bigger.
the sky was HUGE.
just the thought that you could see so far blew my mind.
and the realization that you're not... buried...
it reminds me of what one of the gnomes (who live underground) in Silver Chair... :)
"That was the worst thing the Witch did to us. We were going to be led out into the open - on to the outside of the world. They say there's no roof at all there; only a horrible great emptiness called the sky. And the diggings have gone so far that a few strokes of the pick would bring you out to it. I wouldn't dare go near them... You can't really like it - crawling about like flies on the top of the world!"
it was terrifying! but magnificent as well. (because i'm human and not a gnome i suppose)
and the smells!
i could smell plants.
the flowers especially. i could smell them before i even saw them. and when i did it was like the most marvelous, pleasant thing i'd ever smelled.
and we could see the sun up in the sky.
beautiful.
and perfectly made.
not so bright that it hurt your eyes...
but big enough, and bright enough, and powerful enough that EVERYTHING outside was lit up and visible.
the thought that this one light illuminated everything around me (and for thousands of miles around!) was just bizarre.
and that was the greatest mystery.
being able to SEE.
to just... look wherever you wanted and see something there.
for a while i just sat there on a rock and took it all in.
a stream sort of ran into the mouth of the cave, and eventually our guide started walking up it. and we followed him to another beautiful scene...
after a minute we came to an opening...
there was a beautiful waterfall pouring down from the top of a little cliff
and the rest of our group was there waiting for us.
i wish someone had taken a picture of us when we came out. :)
because we must have looked like a mess.
most of us were covered in mud from playing around in the cave.
we were like an awkward, raggedy, tired, slightly disoriented group of gnomes. :)
strangers in the outside word.
we must have looked unfit to be where we were- surrounded by trees and sky and light.
and if there wasn't enough beauty in creation itself...
how much more that the first thing we did upon coming into it, was to head straight for this magnificent waterfall and pool to wash ourselves clean!
and on top of this, to join our friends! our brothers and sisters.
people were running around, laughing, smiling, jumping in the water.
and washing themselves off. cleaning the mud off of themselves and out of clothes. changing into new clothes.
can you see it?
we wandered around for a while in a black cave. in darkness. while inside we even talked about how screwed we'd be if our batteries all died suddenly.
but thank God, we did have lights (if only small ones). and we had a guide leading us through.
it was exciting in the cave. it was a great experience. hard for some and easy for others.
but i think all would agree, it's good that in the end we were lead out. back home. the cave was cool, but the outside is just... crazy.
if you can stop taking it for granted.
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14)
the sweet thing is that some of us have "left the cave."
of course, our part-time job for now is to go back in...
"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?" (Matthew 18:12)
"If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one GO there unwarned and unprayed for."
Charles Spurgeon
(note: the pictures aren't mine, i just found them online)
certainly a lot of fun. and a perfect way to spend time with a few people i wanted to spend time with.
i actually didn't have to do very many official leader-like things. but over and over again i was reminded how most leading is done through the tiniest of actions and words.
anyways
we got to do some neat things. namely rappelling, rock climbing, hiking, swimming (in a random lake deep in the woods), caving, and rafting.
caving is by far one of the coolest things i've ever done.
i tried to describe it in my journal, but it was too hard.
it was the most foreign place i've ever been.
and you feel like an explorer. (even though we had a group of 20 and a guide)
because darkness is everywhere and with every step you were going further into this dark, hidden, mysterious place.
it was mysterious.
Bible verses about light (i.e. "you are the light of the world") really start to mean something...
maybe that paints a bit of a picture.
caving was very fun and very exciting. :)
however
my favorite part
was coming out of the cave. :)
seems silly maybe. but you just can't understand unless you've done it. and understood it the way i did. trust me... this picture is just a visual aid. it doesn't begin to do the experience justice.
after 3 hours in a cave, you're quite used to the world of the cave.
your eyes are used to darkness- to little light.
and the grays and browns of rock begin to feel like the only colors you've ever seen.
the noise of other people and occasional rushing water start to seem like the only sounds you've ever heard.
the damp, dirt smell is the only thing you've ever smelled.
the cold air starts to feel normal.
big rocks and the cave wall are the only thing you touch.
uneven rocky ground or dirt is the only thing you walk over.
this is a bit exaggerated perhaps.
but you get the idea.
for the time we were in there, my mind was fixed on where i was. the cave was the only world i could see. it was the reality we found ourselves in. anything else was just a memory or a thought.
"They were a mass of bruises, and the wet sticky stuff on her face appeared to be blood. And such a mass of loose earth, shingle, and larger stones was piled up round her (and partly over her) that she couldn't get up. The darkness was so complete that it made no difference at all whether you had your eyes open or shut. There was no noise. And that was the very worst moment Jill had ever known in her life."
"Presently they were given food - flat, flabby cakes of some sort which had hardly any taste. And after that, they gradually fell asleep. But when they woke, everything was just the same; the gnomes still rowing, the ship still gliding on, still dead blackness ahead. How often they woke and slept and ate and slept again, none of them could ever remember. And the worst thing about it was that you began to feel as if you had always lived on that ship, in that darkness, and to wonder whether sun and blue skies and wind and birds had not been only a dream."
(both of those from Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis)
now,
as if that isn't hard enough to picture.
imagine coming out of it.
actually, on our way out, we stopped at the last point where no sunlight reaches and our guide told us to just stare down at our feet for the rest of the way out. and as we made it to the mouth of the cave he had us look up.
you just... can't imagine.
the world outside of the cave was overwhelming.
it was beautiful.
just one tree
was enough to blow your mind.
colors were more colorful.
green was more green than it had ever been.
the sky was bluer...
and bigger.
the sky was HUGE.
just the thought that you could see so far blew my mind.
and the realization that you're not... buried...
it reminds me of what one of the gnomes (who live underground) in Silver Chair... :)
"That was the worst thing the Witch did to us. We were going to be led out into the open - on to the outside of the world. They say there's no roof at all there; only a horrible great emptiness called the sky. And the diggings have gone so far that a few strokes of the pick would bring you out to it. I wouldn't dare go near them... You can't really like it - crawling about like flies on the top of the world!"
it was terrifying! but magnificent as well. (because i'm human and not a gnome i suppose)
and the smells!
i could smell plants.
the flowers especially. i could smell them before i even saw them. and when i did it was like the most marvelous, pleasant thing i'd ever smelled.
and we could see the sun up in the sky.
beautiful.
and perfectly made.
not so bright that it hurt your eyes...
but big enough, and bright enough, and powerful enough that EVERYTHING outside was lit up and visible.
the thought that this one light illuminated everything around me (and for thousands of miles around!) was just bizarre.
and that was the greatest mystery.
being able to SEE.
to just... look wherever you wanted and see something there.
for a while i just sat there on a rock and took it all in.
a stream sort of ran into the mouth of the cave, and eventually our guide started walking up it. and we followed him to another beautiful scene...
after a minute we came to an opening...
there was a beautiful waterfall pouring down from the top of a little cliff
and the rest of our group was there waiting for us.
i wish someone had taken a picture of us when we came out. :)
because we must have looked like a mess.
most of us were covered in mud from playing around in the cave.
we were like an awkward, raggedy, tired, slightly disoriented group of gnomes. :)
strangers in the outside word.
we must have looked unfit to be where we were- surrounded by trees and sky and light.
and if there wasn't enough beauty in creation itself...
how much more that the first thing we did upon coming into it, was to head straight for this magnificent waterfall and pool to wash ourselves clean!
and on top of this, to join our friends! our brothers and sisters.
people were running around, laughing, smiling, jumping in the water.
and washing themselves off. cleaning the mud off of themselves and out of clothes. changing into new clothes.
can you see it?
we wandered around for a while in a black cave. in darkness. while inside we even talked about how screwed we'd be if our batteries all died suddenly.
but thank God, we did have lights (if only small ones). and we had a guide leading us through.
it was exciting in the cave. it was a great experience. hard for some and easy for others.
but i think all would agree, it's good that in the end we were lead out. back home. the cave was cool, but the outside is just... crazy.
if you can stop taking it for granted.
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14)
the sweet thing is that some of us have "left the cave."
of course, our part-time job for now is to go back in...
"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?" (Matthew 18:12)
"If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one GO there unwarned and unprayed for."
Charles Spurgeon
(note: the pictures aren't mine, i just found them online)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
refreshment
some part of me has been rather dry lately...
uninspired
why?
who knows.
i'm slowly feeling more refreshed i think
and confident that the work here will be carried on to completion.
anyways
i adore Jon Foreman songs right now.
it's interesting how songs taken straight from the bible are particularly meaningful to me.
some of my favorite bits...
both of our hands
are equally skilled
at doing evil
equally skilled
at bribing the judges
equally skilled
at perverting justice
both of our hands
and both of his hands
are equally skilled
at ruining evil
equally skilled
at judging the judges
equally skilled
administring justice
both of his hands
would you create in me a clean heart, oh God
restore in me the joy of my salvation
wash me white as snow
and i will be made whole
this cross, my love, is mine, my love
to bear, my love, to die, my love
this cup, my love, this bread, my love
my life, my love, is yours, my love
come drink, my love, my blood, my love
my life, my love, in death, my love
my God, my love, my life, my love
is yours, my love, my bride, my love
all along-
thought I was learning how to take
how to bend not how to break
how to live not how to cry
but really
i've been learning how to die
baptize my mind
baptize my eyes
baptize my mind
for a seed to give birth to life
first it must die
i look at the meadow
and stare at the flowers
better dressed than any girl
on her wedding day
the kingdom of the heavens
is buried treasure.
will you sell yourself
to buy the one you've found?
two things you told me
that you are strong
and you love me
(that whole song- you're love is strong- is entirely superb)
uninspired
why?
who knows.
i'm slowly feeling more refreshed i think
and confident that the work here will be carried on to completion.
anyways
i adore Jon Foreman songs right now.
it's interesting how songs taken straight from the bible are particularly meaningful to me.
some of my favorite bits...
both of our hands
are equally skilled
at doing evil
equally skilled
at bribing the judges
equally skilled
at perverting justice
both of our hands
and both of his hands
are equally skilled
at ruining evil
equally skilled
at judging the judges
equally skilled
administring justice
both of his hands
would you create in me a clean heart, oh God
restore in me the joy of my salvation
wash me white as snow
and i will be made whole
this cross, my love, is mine, my love
to bear, my love, to die, my love
this cup, my love, this bread, my love
my life, my love, is yours, my love
come drink, my love, my blood, my love
my life, my love, in death, my love
my God, my love, my life, my love
is yours, my love, my bride, my love
all along-
thought I was learning how to take
how to bend not how to break
how to live not how to cry
but really
i've been learning how to die
baptize my mind
baptize my eyes
baptize my mind
for a seed to give birth to life
first it must die
i look at the meadow
and stare at the flowers
better dressed than any girl
on her wedding day
the kingdom of the heavens
is buried treasure.
will you sell yourself
to buy the one you've found?
two things you told me
that you are strong
and you love me
(that whole song- you're love is strong- is entirely superb)
Monday, June 16, 2008
apollo 8
i'm leaving for germany tomorrow.
i'm not prepared, but i've never been more ready.
see you when i get back.
i need to watch "planet earth."
the last two nights my dad and i have been watching a discovery channel series called "when we left earth."
it's awesome.
you can't really convey with words how crazy it is that we sent people up there.
and beyond that,
how astonishing the universe is.
maybe it's just me...
but i have to say the best part
wasn't the first spaceship sent up
or the first man on the moon
or anything like that.
the most captivating moment
was this picture (or what the picture is of rather)
and the response of the men who saw it.
listen to what they had to say about this...
(how frustrating! that it usually takes something like going to the moon and seeing this for the first time to stun us and draw out this response...)
i'm not prepared, but i've never been more ready.
see you when i get back.
i need to watch "planet earth."
the last two nights my dad and i have been watching a discovery channel series called "when we left earth."
it's awesome.
you can't really convey with words how crazy it is that we sent people up there.
and beyond that,
how astonishing the universe is.
maybe it's just me...
but i have to say the best part
wasn't the first spaceship sent up
or the first man on the moon
or anything like that.
the most captivating moment
was this picture (or what the picture is of rather)
and the response of the men who saw it.
listen to what they had to say about this...
(how frustrating! that it usually takes something like going to the moon and seeing this for the first time to stun us and draw out this response...)
Thursday, May 29, 2008
proverbs 30:4
last weekend our family went to florida.
we spent a day at universal studios and two days at the main disney parks.
on the last day before coming home we dropped by downtown disney for a bit and made a side trip to st. augustine.
when we first got to the beach i read one of my bible passages for the day.
i realized i was reading through it without really taking in what it was saying, so i had to go back and start over.
i was reminded how slow and feebleminded i can be. :)
sometimes it takes a minute to realize you're being spoken to.
we spent a day at universal studios and two days at the main disney parks.
on the last day before coming home we dropped by downtown disney for a bit and made a side trip to st. augustine.
when we first got to the beach i read one of my bible passages for the day.
i realized i was reading through it without really taking in what it was saying, so i had to go back and start over.
i was reminded how slow and feebleminded i can be. :)
sometimes it takes a minute to realize you're being spoken to.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
attitude
i took this from something written in The Vision & the Vow (which of course was inspired by Philippians 2). made some changes though...
Your attitude should be the same as the Church:
Who, being in very nature Christ's beloved,
did not consider her beauty & glory
something to be grasped,
but made herself nothing
a servant
utterly human
nothing special.
And being found in appearance as a nobody
she humbled herself further
and became obedient
through success, failure, persecution, temptation,
and ultimately death- death on a cross.
Until
God swapped her torn, bloody, grimy overalls
for the most beautiful bridal gown of all time.
He placed a ring upon her calloused finger
and gave her His name- the one above all others-
that when she walks down the aisle
her bridal procession should number thousands upon thousands
from every tribe and tongue
their hearts overflowing with joy
as the trumpet sounds
and the wedding feast begins
forever.
Your attitude should be the same as the Church:
Who, being in very nature Christ's beloved,
did not consider her beauty & glory
something to be grasped,
but made herself nothing
a servant
utterly human
nothing special.
And being found in appearance as a nobody
she humbled herself further
and became obedient
through success, failure, persecution, temptation,
and ultimately death- death on a cross.
Until
God swapped her torn, bloody, grimy overalls
for the most beautiful bridal gown of all time.
He placed a ring upon her calloused finger
and gave her His name- the one above all others-
that when she walks down the aisle
her bridal procession should number thousands upon thousands
from every tribe and tongue
their hearts overflowing with joy
as the trumpet sounds
and the wedding feast begins
forever.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
dance
expanding some thoughts from a few months ago...
so as Christians we're often quick to throw out the phrase "walk with God."
it's a cool metaphor.
walking implies you're going about it slowly. your life with him is long but steady. not a race, but a journey.
and so on
but that's just one way to look at it
i know a girl who once asked "why don't we dance with God?"
good question
what does that metaphor mean?
i'll let you think about that and figure it out for yourself.
the point of this isn't to tell you what that means exactly, or how to do it.
i will go so far as to propose that God is the lead.
and so from there... i haven't a clue what his dance with you would look like.
i simply hope to encourage you, and hopefully myself as well, to dance
one of my brother's favorite quotes:
"Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
i feel like we're always so busy trying to get on top of everything.
we want to be... ready, prepared, perfect before we start.
but things like music and dancing don't work that way.
you can't think it through all the way. can't make sense of everything.
you just have to do it. or else you'll never get around to it.
i heard this song when somebody was listening to the radio.
i think i've heard it before. i think it might be one of those songs that most people are annoyed with. but oh well :)
look at the words, cause they're excellent in my opinion. if you consider how God is involved throughout them.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder where those years have gone)
so as Christians we're often quick to throw out the phrase "walk with God."
it's a cool metaphor.
walking implies you're going about it slowly. your life with him is long but steady. not a race, but a journey.
and so on
but that's just one way to look at it
i know a girl who once asked "why don't we dance with God?"
good question
what does that metaphor mean?
i'll let you think about that and figure it out for yourself.
the point of this isn't to tell you what that means exactly, or how to do it.
i will go so far as to propose that God is the lead.
and so from there... i haven't a clue what his dance with you would look like.
i simply hope to encourage you, and hopefully myself as well, to dance
one of my brother's favorite quotes:
"Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
i feel like we're always so busy trying to get on top of everything.
we want to be... ready, prepared, perfect before we start.
but things like music and dancing don't work that way.
you can't think it through all the way. can't make sense of everything.
you just have to do it. or else you'll never get around to it.
i heard this song when somebody was listening to the radio.
i think i've heard it before. i think it might be one of those songs that most people are annoyed with. but oh well :)
look at the words, cause they're excellent in my opinion. if you consider how God is involved throughout them.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder where those years have gone)
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
holy sonnet 15
by John Donne
Wilt thou love God as he thee? then digest,
My soul, this wholesome meditation,
How God the Spirit, by angels waited on
In heaven, doth make His temple in thy breast.
The Father having begot a Son most blest,
And still begetting—for he ne'er begun—
Hath deign'd to choose thee by adoption,
Co-heir to His glory, and Sabbath' endless rest.
And as a robb'd man, which by search doth find
His stolen stuff sold, must lose or buy it again,
The Sun of glory came down, and was slain,
Us whom He had made, and Satan stole, to unbind.
'Twas much, that man was made like God before,
But, that God should be made like man, much more.
Wilt thou love God as he thee? then digest,
My soul, this wholesome meditation,
How God the Spirit, by angels waited on
In heaven, doth make His temple in thy breast.
The Father having begot a Son most blest,
And still begetting—for he ne'er begun—
Hath deign'd to choose thee by adoption,
Co-heir to His glory, and Sabbath' endless rest.
And as a robb'd man, which by search doth find
His stolen stuff sold, must lose or buy it again,
The Sun of glory came down, and was slain,
Us whom He had made, and Satan stole, to unbind.
'Twas much, that man was made like God before,
But, that God should be made like man, much more.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
he'll make the rivers and rocks sing his praise
Why does God use people?
like me?
don't you hate guilt?
it kills you
i mean, i feel bad for everything i've done wrong
but, for me i know, the devil is really good
at letting it crush me
have you ever felt bad for something you did forever ago?
yeah,
it shouldn't be that way
if you've been forgiven by the Forgiver
or even something yesterday
or this morning
or 10 minutes ago
anyways
that's not what this is about
because once you overcome that hurdle
when you know and feel forgiven...
there's yet another hurdle.
it's rather odd too
like an oxymoron
it is
that we feel too small
or awesome
or perhaps both
one now
the other in just a moment
so why does God use people?
is it because something good in us?
sometimes i really doubt that
i'm really shy
it's one of many things that makes me weak
one of the things that prevents or slows me
when God asks me to do something.
there are plenty such things wrong with me
i am humbled by it
like Paul's thorn perhaps
i realize that i'm no good at much anything sometimes
but apparently...
he uses the weak to overcome the strong?
'"But I'm so small I can barely be seen
how can this great love be inside of me?"
Look at your eyes
they're small in size
but they see enormous things'
i found something incredible in Luke the other day
John said something in chapter 3
'For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.'
I decided this means a few things
being God's children does not make you special
it comes from God.
stones?!
God can use... stones
to beat our best attempts...
ouch
so...
like i wrote on my xanga/facebook this last weekend i think
...
THAT
is why we shouldn't try to do things
God can do so much
you know...
he really doesn't even need us if that's the case
there's plenty of rocks for him to use
But wait..
he doesn't does he?
how come?
the rocks never did anything to him
and
i... can't claim that
God made us both...
when he made the rocks he said
it is good
when he made me
he said
it is very good
that's pretty cool
how odd it is
that he chooses you
above the stones
there's too parts to us
there's something inside us that God made which is good
and there's the rest.
that is the mess of our handiwork.
the sin we started,
and the failed attempts to fix it.
God made something good in us
that is why he uses us
not because of who we have made ourselves to be
but because of who we could be
of who we were made to be
you have no claim on that glory.
it was given to you
and can be given again though
so maybe the stones have not failed God
but we
are very good
if we just let us be how he made us to
well...
I don't know about you
but if God chooses me like that
I will try to love better
i will try to be the very good that I am
instead of that which i have been.
there's no way I'm gonna let a freaking rock
outlove me
Not that i'm competing with rocks to worship God ^_^
but you know what i mean
like me?
don't you hate guilt?
it kills you
i mean, i feel bad for everything i've done wrong
but, for me i know, the devil is really good
at letting it crush me
have you ever felt bad for something you did forever ago?
yeah,
it shouldn't be that way
if you've been forgiven by the Forgiver
or even something yesterday
or this morning
or 10 minutes ago
anyways
that's not what this is about
because once you overcome that hurdle
when you know and feel forgiven...
there's yet another hurdle.
it's rather odd too
like an oxymoron
it is
that we feel too small
or awesome
or perhaps both
one now
the other in just a moment
so why does God use people?
is it because something good in us?
sometimes i really doubt that
i'm really shy
it's one of many things that makes me weak
one of the things that prevents or slows me
when God asks me to do something.
there are plenty such things wrong with me
i am humbled by it
like Paul's thorn perhaps
i realize that i'm no good at much anything sometimes
but apparently...
he uses the weak to overcome the strong?
'"But I'm so small I can barely be seen
how can this great love be inside of me?"
Look at your eyes
they're small in size
but they see enormous things'
i found something incredible in Luke the other day
John said something in chapter 3
'For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.'
I decided this means a few things
being God's children does not make you special
it comes from God.
stones?!
God can use... stones
to beat our best attempts...
ouch
so...
like i wrote on my xanga/facebook this last weekend i think
...
THAT
is why we shouldn't try to do things
God can do so much
you know...
he really doesn't even need us if that's the case
there's plenty of rocks for him to use
But wait..
he doesn't does he?
how come?
the rocks never did anything to him
and
i... can't claim that
God made us both...
when he made the rocks he said
it is good
when he made me
he said
it is very good
that's pretty cool
how odd it is
that he chooses you
above the stones
there's too parts to us
there's something inside us that God made which is good
and there's the rest.
that is the mess of our handiwork.
the sin we started,
and the failed attempts to fix it.
God made something good in us
that is why he uses us
not because of who we have made ourselves to be
but because of who we could be
of who we were made to be
you have no claim on that glory.
it was given to you
and can be given again though
so maybe the stones have not failed God
but we
are very good
if we just let us be how he made us to
well...
I don't know about you
but if God chooses me like that
I will try to love better
i will try to be the very good that I am
instead of that which i have been.
there's no way I'm gonna let a freaking rock
outlove me
Not that i'm competing with rocks to worship God ^_^
but you know what i mean
Saturday, January 27, 2007
meaning
this is more of a test than anything else...but
part of a mewithoutYou song says this:
'or if I'm a crown without a king, if I'm a broken, open seed
If I come without a thing, I come with all I need'
crowns are absolutely nothing without a king
they're not even crowns really
broken, open seeds die
well, they were never alive
after that it never will be
interestingly enough
that is how we are to come to God
he makes us the crown on his head
he does the impossible and gives us life
he gives me life
when plants grow
they spread more life
maybe he'll use me to do that
another thing
a Classic Crime song says:
'A warrior poet once said
You're not dead yet so live like you could be
A warrior poet said
Have no regrets when you're old'
i like that idea
a warrior poet
poets write and say powerful things
warriors do powerful things
all very beautiful
part of a mewithoutYou song says this:
'or if I'm a crown without a king, if I'm a broken, open seed
If I come without a thing, I come with all I need'
crowns are absolutely nothing without a king
they're not even crowns really
broken, open seeds die
well, they were never alive
after that it never will be
interestingly enough
that is how we are to come to God
he makes us the crown on his head
he does the impossible and gives us life
he gives me life
when plants grow
they spread more life
maybe he'll use me to do that
another thing
a Classic Crime song says:
'A warrior poet once said
You're not dead yet so live like you could be
A warrior poet said
Have no regrets when you're old'
i like that idea
a warrior poet
poets write and say powerful things
warriors do powerful things
all very beautiful
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