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On describing God..she's still got it

A dear sister in my church a while back posted this on her blog. Of all the things I've read in my life that attempt to describe God, her words still have no rival. I adore these words....words born from a heart that adores Him.

"and i still dont know what to say about God. i am always afraid that He will be reduced in the saying, that i'll end up making Him sound cliche or redundant, the bread of the masses, the point the weak cling to because they are afraid of the blankness of eternity. and so at the end of this post i still cannot describe to you what He is like, this constant Song. But if i did, it would be something about wholeness, and rest and love, and other deep unexplainable things."

"It is a hard thing to be a walker when you are surrounded by eagles. But sometimes walking is the best we can offer God. WALKING COUNTS TOO. Keep walking, because what we wait for is not more important than what happens to us while we are waiting. Now it is just a matter of time.”
-Bishop Willoughby (2006)

And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or not. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live....Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end.
(Deu 8:2-3, 16)

Others may. You may not.

The road rough, the way weary,
but the path powerful, and the in the end eternity....with Him. -db

If God has called you to be really like Jesus He will draw you into a life
of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience,
that you will not be able to follow other people, or measure yourself by
other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other people do
things which He will not let you do.

Other Christians and ministers who seem very religious and useful, may
push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans,
but you cannot do it, and if you attempt it, you will meet with such
failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their successes, of
their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such
thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification
that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a legacy
left to them, but it is likely God will keep you poor, because He wants
you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence
upon Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by
day out of an unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hidden
in obscurity, because He wants to produce some choice fragrant fruit for
His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. He may let
others be great, but keep you small. He may let others do a work for Him
and get the credit for it, but He will make you work and toil on without
knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more
precious He may let others get credit for the work which you have done,
and thus make YOUR REWARD TEN TIMES GREATER WHEN JESUS COMES.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and
will rebuke you for little words and feelings or for wasting your time,
which other Christians never feel distressed over. So make up your mind
that God is an Infinitely Sovereign Being, and has a right to do as He
pleases with His own. He may not explain to you a thousand things which
puzzle your reason in His dealings with you, but if you absolutely sell
yourself to be His love slave, He will wrap you up in Jealous Love, and
bestow upon you many blessings which come only to those who are in the
inner circle.

Settle it forever, then that you are to DEAL DIRECTLY WITH THE HOLY
SPIRIT, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or
chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that He does not seem
to use with others. Now, when you are so possessed with the living God
that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this
PECULIAR, PERSONAL, PRIVATE, JEALOUS GUARDIANSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OVER YOUR LIFE, then you will have found the vestibule
of Heaven.

-by G. D. Watson (1845-1924)

what an angry world!

An accelerated season of waiting quickly for the fast growth of slow patience.

Trusting in the Good Book.
-picture from The Neverending Story (a favorite childhood movie of mine)

haha...

Nostalgic picture of my taiko group

A testament to the old adage that relationships consist not so much in words, but in meanings.

In other words, I could hardly understand them, they could hardly understand me (much to the chagrin of those who think I'm fluent in Japanese..haha)...but, over time, we began to understand each other. Relationships take time, tests, and testimonies of shared victories and defeats...laughter and tears...smiles and frowns...misunderstandings that birth understandings...and love. Tenacious love.

Without the meaningful contact, purpose, and mutual affinity to want to want to be close that Musashi Kengo Taiko had with each other, the above photo could never have been taken on my last day in Japan. Sure, it was a nice gesture to send me off to the airport, but the tears that followed this photo are etched forever in my memory of a supreme principle I strive to invoke for every encounter I have with people: treat others the way you want to be treated.

I think someone said that a long time before me...

And as you desire that men should do to you, you do also to them likewise. -Jesus
(Luke 6:31)

"Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?..." -a question by Paul to those who already believed on Jesus in Ephesus (Acts 19:2)

~truth only works for the hungry~

When a person is baptized in the Spirit, he receives the Spirit of Christ in his life on a permanent basis (Romans 8:9; Ephesians 3:16,17). He becomes a part of God’s spiritual family, and God’s Spirit begins to guide him. The Bible describes this in several ways: (1) By the Spirit we are born into the kingdom of God (John 3:5); (2) the Spirit adopts us into the family of God (Romans 8:15,16; Galatians 4:5,6); (3) the Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13); (4) the Spirit sanctifies us (I Corinthians 6:11; I Peter 1:2); (5) the Spirit is the seal of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13); and (6) the Spirit is the earnest (pledge, guarantee, first installment) of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:14). In short, receiving the Spirit is part of our salvation. Of course, as Chapter 4 discussed, we should not sharply separate the baptism of the Spirit from water baptism since they join together to complete the new birth and bring all the benefits of salvation.

In addition to being part of salvation, the baptism of the Spirit brings power (II Timothy 1:7), which includes: (1) power to witness and be a living testimony that Christ saves from sin (Acts 1:8); (2) power to overcome sin, live righteously, and mortify the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:4,13); and (3) resurrection power when Christ comes for His church (Romans 8:11).

The Spirit bring rest and refreshing (Isaiah 28:11,12; Acts 3:19), and gives a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7). The Spirit becomes a teacher, a guide into all truth, and an illuminator of the Word of God (John 14:26; 16:13). He also becomes our intercessor and way of access to God (Romans 8:26,27; Ephesians 2:18). Finally, the Spirit works in our lives to give the ninefold fruit of the Spirit; namely love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentlness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22,23; Romans 5:5;14:17)

All these works of the Spirit reinforce the doctrine that receiving the Spirit is essential to salvation. Without all the above workings of the Spirit, we cannot successfully live a victorious Christian life that is pleasing to God. Anyone who tries to be saved without receiving God’s Spirit is attempting to be saved by his own efforts and is doomed to failure.

-David Bernard, The New Birth

Do not settle for less that all God has for you, my friend. Empty thyself of thyself. Yearn for that which brings power, life, peace, joy, victory, salvation, renewal, refreshing, anointing....the Holy Spirit. If you long for this, it is not unwise to ask yourself the same question Paul asked to believers in Ephesus (Acts 19:2). I want to be like them - not trapped in my own thoughts or belief systems or even of those around me, but to be open to the move of God founded upon His Word. God can only fill an empty vessel...not one full of itself. Even though they believed, yet there was more to their relationship with Christ then they had experienced...(Acts 19:1-6). They could have held onto their traditions and belief system when confronted with further revelation, or they could have done exactly what they did: believed to the point of obedient action in receiving the Holy Spirit and being baptized in the name of Jesus. (Acts 19:5,6)

There was a man who believed his daddy had an inheritance for him that would allow him to buy a house when he is older. However, his belief never turned into obedient action to go and get the statement, the title, the check at the bank that would give evidence of his belief. One day, he shows up empty handed to buy the house and simply declares to the landlord on the front porch, "I believe with my whole heart that I can buy this house. I've believed it every day of my life. That belief has given me peace, joy, satisfaction...wow! Ok, where are the keys?" Is it any wonder why the landlord laughed and walked away?

Matthew 7:21-27

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.
-Martin Luther King Jr.

Dear friends, we must love each other because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God. The person who doesn't love doesn't know God, because God is love. God has shown us his love by sending his only Son into the world so that we could have life through him. This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the payment for our sins. Dear friends, if this is the way God loved us, we must also love each other. No one has ever seen God. If we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
-John (1Jn 4:7-12)

His river for your desert

Forget what happened in the past, and do not dwell on events from long ago. I am going to do something new. It is already happening. Don't you recognize it? I will clear a way in the desert. I will make rivers on dry land.
(Isaiah 43:18-19)

God bless the person who invented sms

A walkway back in my hometown of Ridgefield, CT.

The following is an sms from a member in my church here in Singapore on a recent night full of doubt, fear, heaviness, oppression, weariness, and confusion...something they could have never, ever known. Herein do I glory in the providence, the love, the understanding, the power, the victory, and the concern of my Jesus. His Words do more than any mere man's ever could...

"Don't lose heart, I'll lead u back 2 dr road of life, yr feets were created 2 walk on my words throughout yr life, u will find my truth inside of u that gives u wisdom n direction 2 begin a walk 2 discover dr real joy of life a journey togather with Me in truth clinging with My word that is supernatural mixed with faith that need 2 b used on a regular basis n My words are set as a cornerstone that creates boundary 2 establish life in abundance forever."

"How Far Will You Trust Me?" -God

The right hand of the LORD is held high. The right hand of the LORD displays strength. I will not die, but I will live and tell what the LORD has done. The LORD disciplined me severely, but he did not allow me to be killed.
(Psalms 118:16-18 GW)
During times of trouble I called on the LORD. The LORD answered me and set me free from all of them.
(Psalms 118:5 GW)
Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
(Job 5:17-19 KJV)
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
(Romans 8:28 KJV) 

I've been stupid like an animal before...

 
When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt, I was as stupid as an animal; I did not understand you. Yet I always stay close to you, and you hold me by the hand. You guide me with your instruction and at the end you will receive me with honor. What else do I have in heaven but you? Since I have you, what else could I want on earth? My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my strength; he is all I ever need. Those who abandon you will certainly perish; you will destroy those who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, how wonderful to be near God, to find protection with the Sovereign LORD and to proclaim all that he has done!
(Psalms 73:21-28 GNB)

Need Help in Prayer Time?

1. Praise - Psalm 22:3; 63:3; Hebrews 13:15
2. Forgiveness - Matthew 6:14-15
3. Confession - Psalm 66:18; 139:23-24
4. Petition - Matthew 6:9-13; James 4:2-3
5. Intercession - Matthew 9:37-38; 1 Timothy 2:1-2
6. Bible Reading - 2 Timothy 3:16
7.Meditation - Psalm 1:1-2; 77:12
8. Thanksgiving - Philippians 4:6
9. Praying the Word - Personally apply, out loud, the precepts of the Bible.
10. Singing - Psalm 100:2; Ephesians 5:19
11. LISTENING - 1 Kings 19:11-12
12. Praise - Matthew 6:13

Rare does an album repeat this many times in my mp3 player, but...

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...The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford soundtrack is one such album.

Those who know me well know that I have more movie soundtrack albums than any other genre. I used to hold up an old tape deck next to my mom's 1980 TV set when I was a kid to record like 10 seconds of a musical part from a film. Didn't care about what movie it was...but if something caught my ear I recorded it. In fact, I still have my first cassette (remember those anybody?) back in my home in CT.

This movie in itself is a masterpiece...more a film and character study than anything else. The two main characters powerfully portray America's most notorious criminal and the man who worshiped, hated, and killed him. However, it was the music that did it for me. And when that happens, the medium through which I heard the music becomes immaterial. Such is the case here.

It's been a long time since I've heard music that caused me to imagine...to dream..to long...to believe...to think about my God in a way I've not in a long time.

Music with words and our contemporary styles have their place indeed. But I wonder about David out on the hills thinking of God. He had no mp3 player, no top 10, nothing but the music in his heart. What music did he hear when pondering the awesomeness of the Lord?

What kind of music do I hear when meditating on the goodness, long suffering, mercy, fear, and love of God? Click the photo above for a sample...this is what I hear.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky displays what his hands have made. One day tells a story to the next. One night shares knowledge with the next without talking, without words, without their voices being heard. Yet, their sound has gone out into the entire world....(Psalms 19:1-4)

Love Beyond

By far my favorite comic strip of all time.

"You are loved beyond your failures, you are loved beyond your past."
-MSN tag of a friend

"But God is rich in mercy because of his great love for us."
-Ephesians 2:4

Worship

This is a beautiful pic...in many ways.
Worship is the submission of all our nature to God.  It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness, nourishment of mind by His truth, purifying of imagination by His beauty, opening of the heart to His love, and submission of will to His purpose.  All this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of all expressions of which we are capable. -William Temple

Yes We Can - Americans

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Suffice it to say that I've no idea what's going on with the American elections and candidates. Ok, yes...Obama is black and so am I. But that doesn't mean I support him. He's got his views (of which I don't know), Hillary's got hers (of which I don't know about...though I know her history), etc. etc.

I am American. Not Japanese, not Singaporean. And I'm proud to be so! Tact demands one not to stand on a soapbox and announce this while living in a foreign country, but every now and then something comes along that causes me to remember where I'm from...

...and this video is such a moment. It touched me. The message in the song is what is powerful (which are verbatim Barak Obama's words...total PROPS to the producer of this song...what genius). Human beings are moved and motivated by words. And these words ring a bell in my heart. I believe it would ring a bell in anyone's heart. One thing is sorely missing though - God! Then they'd have to change it to "Yes He Can"

Of course, politically backing up those words is a completely different story...only time will tell. Nevertheless, I like the words, I like the music, I like the vision, and I like the black and white of the video. Who will I vote for? That's for me to know. And with such an important decision as who will be the next leader of the most powerful country on the earth I'll not be swayed by mushy gushy music videos....haha, no way. But still, I like the video.

For all its shortcomings, failings, craziness, like any good patriot, I still believe in my country and would never lose hope in change for the better....America.

Yes We Can.

p.s. I think it goes without saying that the only way I know "we (Americans) can" is through repentance, faith, and obedience to the Word of God. A return to the values and morals that the country was built on (minus the slavery part..haha. I mean the fact that a black man is running for office is AMAZING considering the history of my people in America). Jesus was, is, and always will be the answer to our nation's issues. Until then, it's just a song. But as long as we have praying believers for our country, I have hope for my nation.