My Verse for the Week.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 (NKJV)
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the side was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

19

19 years ago yesterday i made a decision to follow Jesus.

as the song says,

no turning back...no turning back.

For all the "Lost" fans

check this out sometime:

http://storiesofthelost.blogspot.com/

Numbers Deep Study Passage

Numbers 6:22-27 (NASB95)

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
"Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel.
You shall say to them:
The LORD bless you, and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.'
"So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them."

Don't Mess with My Coffee Cup

i (like most coffee drinkers) have a favorite coffee cup. i don't know why it's my favorite...it doesn't say "i >heart< my daddy" or "world's best husband/father/pastor"...it doesn't have some christian slogan or symbol on it...

it wasn't a gift...it holds no special memories for me...no warm feelings (aside from the coffee's heat)...no thoughts of better days gone by...

it cannot make coffee taste better...it does not keep coffee hotter...it does not make coffee drinking any easier or more enjoyable...

it is just a cup.

but it is my cup.

when someone comes over and accidently takes my cup (which i now take precautions to prevent) i get a little...uneasy. that's my cup! it doesn't belong in their hands...it shouldn't be...moving....up...toward...their...mouth!!!!

silly? i know. cups can be washed and germs can be eliminated...cooties vanquished by the indominatble comet cleanser and really, really, really, hot water. i'm not too much of a germ phobe anyway...

it's just that it's my cup. it's mine. not to be selfish...but, it's mine. it is for me to use...it is special...it's not extra good...it's getting pretty old...but, it is mine. we have better cups...nicer cups...more expensive cups...prettier cups...cups with nice christian messages on them...you'll enjoy your coffee more if you use those cups, honest you will (because then you won't have me watching your every move while you use my cup...). i'm not being selfish...i want you to have a nice cup of coffee...

just not with my cup.

because it is mine. separate from the other cups...hidden away so someone wont take it by mistake...in another non-cup holding cabinet...in with the bread and the chips and not with all the other coffee cups.

this is a picture of holiness. it isn't about performance...it isn't about what we do--it is about who we are.

we are special to God. not bc of who we are...not bc or what we do...not bc of how we look...not bc of how we perform...

just bc we are His.

we are special.

we are His.

Listen to the Thunder Shouting, "I AM"

What shall we say, shall we call it by a name
As well to count the angels dancing on a pin
Water bright as the sky from which it came
And the name is on the earth that takes it in
We will not speak but stand inside the rain
And listen to the thunder shoutI am, I am, I am, I am"

from "Weather Report Suite: Part 2 (Let it Grow)"
Weir/Barlow

we want to name and define and measure and weigh most things, i think it is natural for us. in fact, i think it is healthy to do with earthly things...it keeps us safe.

but One thing cannot be Named and Defined and Measured or Weighed...

He is God.

and there is nothing natural or earthly about Him. He is Other-worldly...He is Supernatural...He transends everything we can see or touch or think or breathe... or believe.

He is God.

and every time humans have tried to figure Him out, we've messed it up. whether it's false religions...or heretical Xian sects...they are all trying to figure God out and getting it wrong. the same is true for me, when i've tried to quantify God...i ended up with sand falling thru my fingers.

He is God.

and apart from REVELATION He cannot be known.

moses experienced revelation...God condescending somewhat to the human level and showing a part of WHO HE IS...later on, the Scripture tells us moses experienced God revelation again up on the mountain, and when he came down the people were afraid bc his face was shining!

serious business, this revelation.

there are other revelations recorded in the Bible...Ezekiel saw: "the Appearance of the Likeness of the Glory of the LORD"...Isaiah experienced it. David longed for it...

but they were all partial revelations. bits and pieces...partials...snapshots...glimpses...

until Jesus came.

the Bible tells us He is the "exact representation of God"...in Him God's fulness dwells...He is "God in the flesh"...

He is God.

and how's this:

"all things have been commtted to me by my Father. no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him"

i've never noticed this b4...but this wonderful statement of revelation precedes a famous passage:

"come to me all you who are heavy laden and i will give you rest. take my yoke upon me, for i am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

no one can know God the Father except Jesus and those to whom Jesus chooses to reveal Him to...then He offers us (every one of us) the opportunity to know Him.

be still...
stop trying to figure Him out.
take Him up on His offer.
know Him.
find rest.

When We Are Broken

when we are broken
come to us
come to us
bind up our wound with gauze we can't see

my first attempt at carving a pumpkin...

i'm on the right.