Wednesday, August 15, 2007

I had a "But God" moment when I heard this song

I updated "my playlist" today

I'd love to put all my newly downloaded songs on here....but I'm sure there's some sort of copyrights laws about that...

Here is an oldie but a goodie:

BE NEAR

You are all
Big and small
Beautiful
And wonderful
To trust in grace through faith But I'm asking to taste
For dark is light to You
Depths are height to You
Far is near
But Lord I need to hear from You

Be near O God
Be near O God of us
Your nearness
Is to us our good

Your fullness is mine
Revelation divine
But O to taste
To know much more than a page
To feel Your embrace
For dark is light to You
Depths are height to You
Far is near
But Lord I need to hear from You

Be near O God
Be near O God of us
Your nearness
Is to us our good

By Shane and Shane

Stagnant Waters

Not much has changed from my last post....I still feel stagnant. Surrounded by mosquito infested water. I guess there's not much comparision between a mosquito and a lion but what came to mind immediately was:

The advesary is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (I peter 5:8)

Thats kinda like a game of Mother may I, right? The advesary has to have your permission to devour. Seems like these days I've given out alot of permission. **SIGH**

How does one get that back?

Back to I Peter....

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

10 But the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Looks like a path one can follow....

Humble Yourself.
Cast Your Care.
Be Sober Greek Word: Nepho

to be sober, to be calm and collected in spirit
to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect

Be Vigilant. Dictionary: keenly watchful
Resist.
Be Steadfast. Dictionary: strong, firm, immovable, solid, hard, rigid

I like what the greek has to say about this word being used in a bad sense:
"cruel, stiff, stubborn, hard" thats descriptive of steadfast in a bad way.

And then the best two words (in this case three) in the bible.

But God.
Thank God for the "but Gods" in the bible, in my life....otherwise I'd be pretty hopeless.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Climate Change

The climate changes here quite frequently, the old adage about Texas weather is if you don't like it just wait 15 minutes...it'll change.

This summer has been "off". Normally our summers are scorchers. 100+ degrees. Who of us can forget the summer of 1980? Who still has the T-Shirt? But this summer has been lacking in heat. Its rained and rained and rained. What was once a land in drought, has become flooded.

Our lakes are full, our streams streaming, our rivers flowing, yet I feel stagnant. I feel like I can't get enough water, although over all that I survey, we're at flood level.

I started off "the summer" with the intention of getting all the uncomplete bible studies completed. Starting with the ones I had purchased most recently and work my way back. The good news is, I got that one done. I loved it. I was on the mountain with God. The bad news is, not a one since has been touched. They are still collecting dust.

I did a summer study at church with kept the fires going with a little kindling, but that's about it. Its as if the passion of the blazing sun of summer was gone and so was my Passion for the Blazing Son. No, I've misspoken. My passion isn't gone, its under the water somewhere. Or the rain waters washed it down stream. Maybe what I need is a search team....rescuers! (hey isn't that a Disney movie??)

Anyway, what i need is a place to dry it off, to get in from the weather, to enjoy a cup of tea and begin the process of being reacquainted with Gods Word....with God. The pages of my prayer journal have been empty for too long. So I sit here...at the computer.....wondering what to say, yet being filled with so many things.

Thirsty in a flooded land. The opposite of one of my favorite Psalms.


Psalm 63
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuaryand beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
9 They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God's name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Maybe not so opposite. My soul feels like a desert land. Dry and in need of water.
I like it that its titled: A Psalm of David, while he was in the desert of Judah.


Judah meaning Praised, Celebrated. That's fitting. Wow, God never stops surprising me with His Word.

In the Desert of Praise. That's the key really. Praising. Praise Him and raise up out of the pit. Praise Him and be filled. Be satisfied.

There is a song we used to sing at church about this Psalm.

You are my God I seek You
my soul thrists for you
you are my God I seek you
my flesh faints for you

*in a dry and weary land
you are my wateryou are my water*

you are my God i need you
you have been my help
you are my God i need you
let joyful lips sing

*in a dry and weary land you are my water
you are my water*

your steadfast love is better than life
your steadfast love is better than life

Does any of this make sense, I don't know, its just where I'm at today.