lay it down

i love you
three simple words
three simple words
with a not so simple
meaning

is love a flutter?
is love a feeling?
is love sex?
is love passing?

or are these things
the shadows of
the intangible
real, true, everlasting
love

to me
love is a choice
love is death
the death of
me

the death of
my ego and pride
my wants and desires
my weaknesses and strengths
my importance and control
in light of you, my love

this is love
this is the life
that we as men
are called to lead
this is our love

this is the heart of a warrior
this is the heart of a king
this is the heart of a priest
this is the heart of a prophet
this is the heart of God

Around the corner

I’m here
And around every corner
I expect you to be too

How can you not be here
With the people you loved
Worshipping the God you loved

Yet
In every handshake and smile
In every note sung and foot stomped
You are here

Your legacy is alive and well
Love is your legacy
Love for one another and love for God

And what a rich legacy it is
One that I’m proud to pass on
To the next generation

A generation you never met
But a generation your life
Will definitely touch

I missed you today
Missed your love
Missed your joy

In the midst of the pain
I know that God is planting new life
That my heart is fertile soil
And in time He and I will reap 100 fold

The Secret Lives of Men

Via The Third Option Men

I know a few smokers.  I have condemned them for this chronic sin on multiple occasions.  Once, a long-time female smoker replied, “It must be nice to be able to hide all YOUR sin.”

Initially I took this as nothing more than an addict lashing out in a vain attempt to deflect responsibility.  Later I realized it was a wise Christian woman pointing out the obvious: I’m just as flawed and sinful as everyone else.

My sins have always been of the mind.  I have never smoked a cigarette.  Not a single experimental puff.  I have never been drunk.  I have never gotten a buzz.  Not even close – unless exhaust fumes count.  I’ve never been high.  Not a drag of weed, not a small green pill, nor a single punctured vein.  My battlefield has never been the outward but the inward.  Deep within my brain, and within the dark expanses of my soul, lingers my secret life.

There I am free to harshly judge everyone I come into contact with.  There I replay illicit scenarios where I eviscerate them with my impressive vocabulary, and they wither and retreat from my overpowering awesomeness.  My lusts of the flesh are free to do as they please with whom they please, how they please.  I have lived a thousand different versions of my life.  I’ve been a powerful ruler of supplant minions.  I have traveled the cosmos in vast warships.  I have brutally murdered any who oppose my will.  I exist as a mere shadow of the Christian I am perceived to be.

As was earlier pointed out, my sins have always existed in the shadow of my mind, deep in the trenches, and rarely, if ever, surface.

The secrets will surface, though:

Read the rest at Third Option Men

Teaching us to pray

The other day we (Mommy, Dasi, and I) were at the store playing a fun game of “can you say?”. Which involves us asking Hadassah if she can say various things, and us parents getting a kick out of her echoing words back to us. After going through, dress, hair, and boogers (a daddy word for sure) we gave her “booboo” she got the first “boo” down so we tried to connect that to a word she already knew “ouchie”. H being the bright girl she is, held her leg while saying “ouch”. Mommy looked to see what was hurting her and in that Mommy brilliance takes a moment to teach our little one how to pray.

She kept it simple, “Jesus all better amen”. And in Dasi, “Jesush all done amen”.

It was so simple yet brilliant. It’s not just how babies should pray but all of us. No need for extra fluff. Just call on his name and trust that it will be done.

Father Daughter Moment

From the annuals of fatherhood comes this heart warming tale.

After a long day with the family, I carried a tired and crying princess upstairs. We sat down together her balling, me ready to do the same. As we sat there I realized that we had something to talk about.

Me: I’m sorry, I got mad at you today.
Her: (instantly stops crying)
Me: Do you forgive me?
Her: (nods)
Me: I got frustrated and didn’t handle that in the right way. I’m sorry. But you need to understand that God tells you to listen and obey your mommy and daddy. (more nodding) And God tells us that we need to teach you the right way to live. (more nodding) So together we both need to listen to God. And I’m sorry that today I didn’t set the right example for you.

After that I started to pray and she asked for her crib, going to sleep without a whimper. Just a beautiful moment. ( a spoil from the day’s battle 🙂 )

your voice

oh Lord open your lips
and let your voice go forth
i long to hear your whisper
with an intimacy only your bride knows

open my ears that i might hear
soften my heart that i might listen
let your words be the flame
and my life the fuel

your word saves dying dreams
and your word remembers forgotten hopes
your word brings life everlasting

oh Lord open your lips
and let your voice go forth
fill my ears
with your voice
fill my heart
with your words
fill my mouth
with your flame

oh Lord open your lips
and let your voice go forth
as a flame, a flame from a life consumed
by your holy fire

red tape

it binds, with rules and laws
it binds, with ideology and theology
it binds, with doubt and division
it binds, with plans and good intentions

when we should be sharing life
when we should be speaking life
when we should be doing life
red tape binds us

Time Capsule

A friend wrote a blog titled: What would you say to yourself 10 years ago? My comment is below:

I thought about this a lot, and there’s a lot I would tell myself, but sadly aside from the natural things there’s not much spiritual stuff my 18 yr old self would accept. I can be rather slow and stubborn at times (for good and for bad).

But I think if there was one really desperate message that might be able to reach out to my younger self it would probably be comprised of something along the lines of get over yourself, don’t let pain harden your heart, God is real, and His dreams are bigger than your dreams go and live them.

Funny some of these things I’m still trying to learn. Maybe I should forward this on to my future self as well 🙂

So consider this a note to my future self.

An Honest Heart

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit. Psalm 32:2

We cannot deceive God. Twice in the Acts God is called “the Heartknower” (Acts 1:24; 15:8). But we can deceive ourselves. Here are four differences between deceit and honesty in our hearts.

One, a deceitful heart doesn’t know its sin because it doesn’t want to know. But an honest heart is saying, “Bring it on.”

Two, a deceitful heart notices how well a sermon applies to someone else. But an honest heart is too concerned about itself to judge another.

Three, a deceitful heart, when it isn’t growing, blames its inertia on hardship or its church or even on God himself. But an honest heart says, “It’s my fault. I need to get in gear.”

Four, a deceitful heart delays response. It says, “I’ll get around to it, even soon. But I can’t right now.” An honest heart puts God first. Delayed obedience is a way of saying, “I’m setting the terms. I am Lord.” But an honest heart says, “Lord, whatever you want – right now.” An honest heart says, with the old hymn,

The dearest idol I have known, whate’er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne and worship only thee.

Reposted from Ray Ourtlun’s blog

 

Kingdom Dreams

Jeff Goins recently wrote a good blog on how to get involved with Kingdom Dreams. Here’s what he says…

There is no denying it. God is moving in a coordinated fashion, planting a seed in world changers and kingdom bringers. In the past few weeks we’ve found a growing number of passionate Christ followers committed to a similar vision of Kingdom Dreams, creating opportunity for synergy amongst the church.

We are on the forefront of something great, and we want you to be apart of it.

  • Kingdom Dreams went live about a month ago, but since then we have gained greater clarity as to our role in this coordinated move by God.
  • Kingdom Dreams exists to synthesize the church; connecting the body of Christ to fulfill each persons unique createdness.
  • Kingdom Dreams is being built to be the premier location to be inspired, equipped, and resourced to pursue one’s God-given dreams and passions.
  • Kingdom Dreams will be the catalyst for the next generation of Christians focused on changing the world.
  • Kingdom Dreams offers people the space, freedom, guidance, and confidence to dream and experiment, through the channel of meaningful personal connections.

A dream this big needs the help of the body of Christ, and we want to invite you to be apart of what God is doing.

There are lots of ways to get involved. We would love it if you joined us on the forefront of this movement. Here are five different ways to join the vision:

  1. Become a coach This generation needs mentors and coaches. You have life experience and wisdom to share. Help walk someone down their unique path: Become a coach!
  2. Help us network dreamers Most dreamers need to serve under someone else dream while the mature and grow. Contact us if you can connect dreamers to a variety of opportunities
  3. Partner with Kingdom Dreams We want to provide our dreamers with job, ministry, and volunteer opportunities that match their passions. Let us know if you or your organization has open positions for some passionate world changers.
  4. Spread the word: Do you believe in this vision of making God’s dreams come true through connecting people with world-changing ideas? Share Kingdom Dreams with your friends, church, pastor, and other network by:
    1. Reposting this post on your blog, or writing your own.
    2. Talk about Kingdom Dreams on Twitter or post a link on Facebook. You can use the shortened URL http://bit.ly/kdreams.
  5. Share your dream Come to our website and let us know about your dream. You just might make yours happen, or help another’s come true. Share your dream

Let’s build this into something great together.