I was talking with a friend last week about 1 Corinthians 14 where Paul is talking about prophecy, tongues, and gifts of the Spirit. We got to talking specifically about verse 19 where he says "Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue."
I'm not interested in a conversation about speaking in tongues or not speaking in tongues...but as we talked, I was struck with the question of what 5 words Paul would say to me if he only had 5 words he could speak to me.
If you could use only 5 words to express the Gospel, what 5 words would you use?
Thankfully, we have the opportunity to use more than 5 words, but it was just an interesting thought for me. Interested to see what/if any kind of responses you may have...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
why?
why do i...
-think the world revolves around me?
-want the world to revovle around me?
-not trust that His love is enough?
-do so many things that war against my heart/soul?
-live such a noisy life?
-care so much about things that don't matter?
-care so little about things that do?
-think the world revolves around me?
-want the world to revovle around me?
-not trust that His love is enough?
-do so many things that war against my heart/soul?
-live such a noisy life?
-care so much about things that don't matter?
-care so little about things that do?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
What I need to hear today and tomorrow
Before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is “Love,”
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands, My name is written on His heart;
I know that while in heaven He stands No tongue can bid me thence depart.
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair, And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died, My sinful soul is counted free;
For God the just is satisfied To look on Him and pardon me.
To look on Him and pardon me.
Behold Him there! the risen Lamb, My perfect, spotless Righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM, The King of glory and of grace!
One with Himself I cannot die, My soul is purchased by His blood;
My life is hid with Christ on high, With Christ my Savior and my God
With Christ my Savior and my God.
lyrics- Charitie Lees Bancroft
music-Vikki Cook
A great High Priest whose name is “Love,”
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands, My name is written on His heart;
I know that while in heaven He stands No tongue can bid me thence depart.
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair, And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died, My sinful soul is counted free;
For God the just is satisfied To look on Him and pardon me.
To look on Him and pardon me.
Behold Him there! the risen Lamb, My perfect, spotless Righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM, The King of glory and of grace!
One with Himself I cannot die, My soul is purchased by His blood;
My life is hid with Christ on high, With Christ my Savior and my God
With Christ my Savior and my God.
lyrics- Charitie Lees Bancroft
music-Vikki Cook
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Son of the Father
For a long time, I've been struck by the life of Barabbas. According to Matthew, Barabbas was a "notorious prisoner". Mark lists him among a group of "rebels in prions, who had committed murder in the insurrection". John simply tells us that Barabbas was a robber.
It strikes me that these were not only his legal descriptions, but also the adjectives that began to define who he was . He was no longer Barabbas, son of____________. He was no longer Barabbas, brother to_______________. He was no longer Barabbas, the man who worked with____________. He was legally and nominally Barabbas, the notorious prisoner. Barabbas, whose name means son of the father, was no longer defined as being the son of his father, but as the man who had committed murder during an insurrection. He was the notorious prisoner.
But, even Barabbas, the notorious criminal receives grace (getting what we don't deserve) and mercy (not getting what we do deserve) in the form of Jesus Christ. Barabbas was the man for whom Christ literally took the cross of death. Pilate, who wanted nothing to do with Christ's punishment or death asked the crowd if they wanted Jesus or Barabbas. This would be like President Obama asking the country who that want forgiven and released: Osama Bin Laden, or a man who had done nothing illeagal, but simply had offended a group of people. It seems like Pilate was trying to choose the most hated man possible so that the mob would have to choose to release Christ. But in their fury, the mob chose to release Barabbas. He received the opportunity for a new life. Mercy. He was pardoned from the death he deserved. Grace.
As I think about the life of Barabbas, it's not hard to put myself in his place. I was born into a life as a notorious criminal/sinner. This was my identity.
But as the mob cries for my release, it is Christ who takes the death I deserve. And in that, I receive new life. In that, my identity changes from notorious sinner, to son of the father.
May I step further into life-relationship with the Father through Christ. May the rhythms of the trinity be at work in and through my life. May the gospel be ever fresh in my heart and mind.
"It was my sin that held him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished"
-How Deep the Fathers Love For us
It strikes me that these were not only his legal descriptions, but also the adjectives that began to define who he was . He was no longer Barabbas, son of____________. He was no longer Barabbas, brother to_______________. He was no longer Barabbas, the man who worked with____________. He was legally and nominally Barabbas, the notorious prisoner. Barabbas, whose name means son of the father, was no longer defined as being the son of his father, but as the man who had committed murder during an insurrection. He was the notorious prisoner.
But, even Barabbas, the notorious criminal receives grace (getting what we don't deserve) and mercy (not getting what we do deserve) in the form of Jesus Christ. Barabbas was the man for whom Christ literally took the cross of death. Pilate, who wanted nothing to do with Christ's punishment or death asked the crowd if they wanted Jesus or Barabbas. This would be like President Obama asking the country who that want forgiven and released: Osama Bin Laden, or a man who had done nothing illeagal, but simply had offended a group of people. It seems like Pilate was trying to choose the most hated man possible so that the mob would have to choose to release Christ. But in their fury, the mob chose to release Barabbas. He received the opportunity for a new life. Mercy. He was pardoned from the death he deserved. Grace.
As I think about the life of Barabbas, it's not hard to put myself in his place. I was born into a life as a notorious criminal/sinner. This was my identity.
But as the mob cries for my release, it is Christ who takes the death I deserve. And in that, I receive new life. In that, my identity changes from notorious sinner, to son of the father.
May I step further into life-relationship with the Father through Christ. May the rhythms of the trinity be at work in and through my life. May the gospel be ever fresh in my heart and mind.
"It was my sin that held him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished"
-How Deep the Fathers Love For us
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
How Deep? How Long?
Just wondering about my life and my heart...
How deep do things go into my heart?
How long do those things linger in my heart?
Do they ever go away and stop affecting my life?
Here's me hoping and trusting that good things linger and have affect in my life.
Here's me hoping and trusting and needing to know that the hard things that happen in my life that go deep into my heart are being redeemed for good...
"Grace makes beauty out of ugly things" -U2
How deep do things go into my heart?
How long do those things linger in my heart?
Do they ever go away and stop affecting my life?
Here's me hoping and trusting that good things linger and have affect in my life.
Here's me hoping and trusting and needing to know that the hard things that happen in my life that go deep into my heart are being redeemed for good...
"Grace makes beauty out of ugly things" -U2
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Capital Punishment
In ancient Rome, if you were found guilty of a capital offense, you were sentenced with any number of capital punishments. One of which involved being tied foot to foot, waist to waist, hand to hand, face to face with a dead body. You would be assigned a Roman guard who would follow you around to make sure that you didn't untie yourself from the corpse. Essentially, you were living life with the extra weight of this rotting corpse. As you slept, you slept with a rotting corpse. As you walked through town, you walked through town with a rotting corpse.
Great shame would have accompanied you as you lived with this body. Everyone that you saw would have known you were guilty of a capital offense. Because of this, they would want nothing to do with you-you were cut off from humanity.
I doubt that I could put into words how bad I imagine a rotting corpse would smell. I can't imagine how nauseous the sight of a rotting body would be. So even if you were still loved by friends and family, they wouldn't physically be able to be around you without become sick-you were separated from relationship.
Eventually, as the corpse rotted, decomposed, and melted, it would rot, decompose, and melt into your own flesh, eventually killing you. This would have been a slow, disgusting, painful process. This process slowly separated you from life as death literally invaded your life.
The only way that you were allowed to untie yourself was if someone offered to untie you and tie the corpse to themselves.
As I think about that picture, I hear Christ's beckoning:
Great shame would have accompanied you as you lived with this body. Everyone that you saw would have known you were guilty of a capital offense. Because of this, they would want nothing to do with you-you were cut off from humanity.
I doubt that I could put into words how bad I imagine a rotting corpse would smell. I can't imagine how nauseous the sight of a rotting body would be. So even if you were still loved by friends and family, they wouldn't physically be able to be around you without become sick-you were separated from relationship.
Eventually, as the corpse rotted, decomposed, and melted, it would rot, decompose, and melt into your own flesh, eventually killing you. This would have been a slow, disgusting, painful process. This process slowly separated you from life as death literally invaded your life.
The only way that you were allowed to untie yourself was if someone offered to untie you and tie the corpse to themselves.
As I think about that picture, I hear Christ's beckoning:
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." -Matthew 11:28-30
I think of all the things Christ is calling and bringing me out of as he unties the rotting corpse of my sin/flesh and ties it upon himself.
-I lose my certain death
-I lose the stench of living a me-centered existence
-I lose the shame that accompanies that existence (not to be confused with Godly guilt-we still have that as the Spirit brings us back to Christ again and again)
-I gain life (full-life, life as it was intended)
-I gain the ability to meaningfully relate to others
-I gain the aroma of Christ as he sanctifies me
-I gain freedom
This isn't to say that we won't chose sin. This isn't to say that we won't foolishly chose to re-tie ourselves to the rotting corpse of our flesh and sin. But it is to say:
"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" -Romans 7:24-25
May he increase and may I decrease.
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy...
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A few thoughts on worship
Right now in the Rejoice Worship Ministry, we're spending some time in our devotion times talking about worship. Here are a few of the simple thoughts that have been shared or will be shared:
-we long for and were created for transcendence, something bigger than us
hundreds of thousands of folks chose to spend time and money to stand in the freezing cold to watch a man put his hand on the Bible and repeat some vows. I'm not trying to diminish Obama or any other president's getting sworn in. It is an important, historical moment. I do think though that it is a picture of our longing for transcendence. We want to be part of something bigger than me, something we can tell my kids and grand kids we were part of...
-we worship in the context of story
The simplified version of this story goes like this:
We each have a personal hell, something we need salvation from.
We each look to someone or something as our personal savior from our personal hell.
We place value (worship) the thing or person that saves us from our hell.
Look at commercials:
1. You have acne which keeps you from______________(personal hell)
2. Use proactive solution to save you from that personal hell so that you can ________ (savior)
3. Spend money and time on proactive solution (worship)
(note-Marc Driscoll taught on this idea at the Continuous Worship conference 07)
-worship is about what we value
-what we value shapes the way we live
If you want a great picture of this, watch the movie/documentary "Trekkies".
If you come into my house, you get an idea of the things I value. If you look at my bank statements, you can get an idea of the things I value. If you watched how I spent my time, you'd get an idea about what I value.
-because we're made in God's image, we are continuously outpouring
read Harold Best's book "Unceasing Worship" for a great study of this
-Who/what we worship shapes who we are ("We Become What We Worship" -G.K. Beale)
"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."
-Romans 12:1-2 (the message)
These are just a few of the thoughts we've talked about or will be talking about. Feel free to share any thoughts or input you may have.
-we long for and were created for transcendence, something bigger than us
hundreds of thousands of folks chose to spend time and money to stand in the freezing cold to watch a man put his hand on the Bible and repeat some vows. I'm not trying to diminish Obama or any other president's getting sworn in. It is an important, historical moment. I do think though that it is a picture of our longing for transcendence. We want to be part of something bigger than me, something we can tell my kids and grand kids we were part of...
-we worship in the context of story
The simplified version of this story goes like this:
We each have a personal hell, something we need salvation from.
We each look to someone or something as our personal savior from our personal hell.
We place value (worship) the thing or person that saves us from our hell.
Look at commercials:
1. You have acne which keeps you from______________(personal hell)
2. Use proactive solution to save you from that personal hell so that you can ________ (savior)
3. Spend money and time on proactive solution (worship)
(note-Marc Driscoll taught on this idea at the Continuous Worship conference 07)
-worship is about what we value
-what we value shapes the way we live
If you want a great picture of this, watch the movie/documentary "Trekkies".
If you come into my house, you get an idea of the things I value. If you look at my bank statements, you can get an idea of the things I value. If you watched how I spent my time, you'd get an idea about what I value.
-because we're made in God's image, we are continuously outpouring
read Harold Best's book "Unceasing Worship" for a great study of this
-Who/what we worship shapes who we are ("We Become What We Worship" -G.K. Beale)
"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."
-Romans 12:1-2 (the message)
These are just a few of the thoughts we've talked about or will be talking about. Feel free to share any thoughts or input you may have.
Dreams cont.
11. Live in a big city for a season
12. Beach home (hey, I can at least dream right?)
13. Wrap-around porch
14. House with a "quiet room"
15. Field of dreams (baseball field on my property)
12. Beach home (hey, I can at least dream right?)
13. Wrap-around porch
14. House with a "quiet room"
15. Field of dreams (baseball field on my property)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Bats, balls, gloves...can't wait
Baseball...ahhh (that is a good, life-giving ahhh)
2 days until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training.
2 months until opening day.
watching and waiting...
Spring...in February
I think I can handle 60 and 70 degrees in February.
I find it interesting and really nice that something as simple as weather can breathe new life into my winterized heart and life. I'm thankful for the ability to feel...
I feel warmth on my skin now when I walk outside-that brings joy...
I feel the anticipation of spring-that brings hope...
I feel the overflow of rolling windows down and listening to loud music-that feels alive...
I feel the excitement of a new season of Baseball-that makes me feel like a kid again...
What brings you joy, hope, life, and child-like today?
Not a new observation, but spring slowly emerging from it's winter slumber gives me hope that my heart is doing the same thing. It gives me hope that my heart lives in seasons. It makes me long for a season of new life. It makes me yearn for grace and mercy that is new every morning. It makes me want to better know the God who makes all things new.
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy...
I find it interesting and really nice that something as simple as weather can breathe new life into my winterized heart and life. I'm thankful for the ability to feel...
I feel warmth on my skin now when I walk outside-that brings joy...
I feel the anticipation of spring-that brings hope...
I feel the overflow of rolling windows down and listening to loud music-that feels alive...
I feel the excitement of a new season of Baseball-that makes me feel like a kid again...
What brings you joy, hope, life, and child-like today?
Not a new observation, but spring slowly emerging from it's winter slumber gives me hope that my heart is doing the same thing. It gives me hope that my heart lives in seasons. It makes me long for a season of new life. It makes me yearn for grace and mercy that is new every morning. It makes me want to better know the God who makes all things new.
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Waiting for...
"Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." -Hebrews 9:27-28
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." -Psalm 27:4
In the community of folks that I live my life around, a great deal of thoughts and words are spent in the direction of waiting. We spend our Advent remembering that we are to watch and wait for Immanuel, God with us. Immanuel 2000 years ago. Immanuel now. Immanuel to come. We celebrate, remember, and wait for the God who was, is, and is to come.
We sing about it. We teach about it. We pray about it. We wonder about it. And I guess I'm finding myself asking the simple questions: what does it mean to wait for God and why are we told in scripture to do so?
By nature, waiting finds one in a posture of lacking or dependence. Every Christmas eve from 1987-1993 would find me and my brother awake at 4.30 eagerly awaiting the 6.00 hour that our parents set as the time we could see what Santa brought for us. We were lacking bicycles, teenage mutant ninja turtles, and baseball cards, so why would we not be up for hours eagerly anticipating what would soon become ours. We were dependant on some outside force (i.e. Santa=mom and dad) to provide what it was that we were waiting for.
If we already had the complete set of 1988 Donruss baseball cards, we wouldn't be up all night waiting for them-lack. If it weren't for parents who cared about their 2 overly eager sons, we wouldn't have been up waiting for gifts-dependant.
Where are you lacking?
Where are you dependant?
I'm so quick to make sure that I'm not lacking what it is I want. I work hard so that I am independent. Maybe waiting for Christ could simply mean allowing myself to lack. Maybe waiting for Christ could simply mean intentionally seeking dependence.
Waiting...am I?
At times, waiting happens in the face of the most desperate of circumstances. We wait to hear the results from the doctor. We wait for the phone to ring from that one specific person. Maybe waiting could simply mean being desperate for something to come to me with hope in hand.
But the thing about waiting is that at times, waiting causes us to miss now. We get so caught up in what we're waiting for that we miss the moment to moment normalness of life. In waiting for Santa to bring me that blue huffy bike on Christmas morning, I missed the interactions with grandma and grandpa. And while they understood why, I missed them nevertheless. Are we to miss the normalness of a walk as the sun goes down? Are we to miss the samenss of seeing our breath when we breathe on a frigid winter morning? Are we to miss the sweetness of a welcoming embrace of a friend? Are we called to miss now because we're waiting for what has yet to come?
What if waiting means living a desperate, lacking, dependant life rooted in the nowness of each moment, guided by the raising of our eyes to what we're waiting for?
So what are you waiting for? Is it strong enough to draw you back to the nowness of today all while shaping the way you live in the now?
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." -Psalm 27:4
In the community of folks that I live my life around, a great deal of thoughts and words are spent in the direction of waiting. We spend our Advent remembering that we are to watch and wait for Immanuel, God with us. Immanuel 2000 years ago. Immanuel now. Immanuel to come. We celebrate, remember, and wait for the God who was, is, and is to come.
We sing about it. We teach about it. We pray about it. We wonder about it. And I guess I'm finding myself asking the simple questions: what does it mean to wait for God and why are we told in scripture to do so?
By nature, waiting finds one in a posture of lacking or dependence. Every Christmas eve from 1987-1993 would find me and my brother awake at 4.30 eagerly awaiting the 6.00 hour that our parents set as the time we could see what Santa brought for us. We were lacking bicycles, teenage mutant ninja turtles, and baseball cards, so why would we not be up for hours eagerly anticipating what would soon become ours. We were dependant on some outside force (i.e. Santa=mom and dad) to provide what it was that we were waiting for.
If we already had the complete set of 1988 Donruss baseball cards, we wouldn't be up all night waiting for them-lack. If it weren't for parents who cared about their 2 overly eager sons, we wouldn't have been up waiting for gifts-dependant.
Where are you lacking?
Where are you dependant?
I'm so quick to make sure that I'm not lacking what it is I want. I work hard so that I am independent. Maybe waiting for Christ could simply mean allowing myself to lack. Maybe waiting for Christ could simply mean intentionally seeking dependence.
Waiting...am I?
At times, waiting happens in the face of the most desperate of circumstances. We wait to hear the results from the doctor. We wait for the phone to ring from that one specific person. Maybe waiting could simply mean being desperate for something to come to me with hope in hand.
But the thing about waiting is that at times, waiting causes us to miss now. We get so caught up in what we're waiting for that we miss the moment to moment normalness of life. In waiting for Santa to bring me that blue huffy bike on Christmas morning, I missed the interactions with grandma and grandpa. And while they understood why, I missed them nevertheless. Are we to miss the normalness of a walk as the sun goes down? Are we to miss the samenss of seeing our breath when we breathe on a frigid winter morning? Are we to miss the sweetness of a welcoming embrace of a friend? Are we called to miss now because we're waiting for what has yet to come?
What if waiting means living a desperate, lacking, dependant life rooted in the nowness of each moment, guided by the raising of our eyes to what we're waiting for?
So what are you waiting for? Is it strong enough to draw you back to the nowness of today all while shaping the way you live in the now?
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Numb
Where are you oh my heart
I thought i knew just where to find youI
've grown tired of this game of hide and seek
Only to find it hidden under lock and key
numb...numb
Where are you oh emotion?
I thought you were sewn upon my sleeves
I grow tired of this digging
Digging to find it's still further burried
Numb...numb...
Why does it seem the one who hid it is the only one who can find it?
Is the one who burried it the only one that can unearth it?
numb...numb
Cut through like a knife
Drive through like a stake
Scream out in the rain
Unearth from your grave
(this is a little old, but hey, might as well put it on here)
I thought i knew just where to find youI
've grown tired of this game of hide and seek
Only to find it hidden under lock and key
numb...numb
Where are you oh emotion?
I thought you were sewn upon my sleeves
I grow tired of this digging
Digging to find it's still further burried
Numb...numb...
Why does it seem the one who hid it is the only one who can find it?
Is the one who burried it the only one that can unearth it?
numb...numb
Cut through like a knife
Drive through like a stake
Scream out in the rain
Unearth from your grave
(this is a little old, but hey, might as well put it on here)
...so far...
100 dreams (so far)
1. World Series Game
2. Wife and kids
3. Hawaii Vacation
4. Know Christ's voice more each year
5. School of spiritual direction with Larry Crabb
6. See a game at every MLB stadium
7. Write a book
8. See U2 live
9. Love God more each year
10. Learn more how to walk in step with the Spirit
1. World Series Game
2. Wife and kids
3. Hawaii Vacation
4. Know Christ's voice more each year
5. School of spiritual direction with Larry Crabb
6. See a game at every MLB stadium
7. Write a book
8. See U2 live
9. Love God more each year
10. Learn more how to walk in step with the Spirit
100 Dreams
Recently a friend of mine challenged me to join him in brainstorming 100 dreams for my life. I've found out that putting 100 dreams to page isn't as easy as it may seem, at least for me. I'm finding that in living my life day to day, I often forget the big picture. I live a short-cited life. And while in some ways living in the now is good, I feel like I'm trapped in living a small, me-centered life. I can handle living a small, quiet life. What I fear is realizing 5 years, 10 years, 15 years from now that I've wasted my life because I've not had vision to see beyond the day to day and week to week.
In all of this, I keep coming back to hope. hope. hope. "And these three remain, faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love." Seems like I've spent a lot of time thinking about faith and love, leaving behind hope. And while living full of faith and love is important, what if hope shapes my love and faith? What if love affects faith and hope? What if faith affects love and hope? What if I've been relying on 2 legs of a 3-legged stool? Wouldn't that leave me on the floor? hope. hope. hope.
Hope-(verb)"To look forward with desire and reasonable confidence"
With this thought of hope, it seems that what I hope for shapes the way I live right now. If I hope to see a World Series game at some point in my life (which I do), it will affect the way I'm living now. There are choices I will make that will lead towards making this hope a reality. I will say yes to things with this hope in mind. I will say no to things with this hope in mind.
And if I don't acknowledge this hope, I will live only here and now. Here and now is good. Here and now is important. But what if here and now for me is because I'm too lazy and apathetic to discipline myself now for the sake of faith, for the sake of hope, and for the sake of hope.
SO-what are you hoping for? What are you dreams?
Dream on...
In all of this, I keep coming back to hope. hope. hope. "And these three remain, faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love." Seems like I've spent a lot of time thinking about faith and love, leaving behind hope. And while living full of faith and love is important, what if hope shapes my love and faith? What if love affects faith and hope? What if faith affects love and hope? What if I've been relying on 2 legs of a 3-legged stool? Wouldn't that leave me on the floor? hope. hope. hope.
Hope-(verb)"To look forward with desire and reasonable confidence"
With this thought of hope, it seems that what I hope for shapes the way I live right now. If I hope to see a World Series game at some point in my life (which I do), it will affect the way I'm living now. There are choices I will make that will lead towards making this hope a reality. I will say yes to things with this hope in mind. I will say no to things with this hope in mind.
And if I don't acknowledge this hope, I will live only here and now. Here and now is good. Here and now is important. But what if here and now for me is because I'm too lazy and apathetic to discipline myself now for the sake of faith, for the sake of hope, and for the sake of hope.
SO-what are you hoping for? What are you dreams?
Dream on...
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