Tears May Fall

O little ones, can't you see how much I love you
I've placed upon your head a crown of gold, a crown of glory
And though sometimes it seems a crown of thorns, a crown of pain
I will give you strength, I have come to give you my love

O little ones, can't you see that I'm not angry
Come rest in me, I long to whisper what you mean to me
I've given you everything and I give you love that will last forever
O child of mine, a King has come to bring eternity

Tears may fall, but it's the hope that leads you on
Tears may fall, but it's the hope that leads you on

Tears they'll fall, but it's the hope that leads you on

Today is Christmas...a day of incredible HOPE!  Do you know what hope is?  It's an incredible power that rises within us...knowing that Christ was born into a dark world and born into the darkened hearts of lost mankind...for those who accept Him and receive Him as King!  It is an indescribable, majestic, mysterious power that resonates deep in our hearts...a fire that burns in the cold nights...that says He Is Coming!  He is coming very soon!

True hope is a vision that never dies...a vision of eternal glory, eternal purpose, infinite and unhindered fellowship with the lover of our souls!  Hope says He loves us...He loves us in an unimaginable way!  Hope is that unexpected power that wells up within us, when it seems we haven't the strength to go on.  Hope is that mysterious fire that burns within us when life deals us the worst imaginable circumstance... When life deals us a death blow...when unforgiving pain plagues us...when terror paralyzes us...when sadness seizes us.

Tears may fall...tears they will fall.  I wrote this song not too long after I was released from one of my first stays at the hospital.  Tears fell.  Many.  Anguish suffocated me. Depression pressed down upon me like black gravity poured straight from the clouds. But hope won...every time...every single time...its power filled my lungs and gave me breath. Hope sustained me through every onslaught of every power of darkness that waged war against me.  The hope of Christ and a supernatural life here on earth, and an eternal calling of priesthood serving Him, was enough to thrust me forward through any darkness that came my way.

It's Christmas.  Maybe tears are all you think you have tonight.  Well, it is not all you have.  You really do have hope.  He really does love you and desires to share His heart, His secrets with you.  Maybe the pain seems too great...divorce, a lost child, loneliness, sickness, disease, no job, no home...these and many other difficulties may be plaguing you, stealing from you, even destroying your Christmas.

Don't give up!  Keep going!  Take one more step.  Even if it's small.  One more step for me led to one more step, and that led to one more...eventually I was miraculously released from the hospital.  You will be released!  You will be restored!  Joy really does come in the morning!  Real joy that is ALIVE!  Don't quit!  Christmas is here and it is about our Savior who promises SO MUCH!

Tears may fall, but hope leads you!  Pulls you.  Cleave to its strength!  Follow it!  "Forget not all His benefits", He redeems your life and will never forsake you.  That is Christmas! Celebrate it every day!  Celebrate it now!  Tears may fall but there is hope!!!

The Servant Tree

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." Romans 1:20

Symbols are powerful.  They express our hearts.  Nations rally around them. Men and women sacrifice their lives for what they represent.  Some symbols express eternal truths, and help anchor us as we journey through unknown lands.  Our pilgrimage is surrounded by an invisible world that is either waging war against us or coming to our continual aid and rescue.  What is invisible came first.  God spoke what we see into existence. And all around us are physical evidences of invisible realities.  They speak to us...though it seems silent...they cry out to us.  They beckon us to see and realize that our lives in this present world system are not the ultimate goal of God's eternity.  All creation is groaning, agonizing in eager expectation that we would grow into what we are to become...mature sons and daughters of the Most High God...the Church prepared for the Groom...the eternal enterprise of God in Christ.  “Wisdom cries out from the street corner”...but can you hear it?  Are you listening?

A mile down the road from where I live stands "The Servant Tree".  I drive by it almost every day, and one day I decided to name this tree.  To me, it represents God bending down, arms stretched forward and scooping me up to be my "ever-present help in time of danger".  He reaches down to lift me up; everyday as I head into life...as I head to the battlefield...the tree represents God carrying me through it all.  It reminds me that even though I can't see Him, he is there.  His presence enfolds me and all of nature and all the company of heaven, the great cloud of witnesses is working and laboring to see me finish the race!  This tree represents a great eternal, invisible reality!

The world, the flesh, and the devil seem to show a lot of expertise in the area of deception. The world system has a way of engulfing our minds, screaming for importance.  Its attempt is to scream so loud that we can't hear our God speak.  Its attempt is to engulf the eyes of our hearts and minds so much that we cannot see the things that are “not of this world”.  There's no thought of peering into eternity when our temporal pursuits have courted us into slavery.

The natural realm is powerful...it comes natural to us!  We can touch it.  We can see it. We can taste it.  We were born of flesh.  That which is of the Spirit must be fought for...the spirit and the flesh are at enmity with each other.  Symbols help draw us out. They help deliver us from this present evil age.  They help ground us in the divine. They help lift us out of the mundane...even help transform what seems mundane into amazing living...divine living!  And as the scripture above says, it is God's creation that makes His divine nature obvious.  Like the Servant Tree, I often find signs and symbols in nature that not only remind me of eternal truths, but they help take me deeper into experiencing these truths they represent.

Sometimes....when the world and it's worries are bearing down on me...when it barely seems I can breathe or make it to the next day...if I can find the strength to just look up...just glance at this tree or another sign or symbol that represent why I'm really here...I can find new strength, a refreshed vision...my sight is restored, and I can see, once again, who I am in Christ and what my true purpose is, in light of eternity.

Are you surrounded by signs and symbols that assist you in peering into the unknown? Take a minute to look at nature around you.  You might find something to help you dive deeper into His word and gaze deeper into His eternal truths.  You might find something that will help you understand the amazing reality of why you are here… your eternal calling in Christ as eternal servants, kings and priests unto our God!

Famous Ones

They cut themselves.  They're Bulimic.  They're heavy drug users and alcoholics.  They're thrill seekers with out of control behavior.  They dangerously live on the edge with suicidal tendencies.  Depression and paranoia stalk them without relent.

Who are they?

The famous ones.

I was discussing with some friends a couple of days ago the characteristics of several recent Disney Stars that have made the headlines.  Miley Cyrus seems to be headed in a downward spiral with drug use and erratic behavior.  Demi Lavato just announced she was checking herself into rehabilitation for self-mutilation and eating disorders.  These are just two examples we were discussing based mainly on our concern for Disney stars as they relate to our children.

As we all know, the headlines are full of, and seem to feed off of emotional chaos reeling through the lives of the famous ones.  We have all heard the stories of the horrible toll that fame takes on a person.  We have seen the wrecked lives.  We have experienced the collateral damage.

So why do we so desperately want it?  Why do we want to be famous?  Why is it so important for us to be known...to be known by many?  Why would many of us desire our names to become  household names?

Recognition...recognize me...think about me...admire me...adore me...elevate me... worship me.  It's in our nature...our fallen nature.  It’s the  desire to be inordinately recognized.  We want to be worshiped.  We can't escape it…apart from Christ.  And like Nebuchadnezzar, we want the world to recognize our greatness...our pathetic, fleshly, self-exalting wondrous kingdom that we build unto ourselves...that we build unto our name.

 “The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?"  Daniel 4:30

I'm not sure we have been created to be famous.  I'm not sure we can handle it...every move, every word, every emotion, every aspect of our lives displayed before millions...possibly billions of people.  It's unnatural.  I am sure of one thing though...as Christians we are called to die to the desire to be known…we are called to make Him known.

 “Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws."  Daniel 4:33

Nebuchadnezzar had to come to realize there was only one Famous One.  We, like Nebuchadnezzar, have to die to our desire to be worshiped and adored…that Christ would be exalted in our lives and in the church.  And like this king, we must be brought low...even to grass-eating experiences that our selves would be sacrificed on the altar...that He would be enthroned...in our hearts and in our minds...this is sanctification...the continual work of the cross.  He hung naked on the cross.  Sometimes our flesh must hang naked; be laid bare, that true humility can be born.

"Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy." Habakkuk 3:2

This is incredible!  This is worthy of fame!  This must become the sole desire of our hearts!  We must want absolutely nothing more than to hear of His fame, stand in awe of HIS deeds, and to see them renewed in our day!  He is our King!  He is our God!  He is our Lord.  He is Jesus Christ, the ONLY way to the Father!  May His name be glorified.  May The Lord God and His greatness and holiness be made known among the nations!

It is pure robbery...we are thieves...we steal from our precious Savior and the exaltation of what He did...the cross!  We steal His glory!  We are an affront to the cross when we desire the recognition that only He deserves!  Essentially, we are saying don't look at Jesus.  Look at me!  I need you to look at me.  Not the cross.  Don't look at the only means to eternal life... Look at me!  "God forbid that I should ever glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!"

"At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before."  Daniel 4:36

Nebuchadnezzar was humbled and all was restored.  He gave God complete recognition and credit for all things and all he possessed.  He glorified the Lord and "became even greater than before."  When we truly die to ourselves and recognize that God is Most High and truly reigns over all, we "become even greater than before".  Actually, we become, more and more, who we were created to be..."in Him we live and move and have our being".  The more we die, the more He lives in us...and our gifts, our talents, our love, our beauty and the fullness of the definition of who we are resounds throughout every fiber of our being...and the world begins to see something different in us...Christ in us!  The hope of glory!

Piercing The Veil

"To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds."  Daniel 1:17

"In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom."
Daniel 1:20

The cashier at Walgreens this morning began telling me how miserable the holidays were because of her job in retail.  I managed to escape this treacherous career path several years ago...I could relate.  But as I began to ask questions, I found out she had just lost a husband she had been married to for 40 years. She was really struggling with the thought of spending the holidays without him.  I told her about the grief-share program at our church and gave her my phone number.

While I felt compassion for her loss, my deeper concern was for her soul.  Though the meeting was short, I didn't really get the impression that she knew Jesus and had a relationship with Him.

I couldn't help but wonder, as so many of us continually do, how can we reach them?...It's like we are in another world, another realm, and we're trying to pierce our hand through some mysterious veil and pull them through... rescuing them and bringing them in to ours. I search for the magic words, the magic key...but so rarely can I find it.  What is the answer?

I love the first couple of chapters of Daniel.  So much of it is about wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and knowing the deep hidden things of God.  The NIV commentary explains Daniel 1:17…”with God's help, Daniel and his friends mastered the essential Babylonian literature on astrology and divination by dreams, but in the crucial tests of interpretation and prediction, all the pagan literature proved worthless.  Only by God's special revelation was Daniel able to interpret correctly.”

Daniel's heart was pure.  He loved His God more than anything.  He refused to eat the King's choice food and drink his wine.  He prayed with discipline and refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar.  He studied and learned everything there was to learn...science, literature, art, mathematics...all the stuff of the earth.  But when it came to the stuff of heaven, he relied on God.  He fasted...he prayed...he worshiped...he trusted...and when the moment of truth came...the hot seat...the time to "make it or break it"...he trusted. And God came through...He came through with the interpretation, he came through in the furnace, he came through in the lion's den...and He even gave Daniel the prophecy we are still waiting to see unfold; thousands of years later.

"the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, which is the image of God.". 2 Corinthians 4:4

Piercing the veil...how do we reach them?  For the lady at Walgreens, I wish I had a magic wand from God.  I would tap them/her on the forehead and watch the change take place before my eyes!  I taught Daniel 1:17-21 to  Annaliese and Justus tonight.  I told them that God was "giving them knowledge and understanding of all literature and learning" through their studies in school, and ultimately they would be given special revelation in times they needed it...if they kept their hearts pure and committed themselves to God, like Daniel.  I told them they would speak to kings and presidents and these kings and presidents would be so much more impressed with them than the magicians of our day that they would see their God, the Lord Jesus Christ, was the true God...as long as they kept their hearts pure...undivided...committed to Him, and steeped in His word.

God will use us to Pierce the Veil...but we must use words...faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of God...plain and simple...we gotta tell em...but something that I think will help, something that will maybe help us find the right words, the "special revelation"...the "dream interpretation", is that we gotta love...like Daniel's heart, we've got to love our Savior...above all else...when the world says eat our finest foods, drink our finest wine, we gotta fast a little...when cable TV says I've got one more thing to check out, we gotta pray a little...and when the Nebuchadnezzar of our day, the world system, says worship me, we must remain steadfast and worship the one, true, LIVING God, our precious Lord Jesus, the Christ!

Would you join with Daniel and all the saints that have gone before us...in fasting, praying and worshiping...that we could  Pierce the Veil and reach the Nebuchadnezzars of this world?

Royal Passageway

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20

This year we did something a little different with our Christmas lights.  We bought new strands of all blue lights, lined our middle walkway that leads to our front door with them, and added "arms".  Yes, we now have a huge lit up blue cross in our front yard!  I love it! One of our neighbors driving by, stopped and began to tell his 6 year old daughter what it was about...what the cross meant.  A friend that came to a Christmas party we threw a couple of nights ago said it felt like he was walking up a "royal passageway".

Growing up in church was pure drudgery for me.  I absolutely hated it. My parents were very involved so, inevitably, we were there quite a bit.  We were also altar boys...we were Roman Catholic.  My days were spent  doing what most boys do at church...well not really...my days were spent partaking of the consecrated bread and wine every chance I got, pilfering through glove compartments of unlocked cars, stealing and smoking cigarettes, and anything else I could dream up to kill the boredom.

The cross is everywhere throughout the buildings and sanctuaries of the Catholic church...but it meant nothing to me!  I was dead.  I was like that scripture "we played a the flute for you, and you did not dance, we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.".  I was deaf, dumb, and blind and the "royal passageway", to me, was nothing...it was lifeless, dry, empty of meaning, a dead piece of artwork.

The cross...some ask why would you hang an instrument of torture, an electric chair around your neck. Maybe it is because this "instrument of torture" is the "royal passageway".  It is still unfathomable for me to understand how absolutely meaningless this "symbol" was to me at one time, and now it's like those amazing little blue LED lights in my front yard.  The cross glows mysteriously in the night...in my heart.  Since I came to Christ, everywhere I go, when I see a cross and I can't take my eyes off of it!

The cross...I cleave to it now...I wrestle with it...I embrace it.  Paul said he always carried about in his body the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he had been crucified with Christ, and that  Christ now lived in him.  When I walk about this earth, the cross is continually etched in the forefront of my mind.  There is a deep hollowness when you are lost...really lost.  Your heart aches at untold depths...it's never-ending.  I tremble when I think of those who perish in it...never finding this eternal, royal passageway to Life.  It grieves me that when I wrestle with it, like Jacob wrestling the angel for a new name,  others rarely join the fight.

Sometimes I like to stare at my son and daughter when they're sleeping.  Not because they're cute...although they are adorable!  I stare at them, amazed that they are part of me!  With my past, the things I did, the illness I endured, I never thought I would have kids...I never thought I would live past 25!  I stare at them, amazed they are "bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh".  I am, in a sense, in them, part of them and they are part of me.

"On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you."  John 14:20

The cross...a mystery.  What a mystery that through the cross, we are now "bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh", and really...spirit of His Spirit.  A more learned man, scholar, scientist or philosopher might be able to "out-debate" me on religion but my testimony will always stand.  A once hollow man now buried with Him...His life the only thing living in me...hidden...the mysterious burning....a deep knowing...that can't be out-argued or taken away.

My former hatred for the cross is as much a faith-builder for me as my current love for it...only the truth of the gospel can exist in such a graphic change of heart and change of mind.  It is the royal passageway.  I love the cross.  Without it there is absolutely no life, no eternal life...only destitution, abandonment, hopelessness, despair...for eternity.

In this life there will be many trials...the Bible promises it.  But even if all should crumble, fall apart, and fail, the cross is still there...every moment can be lived in its hope...every minute I can walk and breathe and live in a secret, hidden, exciting, ROYAL hope that a celestial city awaits with the cross as the entrance...the City of God.  If I'm left owning nothing...my hands holding nothing...may my hands still be clenched to MY cross...OUR cross.  It is my greatest treasure.  It is my Royal Passageway.

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."  Galatians 6:14

The Beloved, John

I love John's writings.  He doesn't just tell the story.  He takes us deep into the heart and the intimate life of the main character of the story. He helps us make that intimate connection with our Savior.  He takes us into the fire...deep into the intensity of God's few moments on the scene...incarnate...real skin...real blood...real breath...real heart...His feet touching...imprinting the soil of the earth, the mystery of the Divine embodied!  He helps us peer into the eyes of our Savior and see love, real love between Jesus and John and the other disciples…he helps us see love without condition, stipulations, demands of performance...no payment necessary...Jesus takes care of that.  Jesus takes care of everything.

John brings us close enough to see Jesus, to touch Him, and to see his radiant smile, His glorious countenance.  Close enough for His peace to wrap around us and hold us.  He helps us to gaze and behold the mystery...the mystery of God...that came to die. He helps us find our way to Christ's side...to that place that allows Him to put his arm around us...walk alongside us...that place that allows us to lean into him...take a few deep breaths...and feel the beat of the heart that conducts the universe!  John helps us to see Him intimately, and he records the deepest, most profound words ever put to print.  Words that unite flesh with wood and soil and Spirit...words that unite suffering and sorrow with resurrection and eternity...humanity with Divinity...the cross with mankind.

"He then lying on Jesus' breast said unto him, Lord, who is it?"

"So she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved"

Who was this man that was granted the privilege to lean upon the breast of Jesus and walk so close to Him that he would be called the disciple whom Jesus loved?  Scribe, mystic, philosopher, simpleton, disciple, passionate lover of God, sinner, saint?...what made him different?  Who was he?  How did John know a love so deep, so immense you could almost see as you read his words, eternity surrounding Jesus and His closest ones as they walked through those few years together?  You can almost see divine light, divine depth, heaven's architect dance in their midst as you explore the chapters of John's books.  You can almost see the mysterious, marvelous light of His kingdom surrounding them....enfolding them along their pilgrimage. How did John get to know our Lord...our Jesus like this?

Probably most of us have or have had those one or two friends in our lives that when you get together, you chat for awhile, catch up on things, and soon something changes.  The atmosphere changes.  The dialogue changes.  There’s nobody around you...nothing around you seems to exist....or at least it fades immensely in importance.  It’s just you and your friend...sharing the deepest concerns of your hearts...nothing else matters...and you talk late into the evening.  No need for sleep.  There's too much to say.  The air is thick.  Your hearts are locked...engaged. Every word of your friend is so important it seems to hold eternal weight and every one of your words holds the same weight with your friend. And the trials of the day seem to fade a bit... The moment is sacred.

Can you imagine if this is what Jesus and John shared?  I want that!

I believe this is God's message through John's writings.  It's the message of I AM...of who I am…a person...a God who loves you...intimately. It's not just the story of His life, although that's critical...it’s about knowing Him deeply...it's here I am...come and know me...really know me.  I am the great I am.  I am the Resurrection and the Life, the Vine, the Bread of Life, the hidden manna, the Good Shepherd, I am the way, the truth and the life, I am He who came down from heaven to give life to the world.  It’s about who I AM....And it's about come and dine with me...sit with me...let's talk through the night...let's chat for a minute…but then let's really talk.

I often think about the agonizing days when I was in the hospital.  I see Him all through it. I see Him holding my head as I'm locked in terror between those walls.  I see Him holding me night after night...intimately caring for and carrying me the whole way.  This is real life...it's good and its bad, it's up and it's down and I see Him now....in the present…He is there...Jehovah Shamah.  He is there...intimately.  He is here walking with us...beckoning us to go deeper, walk closer. This world and its trials are passing...come and know me...in every moment.

I wonder what the Church would be like if we could somehow lay hold of this...to desire to walk intimately with Him like John did...like he communicated.  What if we wanted nothing more than to be like John, the disciple whom Jesus loved  and to lean upon His breast...to be His closest confidante?  What if we really wanted nothing more than to live deep in the fire of His presence and His love...to be part of His body that was broken and to share that with the world?

Don't Go Away

The roof of the house I was renting was literally falling in on me.  I had no money.  I had a minimum-wage job, no college education, no particular skills, and a very questionable future.  But it didn't matter because we loved each other.  No matter how cold or how dark or how difficult the world became, it didn't matter...we shared something in common that strangely burned in our hearts...Christ.  And now, our once questionable future has brought us 14 amazing years of marriage, 2 beautiful children that are passionate for Christ, a life filled with serving Him, plenty of provision, and well...never a dull moment!

They've been our friends since early in our marriage.  We've watched their kids grow into adults, and they are our close friends as well. We've shared a lot of laughs and a lot of difficult times together.  Carol even "fixed up" one of their sons with one of our young adults in our college ministry several years ago. Now they are married with one child and one on the way.  We haven't spoken to them in quite some time...no particular reason...There's been several times we have "lost touch" but we always seem to pick up right where we left off.  It seems there is some sort of in-dissolvable bond between us.

We have this group of friends (couples, families).  We first met at church about 8 or 9 years ago when we all had very young children.  We became very close early on, sharing a lot of great and difficult times together, doing ministry stuff together, and even buried a precious young friend together.   All of us live in different cities and some in different states now...but there is a very strong bond that continues to knit us all together.  We regularly keep up (especially the amazing, beautiful wives...otherwise known as the Goddesses) with the intimate details of each others' lives...standing with one another through joyful times and incredibly difficult times as well.

We found a new church a year ago in January.  It is amazing how in a very short time we have met and bonded with several families that I believe will be intimate friends for life.  There's a sacrificial love that is very evident as we do life together and serve Christ together.  They were there in amazing ways when Carol’s mom passed away, and we have already struggled together through some difficult situations that could put a more superficial relationship to the test.

"And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself." 

1 Samuel 20:17

Oh how I could lay down and just melt into this story!  Then again, maybe I have.  More accurately speaking, maybe my friends have.  I know beyond any doubt that if tragedy struck at any point...any one of these precious people I mentioned would drop everything and be there for any of us in an instant.  We didn't take a vow, tie our wrists together or anything like that, but something did happen.   Something greater than ourselves and something deeper than the norm binds us together.  And in this world, I take great...tremendous...comfort in that!  I take tremendous comfort in the fact that these amazing brothers and sisters in Christ are there...they are just there...and that's all I need to know sometimes! 

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”   1 John 3:16

The Word of God says that perfect love casts out fear.  Many of my greatest fears are relieved when I think of having these dear people in my life.  The future King, David, feared for his very life.  This was really happening!  If Saul’s men found him he would, most assuredly, be killed.  I guess in our culture in America, this might be difficult to relate to, but most of us can relate to job loss or the threat thereof, a very sick child, a dying parent, news of a crippling ailment, a teenage child in trouble, financial troubles, or just the daily stress as we persevere through life. 

Where's the Jonathan in those times?  Is he there?  Is he willing to sacrifice?...is he willing to forsake a father, a king, a nation's interest to help a friend?  Are you?  Are you willing to forsake a father, a king, a nation to help a friend? 

David and Jonathon’s bond was unique.  But God has brought some precious people in to my life who I believe would be that Jonathon to me….who actually have been that Jonathon to me.  My only hope is that I could live up to their standard of courage and sacrifice and be one in return.  

So to my dear ones...that I love passionately in Christ...I only have one request...don't go away!

Dark Speech

"I will incline mine ear to the parable, and shew my dark speech upon the harp"            Psalm 49:4

Voodoo, witchcraft, spells, black magic, incantations, reincarnation, ghost-hunters, tarot card reading, palm reading, mind reading, hypnosis, dungeons & dragons, Ouija boards, aliens, crystal balls, vampires, sorcery, supernatural phenomenon, and on, and on, and on.  The world loves it!  The world is fascinated with it...mesmerized with it...even intoxicated with it.  Why?

We want to know.  We want to discover hidden things.  We want to unlock the age old mysteries that have baffled us and frustrated us since the beginning of time.  We want to know what else is out there...not just in space...we want to know what's in that other realm.  It’s like we could almost tear a little seam in the air...split it open and peer into the unknown...and see what's behind all this...and maybe see God.

Jim Morrison of "The Doors" was a terribly, troubled young man.  I can't help but remember a line out of his popular song..."break on through to the other side".  He so desperately wanted to know...to see...and he tried whatever means it took to see it, and go there...drugs, alcohol, witchcraft, poetry, songwriting.  In 1 Samuel 28, King Saul was so desperate for answers that he asked the witch of Endor to call up or summon the spirit of Samuel so that he could get answers to the outcome of a battle.  We want what we can’t have. We want to know what has not been revealed.

I believe the other answer is that we love and want power...supernatural power.  We are enchanted by it.  Our desire is to possess it, and be the "mystical ones" wielding power over the elements.  Jesus’ performance of power over the elements/nature was quite possibly the most impressive thing that he did in the eyes of His followers.  The disciples were rebuked for rejoicing that demons submitted to them.  John and James, the Sons of Thunder, offered with great fervency to call down fire on Christ's enemies....only to be rebuked, once again by Jesus.

In "Latent Power of the Soul", Watchman Nee describes how Adam once walked in great power.  He managed the earth.  He named all the animals.  He walked in perfect, unbroken, unhindered fellowship with God.

He walked in what?

That's right.

He walked in perfect, unbroken, pure fellowship with God.  That's the difference.  It was pure.  There was no darkness.  There was no unknown.  Well, except for that tree...that annoying tree that kept calling out for him...try me...come on...there's more to know...there's more power...God's been holding out on you...I have mysterious things to show you...oh there is so...much...more.  And we know the rest of the story how he ate of the tree, brought sin into the world, and destroyed perfect fellowship with God.

I don't know much about "dark powers".  That was one of the FEW things I never dabbled in much, other than an occasional trial with the Oija board when I was a kid.  But I do know there must be some reality to it because the Word of God says to stay away from it.  "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead."  Deuteronomy 18:12

I don't know much about these dark powers but I do know about something else.

Dark Speech...

The Dark Speech of God...

He speaks in parables and riddles.  And when His words are seemingly simple and clear, be careful you don't miss something. His speech is layered with meaning...reaching unfathomable depths.  In Him is hidden the secrets, the mysteries of His Kingdom.  A kingdom no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind can conceive.  But He does reveal...In fact it's been given to those in Christ to know these secrets.  The mysteries of the ages are there...In His word...in His Son, Christ.  The manifold wisdom of God is being revealed through the church.  Study all the philosophies of history....I've tried.  I have found what the disciple, Peter, said was true...”teacher, why go anywhere else, you hold the words to eternal life". 

"The word of God is living and active, more powerful than a double-edged sword".  Hebrews 4:12

Is it power you want?  Have you considered that He "gives us all power pertaining to life and godliness"?  In Christ is the FULLNESS of life.  And as we die daily, we grow in the awareness of His power and His presence.  But therein lays the difference.  This is not like the power the world or dark, spiritual forces have to offer.  Read Philippians 2.  Jesus gives us the example to divest ourselves of any want for power or position or worldly greatness.  We are offered nothing but the opportunity to fall in love with the Person...that is all-powerful...Jesus Christ.  We are offered the fullest life possible...Christ in us...we are offered the opportunity to be buried with Him in baptism and raised to newness of life!  And we begin to operate not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit!

When I was lost, in the world, and wanted nothing to do with Christ I would laugh at Christianity.  I thought of it as a meaningless religion for the weak and well the....square...kinda nerdy...moral...judgmental people.  I now realize that following Christ is not for the wimpy...but it is for the hungry…Those hungry for truth, purity, real life, eternal wisdom.  What drives those ridiculous Christians?  Why do they do what they do?  

They are driven by Dark Speech and hidden manna.  Do they misrepresent God sometimes?  Yes.  But it doesn't change the fact that their hearts have been transformed by the most mysterious power of the universe...that same power that God exerted in Christ when He raised him from the dead." Ephesians 1:19-20

Rejoice Always

"And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.  For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.  And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation." Luke 1:46

What a beautiful passage.  Mary's Song, the Magnificat is one of my favorites.  What a beautiful heart to respond to her Lord like this…a bond slave in love with her Lord...completely devoted.

Hidden in this passage is some great truth in action.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks.  In past journal entries I've briefly talked about praying unceasingly and in everything give thanks but what about rejoice always?  How are we to accomplish such a thing?

Mary gives us a tremendous example here.  Have you noticed what she's rejoicing about or how she's rejoicing?  If you'll go back and read the entire song, you'll see that Mary is calling into remembrance what God has done in the past, calling into remembrance what He is doing in the present, and calling into remembrance what He is going to do in the future.

What can really help, as well, is if we recognize that she is calling these things into remembrance on a personal level and a "national level".  She rejoices that God has been mindful of her.  She rejoices that all future generations shall call her blessed.  But she also rejoices that He has helped Israel, brought down rulers, and promises blessing from generation to generation; even to Abraham and all generations.

Carol often tells me that I should be thankful for my testimony.  She kind of grew up in the faith.  She gave her life to Christ at an early age and grew up learning, highlighting, and tearing up the Word of God.  She doesn't have a "from darkness to light" experience that I have.  Many are the times I have called into remembrance the life of darkness, hopelessness, drugs, and mental illness only to REJOICE and see what He did, what He is doing and what He is going to do in my future...even in eternity.

I love when God speaks and shows me what He is presently doing in me.  I love the times when he sets me down to speak with me about what He is doing in my life....explaining away the confusion, helping me to understand the difficulties, revealing to me the deep redemptive work that is taking place in me and in the Church.  I marvel when He shows me glimpses of the future...eternal glory...things no eye has seen, no mind can conceive...and he calls me to pray for a pure, spotless, blameless, bride of Christ...fully mature...prepared for the Groom.

Early in my walk I remember being fascinated with God's historical and ultimately, eternal, redemptive work He was, and is doing in His people.  I loved learning about how all of history connected to fulfill His purpose...from the garden to the exodus to the judges, the prophets, the garden again, the cross, and of course, the church...even through Revelation.  It was not difficult to call into remembrance on a "national level" God's work in the past, the present, the future, and to rejoice.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”             2 Corinthians 10:4

Our minds seem to like activity, and the Word of God warns us that our hearts and minds are continually under attack.  It seems the world, the flesh, and the devil are constantly attempting to fill them with JUNK...constantly trying to suck our minds into their lying, deceptive perspective....and they are often quite powerful and effective.  We must continually be busy about "casting down vain imaginations and making every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."

When it comes to matters of faith and personal history with God, my memory becomes strangely fuzzy.  As I have mentioned before, that is part of the reason I journal...to have a concrete record of what God is showing me.  When I fill my mind with the activity of God, rejoicing and calling into remembrance what he is doing in the past, the present, and the future...I find victory over lying strongholds and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. 

So rejoice always...calling into remembrance God's work in the past, the present, and the future.

Rule of Devotion

Wherever  I roam I see your face.  In the crowd, surrounded by the hopeless, my hope is devotion. Simple, sweet, passionate...you remind me, as I walk about this dark world, of your nearness...

And I behold...and I am undone...Jesus...It is evident, "the whole world is under the control of the evil one".  It is evident you have pulled me out...set me apart.

Jesus, truly you are the Lover of my soul.  Let my song pierce the night, like incense, the evening sacrifice, let it be a pleasing fragrance to You.

Lord I love your devotion.  I love the way you move about as the world presses in on me...you are protector, shepherd, life giver...you are my desire and I belong to you...you are my fire, and in your fire I am free....

And though dark afflictions of this present evil age encompass me, I hide myself in your embrace, I cleave to your altar.  You are my defense, a warrior with love's passion. 

On my knees I hide in you, In a flame of fire, I burn in you,   I melt into the arms of your grace and your mercy.

I clothe myself with the armor of devotion...the enemy's defeat is found in my surrender...to you...and in petition, praise, intercession, worship.  Lord you have cut me from the cloth of this earth and though I am in this world, I am not of this world.  I have been born from above.  

You are my holiness, my Holy Lamb of God and you consume me; you enamor me with your holiness, your presence, your fire.  Your beauty pierces the darkness; your marvelous light mystifies your beloved against the backdrop of this decaying, dying world.

"They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground."  Psalm 17:11

"Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy” Psalm 27:6

I make simple preparations at your tabernacle...at your altar I make my intentions known...before the mercy seat I express my devotion.  I am captivated by You and you alone.  

Though my enemies rage against me, plotting my demise...though bloodthirsty, corrupt men devise schemes and invite me to the table of their wickedness, my love grows more and more passionate for you.

At the feet of my Master, I am overjoyed!  Though armies besiege me and arrogant men set up shrines to worship themselves, I dance in the presence of your delight!  

To please only you...is my desire!  Where the world sees sheep led to slaughter...you see holy ones born of the Son...saints...children...devoted ones burning for you...

This is the rule of devotion...