Across the Table

That moment you realize you know the kid who just walked in the coffee shop, but it's been  so long since you've even spoken... let alone the likelihood of the two of you meeting up again.. 

The debate begins:

To speak or not to speak?

It has been over two years... would he even remember you?

The times you did hang out with him were few but sweet and have become warm memories that are dearly held. Yet, there is no reason why he should feel the same. 

You prayed he would grow to be a good man, a strong man, a Godly man. 

The life place he was at last you heard was a hard one 

he was just a kid then..

He seems happy now.. thats good.

Still hasn't seen you.. would he even recognize you if he does. 

The Answer is no.

There it is. 

Gone without ever knowing how things turned about.

So the separate lives of the present go on while the memories of  friendship past grow another shade dimmer.

And still the prayers go on

Got Dirt?

I'm reposting this post from The Ragamuffin I follow.. Thanks Nicole

 From Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli: 

For a period of time, I was lucky enough to have a housekeeper. She would come in once a week to dust, vacuum, and clean every out-of-the-way corner of my house. I dreaded the day she came, because my wife and I would spend all morning cleaning the house for the housekeeper! We didn’t want the house to be dirty, or what would the housekeeper think?

We act the same way with God. We talk our way out of the spiritual life by refusing to come to God as we are. Instead, we decide to wait until we are ready to come to God as we aren’t. We decide that the way we lived yesterday, last week, or last year makes us “damaged goods” and that until we start living “right” we’re not “God material.” Some of us actually believe that until we choose the correct way to live, we aren’t chooseable, that until we clean up the mess, Jesus won’t have anything to do with us. The opposite is true. Until we admit we are a mess, Jesus won’t have anything to do with us.

Once we admit how unlovely we are, how unattractive we are, how lost we are, Jesus shows up unexpectedly. According to the Gospels, Jesus is attracted to the unattractive. He prefers the lost ones over the found ones, the losers over the winners, the broken instead of the whole, the messy instead of the unmessy, the crippled instead of the noncrippled.

Art and Praise

David Garibaldi does a beautiful job of bringing the arts of music, dance, and painting together in a worshipful way. I kinda wanna try doing this sometime, to a smaller scale.
Love it.

Happy Day after Christmas

Happy Christmas!!
It may be the day after official Christmas Day, but since my family is celebrating on this day... well, you get my drift. Honestly, today has been the only day that it actually feels like Christmas. As you may have gathered from my last post, I wasn't really in the mood.... but that's okay because feelings change, undoubtedly.
This is a very exciting Christmas as it is a "First" for my nephew!! As well as one of my cousin El's First.

Not much changes with these family get-togethers.. which is just fine with us. The Nativity gets a new piece every year, and put in a new setting.. the tree is new of course, with at least one new ornament from family friends.The biggest addition is people! Since last Christmas we've had two additional boys, the year

 before that we had another boy for his First.

It's gonna be a great Day!

Holy Sabbath

It's Christmas time... okay, so what?
To most of us, Christmas time means there is no time for anything else. I realized my schedule is a lot fuller than I keep making it out to be. That's alright, but I was beginning to wonder how my relationship with God was feeling so distant when I was "doing so much" for ministry. Why was I being so drained and tired? I wondered aloud in my car as Christmas carols played on the radio of my car. I rounded the bend to glance at the mountains across the river... just thinking... What do I need to cut out?
My mind recalled my RA from my Chi-Town College home. He had a conviction to not do any kind of homework or extra stuff on Sunday afternoons. To him, this was what it meant to "Keep the Sabbath Holy". He simply relaxed. And the crazy thing was, he always seemed less stressed and more efficient time the rest of the week! Then it hit me.
TAKE TIME.
Don't be run by time and run out of it. Instead, Take time; Make time; Use the time you're given.
As the people of Israel were called to celebrate the Year of Jubilee, that is, Every Seventh Year; allowing the ground to rest from crops, the slaves set free, debts erased, and land returned to it's owner's, we are to celebrate time away from life and rest. It doesn't matter what day it is... but it does matter whether or not you take the day for what it's worth.
REST
The consequences of NOT taking time is worse than you might think. When you don't take the time, you stress, you don't sleep, you don't eat well, you burn out, you aren't filled with the replenishing encouragement you need,.... so much is missing. The Hebrews neglected to take the time and ended up in Babylonian captivity. This was the Lord's way of making a point to the people as well as making sure the land and people DID rest.
Make time for Jesus and You in this time of year. You'll be sooo glad you did... and so will He. Besides, I'm sure He misses spending time with you. It is His favorite past time of the year...month.... week... day.
So, this Christmas time... actually have it.

CHRIST    MAS (more) TIME

Old & New

So I never realized that I had a bunch of old Draft posts that never made the press! Though I'm not sure what I was thinking when I started them, some I finished up and posted, while others had too little to say.. so I said nothing by deleting them.
So if there are any new words on the block, give them a gander! Maybe you'll find a new inspiration from an old dream.

Sue me.

Though I am small I've seen things far beyond these city walls
The land is flat and it rolls for miles
I don't know much I know I've many places yet to see
I know I've been here for a while
Wouldn't you know just when I thought I had this figured out
I'm back at my first day at school
Trying not to think too loud I raise my hand to scratch my head
I've no ideas of what to do
'Cause something's changed today
And what it is I just can't say
And if I don't seem okay, well I'm okay

(Chorus)
So sue me, sue me, if I just don't want coffee tonight
Back in this coffee house where we just met a week ago
Now we've been friends since we were young
But all our conversations are hitting walls we can't ignore
We can hide but we can't run
And I can't run from you
Or what we've run into
Now regardless what I choose, we both lose
 
It must be getting late
Where's my head
Where is my head
Where is my head

I still hear you telling me what a big mistake I've made
Funny that's what I've been telling you
I can lead a horse to water
You can even make him drink
But you can't change his point of view
Tonight as I was driving home I passed a coffee shop
You know I wrestled with the truth
And how I'd explain to you what you could never understand
And how I'd keep my mind from you
But that's the price I pay
Your way is not my way
Today's another day and it's okay
 
I think I need some rest
Rest my head, arrest my head
Rest my head, arrest my head
Rest my head, arrest my head