The Simple Things

Sometimes, it's the simple things
that cause my heart to soar.
Like the scent of the one I love,
to catch me off guard.
Sometimes, it's the simple things
that make life what it is
As I lose myself in tomorrow's dream
and hope for what's to come.
Sometimes, it's the simple things
as she reaches for my hand
to let me know that she is here
and wants me here the same.
Sometimes, it's these simple things
I look forward to the most
and wonder how I made it here
without them all before.

Psalm 23 - a psalm of Billy

The Lord is my creator, I am perfect in his sight.
He holds me in the palm of his hand,
He carries me where ever I go,
He is my companion.
He has formed every hair on my head for his glory.
Even though sickness and pain may come my way,
I will not fear death,
For you are with me;
Your pen and your ruler,
They have measured me.
You reveal your plans and hopes for me even when I do not understand.
Your blessings pour out upon me;
I cannot comprehend your love.
Surely order and harmony will be reflected in my life,
As others see the beauty of your creation in me.

The Journeyman

At times I feel this life I lead
Is traveled all alone
I watch as people pass me by
With purpose of their own

And there I stand to reflect upon
The choices I have made
The greed and pride, my selfishness
These things I hope to trade

How can it be I’ve traveled here
My expectations lost
I’ve traded in for here and now
I’ve failed, despite the cost

I’m weak, alone, and on my knees
And wounded by the years
When my Redeemer calls to me
“Fear Not, For I Am Here”

He lifts my head and dries my tears
With mercy in his tone
“No matter what, this life you lead
is traveled not alone”

Why did Jesus have to die?

Have you ever stopped to think about why Jesus had to die? Why did it have to be this way? There is a simple poetry in these words and yet it reveals to me the sweet taste of mercy and love that God has shown to me. So much...that He gave His only son...

The sinner saved by grace is haunted by Calvary, by the cross, and especially by the question, Why did He die? A clue comes from the Gospel of John: "For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." Another clue from Paul's cry in Galations: "He loved me and delivered himself up for me." The answer lies in love.

But the answer seems too easy, too glib. Yes, God saved us because He loved us. But He is God. He has infinite imagination. Couldn't He have dreamed up a different redemption? Couldn't He have saved us with a smile, a pang of hunger, a word of forgiveness, a single drop of blood? And if He had to die, then for God's sake - for Christ's sake - couldn't He have died in bed, died with dignity? Why was He condemned like a criminal? Why was His back flayed with whips? Why was His head crowned with Thorns? Why was He nailed to wood and allowed to die in frightful, lonely agony? Why was the last breath drawn in bloody disgrace, while the world for which He lay dying egged on His executioners with savage fury like some kind of gang rape by uncivilized brutes in Central Park? Why did they have to take the very best?

- The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning

What would Jesus do?

“If the gospel isn’t good news for everybody, then it isn’t good news for anybody. And this is because the most powerful things happen when the church surrenders its desire to convert people and convince them to join. It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display. To do this, the church must stop thinking of everybody primarily in categories of in or out, saved or not, believer or nonbeliever.”

-Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis

I just love this quote! This talks about a means to the end and focuses on the journey rather than that ultimate goal of salvation. It takes the responsibility of "conversion" out of our hands and places it in God's hands where it rightly belongs. We are commanded to love as Christ has loved...not to save as Christ saves. How arrogant is it for us to assume that we have the ability to do that.

The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning

I have started reading this book by Brennan Manning and in just two chapters it is beginning to transform my heart. I grew up in an enviornment that tried to shelter me from the reality of life that everyone faces. And while we try to cover up the heartaches with our masks of perfection, the truth about life is that we are all subject to pain and struggle. Sometimes it can leave us stranded and lost in a world of pain. But there is hope. Enter God's grace. The wonderful thing about grace is that there is nothing we have to do to earn it and there is nothing we can do to destroy it. We just have to accept it. It is through this acceptance that we realize how powerful God's love can be and how available it is for each of us. The tender words expressed through this book has awakened a gentle spirit in my soul that wants to reach out to those struggling around me and say, "there is someone who loves you just as you are".

Amazon.com: The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out: Books: Brennan Manning