Sunday begins

I can only lay myself 

down, nothing left 

but to cry Hosanna

save me

and He comes

and He comes

and He comes

the humble One

the holy One

the only One

hail to our King

so begins a week

of passion, purpose

pain and glory

and He comes

blessed is He

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him. 

And as they went, they kept shouting, Hosanna! 

Blessed is He and praise to Him Who comes in the name of the Lord, 

even the King of Israel!

John 12:13 Amplified

Holy week rambling

This is called Holy Week

the time between Palm and Easter Sundays

a time of passion

wonder

awe

This is a week of sudden outbursts

gratitude, praise

tears

This is a week of choosing

to believe 

what is impossible

to believe

breath stopping sacrifice

reckless obedience

for you

for me

for all

I am uncertain

have I learned to receive

what I did not deserve

unmerited grace

mad rush of love

have I learned to give

in the same measure

poor in spirit

we are all 

the least of these

 

Straight up, no chaser

Ground level, yes

basic

straight up, no chaser

down to the bones...

Taking a big, sweet bite with L.L. Barkat

 

White hot

Passion I have never lacked

wild and unrestrained

often burning white hot

melts the very things I love...

Sharing a bite of something sweet with L.L. Barkat

 

Letter on a windy day...

This week's assignment for Compassion Bloggers was to write a letter to God about sponsorship.

One week into blog month and 837 children have been sponsored.  We still have at least 2,271 more to go in order to reach our goal.  Visit the sponsorship page here, pray, love these ones...

My precious Lord:

Today marks eleven years since the Twin Towers fell in New York City.

Eleven years since acts of violence forever changed the way we live life.

Security has taken top priority, risen up like a golden calf.

We seem to seek safety above all else.

Your life wasn't safe Lord, you lived each moment

knowing that one day you would pay the ultimate price

your blood, your life, given for us.

The winds are howling strong today

trees trembling in a frenzied dance

the wail like a cry in my spirit, a continuous prayer

let me be more like You

dead to myself and alive in You

living for grace, for love, for mercy and justice

There are so many children who have never known safety

they have never lived in what we would call a home

families are broken, shattered with need

help me to care more for them

then my own comfort

The wind howls still

as my prayers continue

help me be a mother to the motherless

a friend to the weak

let me be filled with Your passion, Lord.

I may be the only Jesus they see

may I reflect You, Lord as You are

not as I might imagine You

True light, true love.

The answer to every question, asked or silent.

Through the acts of my heart and hands

may they taste and see that You are good.

  

 

Relentless Pursuit by Ken Gire

I had not heard of Ken Gire until I was given the opportunity to read Relentless Pursuit: God's Love of Outsiders, Including the Outsider in All of Us.

The back cover teases:

The Marginalized and the Ostracized; the Sinner and the Loner; You, Me... and Jesus.  We're all outsiders sometimes. Each of us has felt lonely in a crowd, or been passed over for a job opportunity, or been squeezed out by "friends." We've all spent time on the outside looking in. But take heart--Jesus will leave the ninety-nine just for you.

Now that I am numbered with the ninety-nine I sometimes forget the patience and passion Jesus spent to draw me and capture me.  As Gire shows us through tales directly from God's Word, Jesus, The Hound of Heaven (as portrayed by poet Francis Thompson) does not ever stop His chase.  Whenever there is the tiniest fragment of our heart that wanders the pursuit begins again.

I felt afresh the love of God as I turned each page.  I needed this book.  We all need this book.

Included after each chapter are questions to ponder that I believe would make for a great group study as well as personal reflection.

As I mentioned above, this was the first of Ken Gire's books I have read.  I will surely not be the last.

I was blessed to receive a free copy of this book from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.


 

Rust in the cracks

Rust fills in the cracks
the day seems too long and yet gone in an instant
my heart feels hard
but fragile
brittle enough to open far too easily
leaking passion

What do I do with a wheel fixed in place?

There is something calling to me
I can't sense the direction
the wind swirls and jumbles
but I know the Source
I have promised to listen
to follow
to obey

No I am not good at waiting
as my old wood splinters
wobbles and creaks
trying to find beauty there
as rust fills in the cracks



Walking an imperfect road with Emily and the broken but redeemed

 

Courageous Living by Michael Catt

I watched and was greatly moved by the film Courageous, and when I was offered the opportunity to review books related to the film I gladly accepted.

The first book I read was Courageous Living Dare to Take a Stand by Michael Catt. I think I was expecting this book to be the story that the film dramatized, but by reading the following on the back cover I knew I was in for something more:

Catch a fresh wind of bravery through the bold biblical accounts of Abraham, Joshua, Ruth and many others in Courageous Living by Michael Catt, pastor and executive producer of the unforgettable film Courageous.

Because we are called to take a faithful, fearless stand in all that matters, Catt sheds new light on the stories of people in the Bible who displayed great courage when it would have been easier to play it safe. They challenge and inspire us to keep moving forward, to examine our priorities, and to deal with anything that brings fear to our heart.

The stories on these pages were compelling in their application to our own lives.  I was challenged indeed to examine the way both myself and the corporate church have been living.  Are we walking in faith or fear?

Fear is believing a lie, listening to negative voices, and not taking God at His Word.  Faith is fear that has said its prayers.

Am I, are we, willing to allow God to work through us, strengthen us, make our lives count for the Kingdom, or have we become content with just getting by, living lives that would be called "average"?

We don't have time for average.  Average is climbing halfway up the mountain and stopping.

I don't want to go only halfway and I don't believe God wants His body to stop before reaching the goals He has set for us.

Do you need to have your passion reignited or are you content with the status quo?  I suggest you decide before you pick up this stirring book.

Book has been provided courtesy of David C Cook and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from B&H Publishing Group.

The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Passion to plunge

My beloved Rick started to snicker when I told him the topic for this week's jam and I wasn't quite sure what to write:

What is a passion or interest you’d like to nurture and grow?

When I asked him what he was laughing at he said "It is so easy, so obvious.  Your passion is to go deeper."

Deeper indeed. 

Into His heart.
His hope. His love.
Into the depths of His empathy for the lost, the hungry, the broken.
Plunged deeper into truth, revelation, wisdom,
with a burning desire to share what He teaches me
in words written and spoken.
May I ever be consumed with the desire
to be His pen, His instrument, a simple tool in His hand.

I pray I will trust where He leads me, simply because He is the leader
I will jump, I will swim, I will climb
to do the will of the One Who loves me beyond reason

Do you have a passion to plunge?
Let go of fear and fall into His arms.
There is no better place to land.


Jamming with Bonnie - talking about passion

Sharing with the rest of the imperfect, broken yet redeemed at Emily's