Alive!

He is alive

and the world

is forever changed

 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said

Matthew 28:6a NIV

repost from 2015

never dimmed

Now from the sixth hour (noon) 

there was darkness over all the land 

until the ninth hour (three o’clock).

Matthew 27:45 Amplified

It is Friday

that Friday

darkness falls

yet there is light

that is never dimmed

that will not be overcome

that will rise from the grave

we are bearers, carriers

containers for that light

the empty place in which He dwells

thin as eggshells on the cusp of cracking

Sunday is coming

psalm 47

psalm 47

so this is it, all the prayers

worries, waiting, over

finished, rivers of tears

mingled with praise

bowing low, hands raised

awestruck again

He has risen, just as He said

one act, never seen before

changes everything forever

love unharnessed, profound

takes me deeper, lost

in Jesus, the only way

to be found

foerver changed

He is alive

and the world

is forever changed

 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said

Matthew 28:6a NIV

 

almost Sunday

be still

and know

that Sunday's coming

silent and waiting with Sandy

 

breathing again

The heavens declare the glory of God;

    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1 NIV

I've always been one to appreciate the beauty of God’s handiwork displayed as the sun begins it’s ascent in the morning sky.

Yet the darkness seemed to be settling in deep, driving me inwards, even as the light dawned.  

God’s glory hovering over Malawi was a call we never doubted. Wide eyed, innocent and willing to be obedient, we hungrily stepped into our first full time mission assignment. In a very short time the things we expected, the life we thought we would be living and the work we had felt called to do was crumbling in our hands.  I didn't know what to do with the disappointment. 

Like Christ’s disciples on the day following His crucifixion how could I imagine life would continue? I completed whatever tasks were given to me, never certain if my work was sufficient. Frightened of failure, I couldn't reconcile with the idea of giving up but did not know how to move forward.
Stuck and shaken, weeks passed living in the lonely space between Good Friday and Easter morning; between what was and what isn't yet.  I could only see what I was losing, budding relationships with Malawian people who had crawled straight into my heart.

I stopped talking to my Lord, certain he would see me as I saw myself, faulty and not up to the assignment He had set before me. I stepped off the only Rock that could sustain me and the world spun with a fierceness that stripped my breath.

Have you been there, convinced that somehow God stopped paying attention, didn't care, leaving you desolate and shaking?

Jesus, how could you leave us?  What about the Kingdom You promised? Now what are we to do? We can only assume what those who had followed Christ were thinking during those long hours of in-between.

There is a day after Saturday; for them, for you and for me.  When I was so weary I couldn’t reach for Him, He reached down and lifted me. When my words ran dry, His were fresh, true and life sustaining.

You are looking for Me in the ashes.  I Am not there, I have risen. The same power that lifted Me from the tomb resides in you. This is not the end of the road, far, far from it. Rise then, to new plans and purposes, designed by My hand. 

I am breathing again, gulping life. This is not an end to the road, just a redirection. We will not work in Malawi, but we will serve where He chooses. I know He will use me, broken and frail. Hopes once crushed have been resurrected, bold and bright as Sunday morning.

Linking up at The High Calling as we ponder Resurrection


 

Seeing the seeds

You will notice that the variety of bodies is stunning.

Just as there are different kinds of seeds,

there are different kinds of bodies—

humans, animals, birds, fish—

each unprecedented in its form.

You get a hint at the diversity of resurrection glory

by looking at the diversity of bodies

not only on earth but in the skies—

sun, moon, stars—

all these varieties of beauty and brightness.

And we're only looking at pre-resurrection "seeds"—

who can imagine what the resurrection "plants" will be like!

 1 Corinthians 15:39-41 The Message

Savoring the stillness with Sandy today

 

Look to the empty cross

Even the sun itself will bow
for no power on earth, or hell below
will stand in the presence of The Christ.
Victorious on the those sticks of wood
His blood was shed
and yet remains
ever a reminder of His great love.
But don't look for Him there.
The cross is empty, the tomb vacant.
All He claimed to be, proven.
Risen. Alive. Glorified.
When troubles come
and come they will
look to the empty cross.

for more Wednesday One Shots come to One Stop Poetry

The greatest adventure

This week Peter chose the word adventure for the One Word at a Time Carnival.

Stories of times of stepping out run through my mind.

My hold my breath and jump collision into a love that God arranged when I met my beloved husband Rick.  You can read about our first face to face encounter here and here.

Then there's the journey into the heart of God when we visited Uganda, you can read a taste of it here.

But I know better than to dwell on past experiences, for indeed He has more in store for us than we can yet imagine.

No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it— What God has arranged for those who love him.  
1 Corinthians 2:9 The Message

Even today, as I sat waiting in His presence, He spoke promises of what is to come:

I Am bringing life back to your land, allow the warmth to soak into your spirit.
It is soon time to celebrate My victory, for just as the enemy considers himself a conquerer, truth rises, faith explodes, love wins!

The same power that freed Me from death lives in you.
Release all that I Am in you.
"But what is the key to that release?" you ask.

Surrender - and in your surrender bolted doors will swing wide.
Give up.  Your control only gets in your way.
I Am driving.

What greater adventure can we consider than the fullness of life in Christ?

Stop by Peter Pollock's to read more words about adventure

This place is not my home

Our barn kitten Pepper is experiencing his first winter, the cold and wind and feel of snow beneath his feet. He rests for awhile in the straw bale hallway to Faith's doghouse.

Faith doesn't use her house until temperatures drop near -20 or worse.

Some nights instead of returning to his place in the barn, Pepper has found warmth and comfort in this shelter that is not really his home.

So too do I seek shelter in a place that's not my home.

Let me take what comfort this world offers
as well as all its trials
knowing beyond knowing
that it's only for awhile.

Perhaps this is a more profound picture than I first believed, for what better place to dwell on this earth than in the house of faith?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
John 14:1-3 NIV

Imperfect Prose - Saving Pink

Truth indeed is black and white

yet my heart beats in shades of gray

I steel myself against the chill

wanting to savour

what must

by its nature

slip through my fingers

I cut flowers

from the frosted earth

and in preserving pink

rejoice in His saving grace

The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers droop, God's Word goes on and on forever.This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.

1 Peter 1:24-25 The Message

Stop by Emily's In the Hush of the Moon for more perfect imperfection.

Creativity Boot Camp - Full Bodied

The word prompt was full bodied. Click on image to enlarge.

Word Filled Wednesday - Seeds

Some skeptic is sure to ask, "Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this 'resurrection body' look like?" If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a "dead" seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don't look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different. 1 Corinthians 15:35-38 The Message

Today Susan is hosting us at Forever His