The widow and the Samaritan

 I was listening to a song that John Bob and Jeff  wrote called "Two copper coins" yesterday and it gave me inspiration for this blog post. First of all, a question. What does the Samaritan man and the widow who gave the two small coins have in common? I thought about this all day, coming to the conclusion that they both gave something that they did not own. The Samaritan man devoted his time to the man on the road, and the woman gave all she had in those two coins. The other comparison I came to was the Priest/scribe and the rich men. The priest and the scribe were too busy and too important to stop and help. The rich men gave only for the glory of getting praise for the huge amount they gave. Are we giving to get praise from men? Or is Christ our reward?  And is our life just about those planned moments we have with God, or is our entire life devoted to seeking him in all of life; whether it is working alongside your brother and sister or even shopping at Wal-mart. Believe me, I know how nonspiritual it can seem doing practical things. But Christ said that we must be faithful in the little things to ever even hope to do huge things. That is amazing!

my beautiful sister.

neat poem

"A cup of sweet water could never spill a drop of bitter water, no matter how heavily it was jolted." Amy Carmichael

Missing Him

"I slept, but my heart was awake,

when I heard my lover knocking and calling:

“Open to me, my treasure, my darling,

my dove, my perfect one.

My head is drenched with dew,

my hair with the dampness of the night.”

But I responded,

“I have taken off my robe.

Should I get dressed again?

I have washed my feet.

Should I get them soiled?”

My lover tried to unlatch the door,

and my heart thrilled within me.

I jumped up to open the door for my love,

and my hands dripped with perfume.

My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh

as I pulled back the bolt.

I opened to my lover,

but he was gone!

My heart sank.

I searched for him

but could not find him anywhere.

I called to him,

but there was no reply."     - Song of Solomon 5:2-6

For each disciple, the journey often takes different routes, but for anyone who seeks to fall in love with Christ, in the intimate way, we find that often, when he calls,we have something we want to do and we reply "I have taken off my robe.Should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet. Should I get them soiled?” Just like the woman in the story, we give excuses why we cannot answer the call. When we hear him trying to enter our heart, as we try to let him in, he seems to disappear. We are left with the feeling that we were abandoned. Like Christ on the cross, we ask "My God why have you forsaken me?" This experience draws us closer to the  lover of our soul. It also teaches us to answer him quicker. Christ is multi-dimensional. When we think we know why he allows something to happen to us, and even if we see a small benefit a little later down the road, he uses the experience for many other reasons. The thought that comes to mind, is that the will of God is like a diamond, when you look at one side,you don't see the entire gem; you must turn it around in your hand and look at each facet. That is the way God shows us the effects of how our obedience, suffering, and self-denying actions effect others and even our own life.  He wants to be near us, and longs to make us just like him. Such love he has for us!

A little encouragement

I heard an old Michael Card song today that really struck me,so I had to write this here. It really encouraged me today.It might not mean as much to you, but I hope everyone can get something from it if God wants them too.

Psalm 139


- LORD, You have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I stand up;

You understand my thoughts from far away.

You observe my travels and my rest;

You are aware of all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue,

You know all about it, LORD.

You have encircled me;

You have placed Your hand on me.



[This] extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.

It is lofty; I am unable to [reach] it.



Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?

Where can I flee from Your presence?



If I go up to heaven, You are there;

if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.

If I live at the eastern horizon

[or] settle at the western limits,

even there Your hand will lead me;

Your right hand will hold on to me.



If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me,

and the light around me will become night" —



even the darkness is not dark to You.

The night shines like the day;

darkness and light are alike to You.

For it was You who created my inward parts;



I will praise You,

because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful,

and I know [this] very well.

My bones were not hidden from You

when I was made in secret,

when I was formed in the depths of the earth.

Basics

 I have recently found that it is hard to do the basic things everyday. Between college and home life, both seem to fight for dominance, leaving me no time for getting close to God. Or so I thought. I feel like lately, everything in all of the experiences have been  inundated by Christ, maybe not religion, but the chance to live out what I believe. Which is the hardest part about being a disciple. You can say " I believe" when it  is easy, but when hard times come, and you lose sight of your creator, you (or I) become with unbelief. Doing what you believe in those hard times strengthens your faith. So it is by "faith through our works" that Christ is with us. We,like a bride in Song of Songs must go through the path. He makes us walk toward him, though we fall, he does not condemn us,and  even when we turn back, he calls us to walk toward him. He also walks beside us.

Passage story

It's been a long time since I've written, so I will have a little to write tonight. About a week ago, my youngest brother had his passage (WOW! It shakes me every time I think about it!) For those who are following this blog that don't know what a passage is; it is when we acknowledge that a young person has started being a man  or woman in Christ. We usually celebrate by holding a day in which we give portions of what God has given us in our lives(usually this means a story or analogy) to help the young person in their life. Anyways, my youngest brother Brandon and his friend Noah had their "passage" last Saturday. We started it out by having a nature walk "Audubon style." We learned a lot about nature in that hour-and-a-half.  Then, for the passage, we went to a restaurant in Holly Springs, Mississippi called "Anne's" (This was a great place to eat as well). Most of what we gave was Brandon is a "light-bearer" ( might have something to do with his videography) and that Noah is a safe place. To better explain this, I'll tell my gift to both of them. To Brandon, I gave a torch stand. I said this represents him. I then put the actual torch in it and said " God has filled you with his life through your experiences." When I gave him the oil for the torch, I made him see that it contained lemon grass. This was a representation of the "bitter experiences" that cause us to draw closer to Christ. It also keeps the "spiritual mosquitoes" from draining our life essence. Then, because we were inside and I couldn't light it, I just told him that God sent a spark into him that ignited his heart on fire for God. Also, that he must remember that he is the stand, nothing of this light is "his" he is just the vessel. Just a side note, before this night he was just a brother, as the passage went on, he slipped his way into my selfish heart. I can honestly say that I truly love him now. I don't know for sure what God has in store for him, but I hope that I can boost him up a little. To Noah I gave a cedar bird house. I told him that like the bird house, he gives shelter  to those who are injured spiritually as well as his friends. The cedar aroma  represents the love of Christ that  leaks from his very being. Noah is a great friend, whenever he sees someone looking down, he does what he can to lift their spirits. Both are awesome men, I look forward to the adventures they will have.Praise to the King, who brings us up to his highest.

P.s. Sorry, no pictures yet!