point of view

Dear one – yes you with the pain hidden in your eyes And the shoulders slumped with the weight of it all Did you know?   Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; I know you ask, what does that even mean? It weighs a hundred pounds Yes, but He’s carried millions Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. We belittle; mock Him as He hangs naked and suffocating We shudder; pronounce Him disgusting Not seeing – that is us But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The bruises, the lashes, the hellfire, they were yours Come, weary one, lay your wounds in His lap He holds you in His infinite battle-scarred hands The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, Yes, peace – in this broken world it is possible Past this broken world it is sure, complete And by His stripes Ah!   The blood spurts, washes over “See how I love you.” We are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5   ...

What do all these lovely ladies have in common? When I was in my preteen years, (I think!) (sometime in that general vicinity anyway) these are the kind of faces that came to mind when I heard the name "Lizzie".  Weird how you have connotations with certain names.  I don't even know where that one came from! I went through more than my share of nicknames in my childhood and early teen years.  I discovered that there are far more nicknames for "Elisabeth" in the baby name book than there are for, say, "Heidi" =)  I had a violin teacher who wrote a new nickname in my book every week for a while...  I tried to use a good deal of them.  "Beth", "Lisa", and "Liesl...

A few more highlights from my gift list: #3303 "Freedom", my word for 2014 #3314 Seeing my sweet cousin's face, even if it's over Skype #3317  Wind-chime chorus on my street #3321 Unexpectedly discovering a kindred spirit #3323 Facebook messages all full of wedding plans #3327 Breadsticks from the Olive Garden  #3330 How you know, when you walk in the door at CCEF, you will be kindly treated no matter what you're there for #3332 Thabiti Anyabwile and new crochet stitches at unearthly hours of the night #3334  A classmate who cleans the snow off my car for me #3340 "Speak Oh Lord" in church #3344 The mechanic telling me I'm "quite a lady" just because I drive stick and change my own tires...  lol #3347 The sweet lady in the grocery store who finds and returns the shopping list I dropped #3352 Being trusted with a dear friend's struggle ...

I miss my students. Lord, you know this little one he is Yours he grows please, love him? teach him to love to protect to be a gentle pursuer make him an honest fighter oh please, never let him grow numb never let that fire die please, grow him into a man who sees others unashamed to cry for the broken delighting in our laughter let him take pride in creating something with his own two hands make him an encourager, teacher, provider but more than anything let me meet him on the other side my fiery little man

when you think you've figured it out, take just a little longer there's no prize for quickest prescription. How many time have you thought through these thoughts? Again? Now turn, spin, cast "for every look at yourself take ten looks at Him" you will drown in puzzle pieces, immobilized by this inner monologue unless you let Him in tip that head back in His words the pieces settle into place navel-gazing only trips you and you are not alone this furious wrestling inside takes on meaning only when you see your surroundings horizontal and vertical For He is Author Conceiver  Weaver Creator Planner Lover and sometimes you do need to ask the silly questions. Because you are only really alive when you learn how to love learn how you're loved Because you need to come to the end of yourself to be free There is a fairly recent trend that goes along with or replaces new year's resolutions by chose one word ...