Wonder and Praise

I would like to have seen the world with eyes incapable of anything but wonder, and with a tongue fluent only in praise - Pat Conroy

That Face

I miss that face

The Blog I Never Wanted To Write

Indescribable Gift

Love these words from Andrew Murray:  "God held the world so dear that He gave His only begotten Son for everyone who will trust in Him. And how did He give Him? He gave Him in His birth as man, in order to be forever one with us. He gave Him in His death on the cross as surety, in order to take away our sin and curse. He gave Him on the throne of heaven, in order to arrange for our welfare, as our Representative and Intercessor over all the powers of heaven. He gave Him in the outpouring of the Spirit, in order to dwell in us to be entirely and altogether our own.  Yes, that is the love of God. He gave His Son to us, for us, and in us. Nothing less than His Son Himself. This is the love of God. It is not that He gives us something, but that He gives us Someone, a living person, not one or another blessing, but Him, who is all life and blessing, Jesus Himself."

2 Corinthians 9:15. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Salt of the Earth

Being exiles does not mean being cynical. It does not mean being indifferent or uninvolved. The salt of the earth does not mock rotting meat. Where it can, it saves and seasons. And where it can’t, it weeps. And the light of the world does not withdraw, saying “good riddance” to godless darkness. It labors to illuminate. But not dominate.”  John Piper

Too Much Stuff

"The simple truth is this: you can read all the books and buy all the cute cubbies and baskets and chalkboard labels, even master the life-changing magic of cleaning up – but if you have more stuff than you do space to easily store it, your life will be spent a slave to your possessions.
The second you open your wallet to buy something, it costs you – and in more ways than you might think. Yes, of course there’s the price tag and the corresponding amount of time it took you to earn that amount of money, but possessions also cost you space in your home and time spent cleaning and maintaining them. And as the token environmentalist in the room, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you that when you buy something, you’re also taking on the task of disposing of it (responsibly or not) when you’re done with it. Our addiction to consumption is a vicious one, and it’s stressing us out.
When it comes to stuff, I promise you, you don’t need more labels or better systems or complicated Pinterest tutorials – all you need is less."
  Madeline Somerville

Seeing our neighbors

"If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say like artists, we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces. Here it is love that is the frame we see them in."

-Originally published in Whistling in the Dark and later in Listening to Your Life and Beyond Word

Lord, help me to really see my neighbors and to see them as You see them.