so today is my last day....
tomorrow morning i fly
with love.
-
12.23.2009
12.22.2009
lovelovelove
Excerpt from A Severe Mercy. It's the story of a couple whose initial "high pagan love" for one another is eventually assaulted and sanctified by a greater love—God's love.
The author recalls a "revelation" he received as a yet unsaved fifteen-year-old:
He had been wont to despise emotions: girls were emotional, girls were weak, emotions—tears—were weakness. But this morning he was thinking that being a great brain in a tower, nothing but a brain, wouldn't be much fun. No excitement, no dog to love, no joy in the blue sky—no feelings at all. But feelings—feelings are emotions! He was suddenly overwhelmed by the revelation that what makes life worth living is, precisely, the emotions. But, then—this was awful!—maybe girls with their tears and laughter were getting more out of life. Shattering! He checked himself: showing one's emotions was not the thing: having them was. …
What is beauty but something that is responded to with emotion? Courage, at least partly, is emotional. All the splendour of life. But if the best of life is, in fact, emotional, then one wanted the highest, purest emotions: and that meant joy. Joy was the highest.
How did one find joy? In books it seemed to be found in love—a great love. … But in the books again, great joy through love seemed always to go hand in hand with frightful pain. Still, he thought, looking out across the meadow, still, the joy would be worth the pain—if, indeed, they went together. If there were a choice—and he suspected there was—a choice between, on the one hand, the heights and the depths and, on the other hand, some sort of safe, cautious middle way, he, for one, here and now chose the heights and the depths. (18)
-
The author recalls a "revelation" he received as a yet unsaved fifteen-year-old:
He had been wont to despise emotions: girls were emotional, girls were weak, emotions—tears—were weakness. But this morning he was thinking that being a great brain in a tower, nothing but a brain, wouldn't be much fun. No excitement, no dog to love, no joy in the blue sky—no feelings at all. But feelings—feelings are emotions! He was suddenly overwhelmed by the revelation that what makes life worth living is, precisely, the emotions. But, then—this was awful!—maybe girls with their tears and laughter were getting more out of life. Shattering! He checked himself: showing one's emotions was not the thing: having them was. …
What is beauty but something that is responded to with emotion? Courage, at least partly, is emotional. All the splendour of life. But if the best of life is, in fact, emotional, then one wanted the highest, purest emotions: and that meant joy. Joy was the highest.
How did one find joy? In books it seemed to be found in love—a great love. … But in the books again, great joy through love seemed always to go hand in hand with frightful pain. Still, he thought, looking out across the meadow, still, the joy would be worth the pain—if, indeed, they went together. If there were a choice—and he suspected there was—a choice between, on the one hand, the heights and the depths and, on the other hand, some sort of safe, cautious middle way, he, for one, here and now chose the heights and the depths. (18)
-
12.21.2009
i love him.
John Piper says "God's world--all of it--rings with wonders. The imagination calls up new words, new images, new analogies, new metaphors, new illustrations, new connections to say old, glorious truth. Imagination is the faculty of the mind that God has given us to make the communication of His beauty beautiful."
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------
i love my hometown.
i fly out of my little beach town to my beloved midwest in 3 days...
i haven't been home for more than 36 hours for an entire year!
my heart is so full of love.
my precious little sister is having a baby...
the timing may seem a little off,
but God delights in showing mercy -
and we are overjoyed to bring a new one into our big crazy family.
we have issues, no doubt, but we have love
(and confidence that He who began a good work,
would be faithful to complete it)
words are swirling around that it may indeed be a white christmas.
i've never appreciated (nor anticipated) time off work as i have this next little stint.
the onething conference is coming, and a new year never goes by that doesn't
hold beauty for the spirit and a true marking of my heart.
i can't wait for the gift of God for this time.
how glorious that even though God gave the greatest gift of all
2000 years ago... he still continues to give...
to those who are weak.
He truly is glorious.
---------
i haven't been home for more than 36 hours for an entire year!
my heart is so full of love.
my precious little sister is having a baby...
the timing may seem a little off,
but God delights in showing mercy -
and we are overjoyed to bring a new one into our big crazy family.
we have issues, no doubt, but we have love
(and confidence that He who began a good work,
would be faithful to complete it)
words are swirling around that it may indeed be a white christmas.
i've never appreciated (nor anticipated) time off work as i have this next little stint.
the onething conference is coming, and a new year never goes by that doesn't
hold beauty for the spirit and a true marking of my heart.
i can't wait for the gift of God for this time.
how glorious that even though God gave the greatest gift of all
2000 years ago... he still continues to give...
to those who are weak.
He truly is glorious.
---------
12.11.2009
ooooooooooo
soooooooooooooooooooo:
you sing over me,
a high harmony,
and i eat your words like cake.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
