Category Archives: God’s Nature

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Epic Fail, Epic Redemption

04477+Surrender+copy+3Me:

I'm so sorry, Papa. Please, will you have mercy on me? I made a big mess of things. I quit worshiping You and started worshiping myself. I thought I knew best; I thought I could solve this one on my own, so I left You out of the mix. But, instead, I just… made a mess.

Papa:

I know, Sweetpea. It's okay, We'll fix it. Nothing is beyond Our ability to redeem.

Me:

Papa? (pause) Why did You create us humans when You knew we would fail so epically so much of the time?

Papa:

Because that's what makes Life so good, so rich. It's that epic failure that allows Us to restore and redeem, and draws you deeper into Our embrace, into the folds of Our enveloping garments of praise. With every epic fail, We restore and renew with Epic Redemption!

Come now; tuck in to Our embrace. Feel Our strength and be renewed. It's okay. Nothing is beyond Our ability to redeem.

**Painter unknown: I nabbed the picture from Emily Hunter McGowin's 2007 post, Sometimes, this is all I can say…

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Hope – a Psalm

 1-2 Long enough, God— you've ignored me long enough.
   I've looked at the back of your head
      long enough. Long enough
   I've carried this ton of trouble,
      lived with a stomach full of pain.
   Long enough my arrogant enemies
      have looked down their noses at me.

 3-4 Take a good look at me, God, my God;
      I want to look life in the eye,
   So no enemy can get the best of me
      or laugh when I fall on my face.

 5-6 I've thrown myself headlong into your arms—
      I'm celebrating your rescue.
   I'm singing at the top of my lungs,

      I'm so full of answered prayers. (Psalm 13, The Message)

He is able, and He will rescue me. He is able, and He will rescue me.

In this I hope tonight. In this I believe. In this I cling to with all my might.

I need my God to rescue me, for I'm drowning in my own mess and my enemies are watching in delight.

Laughing, poking, kicking me while I'm down. Against them I cannot stand. Not alone.

Jesus, do You hear me? Jesus, will you come? Will I some day see You? Will I someday get to go Home?

He is able, and He will rescue me. He is able, and He will rescue me.

In this I hope tonight. In this I believe. In this I cling to with all my might.

He delights in me, and dances over me all day long. He is enthralled by my beauty and knows every note of my unique song.

Therefore I will hope. I will Hope. I will Hope in Him and no one else. Hope in Him and nothing else. He is able and He will come.

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This is the Day…

…that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

I am sooooo not a morning person, so the fact that I’m up and posting should very much impress you. 🙂 The fact that I’m chipper at this early hour should shock and perhaps even alarm you (it does me!).

I thought I’d start the day with a word of wisdom from Luci Swindoll — to start my day off right. I love this woman (more than I can express at this early hour)!! She is amazing. You should check her out.

In the meantime, Good Morning to you!!

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The God I Worship

Some days are just hard. I’ve had a couple of weeks of them. I needed to be reminded today of just Whom it is that I belong. Maybe you’ve had a few rough days recently too. If so, I share this cool drink of Water God gave me this afternoon.

Isaiah 40

Comfort for God’s People

1 Comfort, comfort my people,
       says your God.

2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
       and proclaim to her
       that her hard service has been completed,
       that her sin has been paid for,
       that she has received from the LORD’s hand
       double for all her sins.

3 A voice of one calling:
       "In the desert prepare
       the way for the LORD;
       make straight in the wilderness
       a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be raised up,
       every mountain and hill made low;
       the rough ground shall become level,
       the rugged places a plain.

5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
       and all mankind together will see it.
       For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

6 A voice says, "Cry out."
       And I said, "What shall I cry?"
       "All men are like grass,
       and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.

7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
       because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
       Surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
       but the word of our God stands forever."

9 You who bring good tidings to Zion,
       go up on a high mountain.
       You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
       lift up your voice with a shout,
       lift it up, do not be afraid;
       say to the towns of Judah,
       "Here is your God!"

10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
       and his arm rules for him.
       See, his reward is with him,
       and his recompense accompanies him.

11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
       He gathers the lambs in his arms
       and carries them close to his heart;
       he gently leads those that have young.

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
       or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
       Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
       or weighed the mountains on the scales
       and the hills in a balance?

13 Who has understood the mind of the LORD,
       or instructed him as his counselor?

14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
       and who taught him the right way?
       Who was it that taught him knowledge
       or showed him the path of understanding?

15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
       they are regarded as dust on the scales;
       he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.

16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
       nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.

17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
       they are regarded by him as worthless
       and less than nothing.

18 To whom, then, will you compare God?
       What image will you compare him to?

19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it,
       and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
       and fashions silver chains for it.

20 A man too poor to present such an offering
       selects wood that will not rot.
       He looks for a skilled craftsman
       to set up an idol that will not topple.

21 Do you not know?
       Have you not heard?
       Has it not been told you from the beginning?
       Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
       and its people are like grasshoppers.
       He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
       and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

23 He brings princes to naught
       and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

24 No sooner are they planted,
       no sooner are they sown,
       no sooner do they take root in the ground,
       than he blows on them and they wither,
       and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

25 "To whom will you compare me?
       Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.

26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
       Who created all these?
       He who brings out the starry host one by one,
       and calls them each by name.
       Because of his great power and mighty strength,
       not one of them is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
       and complain, O Israel,
       "My way is hidden from the LORD;
       my cause is disregarded by my God"?

28 Do you not know?
       Have you not heard?
       The LORD is the everlasting God,
       the Creator of the ends of the earth.
       He will not grow tired or weary,
       and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary
       and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

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Comes The Weary One

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.

Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. — Psalm 91:1-4

Today was lousy. I was in a foul mood from dawn till dusk and only when I was able to be a couch potato for a few hours did I begin to feel a little more human and less trollish.

Anger, frustration and hurt from yesterday bled into today; perhaps because I went to sleep with the things I was angry about still on my mind. God has a habit of talking to me after the lights go out, probably because I don’t always give Him a chance to be heard any other time. Anyway, last night was no different and I fell asleep while we were still hashing out the frustrations of the day. I woke up this morning tired and cranky and in no mood for— well, anything, really. Except maybe another five hours of sleep.

There are not enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to get done. Homework, work, personal issues that need attention, house cleaning for my out-of-town guests coming next week, attending to friends, church Community Group, women’s accountability group, homework-homework-and more homework….rinse and repeat. I think last night’s events threw me over the edge of that H.A.L.T. dealie (hungry, angry, lonely, tired) and I just lost it today.

All day.

I was such a bitch to be around and I knew it. I just couldn’t seem to do anything about it — except stay hidden in my cube as much as possible to minimize the damage to others.

I’m so tired exhausted. My life feels frustratingly… frayed. And fraying. I need rest.

But how do you rest when all your "stuff" stands up and smacks you in the face at the very time you’re trying to fall asleep?

Tonight I took the night off from everything and just spent some time with Jesus. I didn’t do any big study. Nor did I read the books that will facilitate my healing and recovery. Rather I just sat here and listened to specific music that always draws me to Jesus’ feet, read a bit from His Word and spent the evening staring into His eyes.

I came across Psalm 91 and saw what I think is the solution to my need: I will curl up in the shadow of the Almighty and find refuge under His wing. His Word declares I will find the rest I so desperately need there. So I’m gonna take Him at His Word.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. — Psalm 62:5-6

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." — Jesus

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Refining Fire

ForgingironsmrThe following is an excerpt from my newsletter from April 30, 2003, while I was serving overseas as a missionary. I re-read it the other night as I was looking through old files (hunting, of course, for something completely unrelated). However, the lesson God was teaching me at the time seems so relevant to what I experienced this past month.

Isn’t it crazy how I’m still struggling to learn the same lesson four years later! Yet, as I look back at what happened in that four years, the storm in my life that had been brewing for nearly a year at the time of this newsletter and then exploded with violent force just two months later, I realize how invaluable the insight in this newsletter was for me, and how it kept me deeply connected to God and confident of His presence through the darkest time of my life. Discovering that God truly wants to be not just my Savior or my God, but also my bosom friend created a new reality in me that continues to this day. What I said in that newsletter four years ago about God’s desires for our relationship have now, four years later, become reality.

Earlier in this newsletter I discussed a cd-rom project I was putting together to be used for advocacy and mobilization by the various unreached people group teams working in my region. I was at the point in the project of rewriting, revising, refining and polishing. As errors or problems were uncovered by my proofreading teammates testing the cd, I became increasing frustrated and discouraged, struggling constantly with a worry that I would never get the cd-rom "right".

I have seen this process repeating itself in my walk with Christ lately, as He points out the inconsistencies, clutter and messiness of my heart, and works to move me from a woman of average character toward one of strength and godliness. I am so grateful for His deep love, and His longing to see me become who He knows I can be! But I have to tell ya, there are many days I feel overwhelmed and frustrated. And l often wonder if I’ll ever get it right.

In my failure and frustration, however, I have seen God pursue me with unbelievable abandon. The more time I spend with Him, the more I realize I’ve been missing the point of my refining fires for far too many years.

While He is very concerned about my character and desires to refine it; and while life isn’t ultimately about me and what I can “do” for God, what I have learned lately is that the ultimate purpose of the refining fires in my life is to draw me into a deeply intimate relationship with Him. He longs to be my most intimate companion, my bosom friend, as Anne Shirley would say; the first one I want to talk to in the morning and the last one I want to hear from at night, the first one I call when something amazing happens and the one I turn to when the unthinkable occurs. He is relentlessly pursuing me, in a way no hero in any romantic story could ever come close to! And He has made it clear He will never give up.

I admit, this all sounds so “me-centered” and writing this felt almost arrogant. But I have experienced the reality of it. Truthfully, I cannot fathom why the Awesome God of the Universe, who could have anything or anyone His heart desired, would choose me. But I am so grateful He has!

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Looking For Someone Not Stupid

I love The Message!  This was my morning meditation…

Bilious and bloated, they gas, "God is gone."
   Their words are poison gas,
      fouling the air; they poison
   Rivers and skies;
      thistles are their cash crop.

God sticks his head out of heaven.
      He looks around.
   He’s looking for someone not stupid—
      one man, even, God-expectant,
      just one God-ready woman.

He comes up empty. A string
      of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
   Sheep, taking turns pretending
      to be Shepherd.
   The ninety and nine
      follow their fellow.

Don’t they know anything,
      all these impostors?
   Don’t they know
      they can’t get away with this—
   Treating people like a fast-food meal
      over which they’re too busy to pray?

Night is coming for them, and nightmares,
      for God takes the side of victims.
   Do you think you can mess
      with the dreams of the poor?
   You can’t, for God
      makes their dreams come true.

Is there anyone around to save Israel?
      Yes. God is around; God turns life around.
   Turned-around Jacob skips rope,
      turned-around Israel sings laughter.  –Psalm 14, The Message

May I always be a God-ready Woman.

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Grace Defined — a.k.a. Drenched

For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred)Thru_shattered_glass_1 reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God]. — 1 Cor. 13:12

I think most people have the same problem I do when it comes to understanding grace.  We don’t get it. It’s an enigma, a riddle. We just can’t seem to wrap our minds around it. We just know it is.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, and realizing more and more just how lavishly God drenches me with His grace. And just how unworthy of it I am. I realized grace is so much more than the definition of "unmerited favor" I grew up hearing. That description was inadequate for me as a child, and it didn’t get any better as I grew up.  I’m such a visual person. I needed a picture — or at least a word picture — to help me understand.

So I asked God for help. What I got, originally, was experience. God lavishing me with it, and then telling me, "that’s My Grace."  Uh, okay. How do I put that into words??

Thank God He puts people wiser and more knowledgeable than me in my life! My counselor has a word picture that helped me finally understand what grace is.  And then I stumbled across this web page that had the following definition, which puts that word picture into narrative form:

Protestants usually define grace as "God’s unmerited favor towards us in Christ". Though not incorrect, this definition is incomplete, for grace also includes the divine gifts which flow from this favor, such as our new life in Christ, God’s indwelling Presence and the ability to bear spiritual fruit.

Sacred Scripture says that grace is Jesus’ Incarnation (2 Corinthians 8:9), by which He took on our poor human nature in order to fill us with the "riches" of grace (Ephesians 1:6). Grace is more than mere divine favor, it is sufficient power in our weakness (2 Co 12:8), it strengthens us (Hebrews 13:9; 2 Timothy 2:1), enables us to stand firm (Romans 5:2; 1 Peter 5:12), and helps us in time of need (He 4:16).

The Bible also states that grace is manifold (1 Pt 4:10), that God lavishes "grace upon grace" on us in Jesus Christ (Jn 1:16; Eph 1:7), and that we can "grow in grace" (2 Pt 3:18). It even says that our words can give grace to those who hear them (Eph 4:29), for our edifying words can draw others to God.

Finally, grace is the Beatific Vision of the Trinity which we will enjoy for eternity when Our Lord returns (I Pt 1:13; Eph 2:7).

Gracewordpic2 Barney’s word picture is essentially the same. He just takes less time to say it, and usually draws on the dry erase board as he talks. I guess he’s rubbed off on me, ’cause now I’m re-creating his drawings (or drawrings, if you’re British) in Illustrator.   Perhaps we’ve taken this re-parenting thing too far….Huh1_2  Okay, back to the discussion. What I learned from Barney goes basically like this:

In Scripture we learn that God is Love. We can’t think of that description without thinking of Jesus. And we can’t think of Jesus without remembering the Cross, the ultimate demonstration of love. The Cross brings, or rather bought, our redemption from sin and death. Our redemption leads us into Abundant Life. All of that is Grace.

As grace begins to work in our lives we begin to grasp all we’ve been given, it brings us to our knees in humility and repentance.  We realize we aren’t worthy of any of it. That brings us back to God. But it not only reconciles us to God, but gives us compassion and understanding for others, as grace opens our eyes to their brokenness, and to their beauty as God’s dearly loved children, Jesus’ beloved bride.

As with Hope, I think the modern Church, and especially our 20th century cultural Christianity, stripped grace of its complexity and grittiness. Not out of malice or deliberate deception, but rather out of ignorance.  Grace isn’t soft and cuddly, or ethereal and fragile. It’s the robust, earthy, dynamic, powerful, tenacious, never-ending stuff of God. It can take on my ego, and take me down to my knees, then immediately oh-so-gently pick me up and lay me in the Father’s lap. It can tear apart my stubborn legalistic tendencies, then envelope and permeate my whole being.  It’s where my Arms20open20falls11_1capacity to forgive, to love, to have compassion comes from. Its what gives me the ability to weep and ache to the depths of my soul over the pain others experience. It opens my eyes to the humanity of the people around me, so that I no longer see a mean "monster" when I’m betrayed or hurt. Rather, I see a broken, hurting soul just as much in need of God’s forgiveness  and redemption as me. Grace gives me God’s eyes to see the beauty and image of God in even the most irascible, unlovely person. I can’t do those things on my own. I have to have God’s grace to do it. And the more I embrace and own the grace God lavishes on me, the more grace I have to give to others.  –Perhaps that’s what the Bible refers to as "growing in grace".

Me, I just call it being drenched.

Does that make sense?

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Divine Moments, or Who I Want To Become

I ran across Debbie’s blog this morning, and found this post. It was exactly what I needed to read. I’m re-printing a letter Debbie says is from Beth Moore in 2005. I’ve had many moments like the one Beth describes, where God nudges, prods, and even gets in my face and says, "I want you to do_____ now." The difference is, I rarely step into those moments, and I miss so many blessings because of it.

Erwin said in his book, Seizing Your Divine Moment, that you’ll never know if a moment is "divine" or just ordinary until you step into it. They both look just the same from the outside. For the most part I agree. But I have also found in my own life that God makes it pretty clear at times that this particular moment staring you in the face is divine. Sadly, my fear gets the best of me more often than not, and I don’t step into those moments. Instead, I just watch them pass, never to know the amazing God-moments I could have been a part of. Beth didn’t do that.

This is who I want to become. A person who steps out of herself and her own comfort zone and into the lives of others. Someone who doesn’t allow fear to keep her from to seizing every moment that presents itself.

Beth Moore At The Airport

April 20, 2005

At the airport in Knoxville waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I’d had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you. You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is your ego. I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones. The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man.

I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I’d just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport…an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere? There I sat, trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served on a wheelchair only a few seats from me. All the while my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him. Let’s admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man.

I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I’ve learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing. I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind.

"Oh, no, God, Please, no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, "Don’t make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I’ll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but please don’t make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!" There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, "Please don’t make me witness to his man. Not now. I’ll do it on the plane."

Then I heard it…"I don’t want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair."

The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said "God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I’m on this Lord. I’m you’re girl! You’ve never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man."

Again as clearly as I’ve ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. "That is not what I said Beth. I don’t want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair."

I looked up at God and quipped, "I don’t have a hairbrush. It’s in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?"

God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God’s word: "I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works." (2Timothy 3:17) I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself.

Even as I retell this story my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, "Sir, May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"

He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?"

"May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?" To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you’re going to have to talk louder than that." At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?"

At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Longlocks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, "If you really want to."

Are you kidding? Of course I didn’t want to. But God didn’t seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, "Yes , sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don’t have a hairbrush."

"I have one in my bag," he responded. I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger’s old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man’s hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don’t do many things well, but must admit I’ve had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls.

Like I’d done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull. A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man’s hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I sound so strange, but I’ve never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I-for that few minutes-felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while. The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God’s.

His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant’s. I slipped the brush back in the bag, went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hand on his knees and said, "Sir, do you know my Jesus?"

He said, "Yes, I do." Well that figures, I thought. He explained, "I’ve known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn’t marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem is, I haven’t seen my bride in months. I’ve had open-heart surgery, and she’s been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride."

Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we’re completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I’ll never forget it. Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I’d acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft.

I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, "That old man’s sitting on the plane sobbing, Why did you do that? What made you do that?"

I said, "Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!" And we got to share. I learned something about God that day. He knows if you’re exhausted because you’re hungry, you’re serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on, but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you’re hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you’re sick of drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way…all because I didn’t want people to think I was strange. God didn’t send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me.

John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Life shouldn’t be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly shouting, "Wow! What a ride! Thank you, Lord!"