Beyond Eloquence

The only poem I have ever written:

With words an idea is released from its prison
With words a feeling is given flesh
The impact of words is both now and forever
For with words, legacy is left

All nature is subject to the nature of words
For oceans “roar” and thunder “rolls”
And though they do not, words make it so

The abstract is made concrete, the distant made relatable
Words have power to challenge and affirm
Power to affect

Yet within the immeasurable reach of words
There is one limit never to be overcome
For how can words be effective when aimed at You, oh, Indescribable?

You who cannot rightly called “great”
For said word is used for the profane as well
You who cannot be called “awesome”
For that has lost its worth
You who makes the oceans “roar” and thunder “roll”
Are so far above them that describing You is not an option

We who have words may have power
For we wield definition and perception
But praise be to You who dwells above words
Reign beyond eloquence

God on I-4

I commute. My home, my job, and my school are 52 miles apart from each other resulting in a 104 mile commute-5 days a week. I am not complaining, believe me. I love the drive time and how it gives me a great excuse to just sit back and enjoy an hour and a half of my life. I think all kinds of thoughts. I sings ALL kinds of songs. In fact, most of the foundations of my relationship were laid somewhere between mile markers 38 and 58 on I-4. (Anyone trying to work on your relationship should try commuting with your significant other since you are forced to gain good communication when you are stuck in a car doing 70;) This past week I was driving by myself and God started showing me some things that I wanted to write about...

The drastic weather here in Florida lately has notably effected the landscape. In other words, everything is brown right now. Much of the grass that runs alongside Interstate 4 is dry and dead and the trees stand bare like ominous skeletons cheering on the chaos of rush hour. Driving home a few days ago I noted how bleak everything looked. Then God showed me something. Now whether He organized these events for me to see or heightened my awareness to see them I do not know. All I know is as I looked at a tree void of leaves, I noticed how all that was left was the moss that hangs from the branches like droopy sackcloth. As I watched, a beautiful bird, perhaps an eagle (pardon my incompetent ornithology), swoop down and grasp all the moss that it could. The majestic creature soared alongside my car for a few moments until it reached a half-completed nest further down the road. It added the new addition to the work-in-progress and I smirked at how there was such purpose for something I thought was so uselessly ugly.
A few moments later I saw the fields of brown grass that are usually filled with grazing cows, void of any signs of life. Dead grass does no service to hungry cows. A few moments later I passed a row of trees that were dead on the top but had lower branches that were regaining their green vitality. I then saw cows with necks raised up, eating leaves from trees. Cows eating from trees!! Perhaps my child-like attitude towards life attributed more amazement than necessary, but I am still in awe over that sight.
How many times has this dumb cow looked at the grass of my life and fretted over the lack that I see? How many times have I stressed about how everything would work out? How many times have I neglected to see the purpose in moss and low-branches? This is a long passage, but please read it openly. Jesus said in Luke 12:
"Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can't even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don't fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself."
Jesus has a way of lovingly stopping us in our tracks doesn't he? According to Him, if we worry, it means we don't really know God. Ouch. We must be steeped in God-reality, seeing things the way He tells us to see them. Where others might see a dry and barren land, we must be the ones gazing upward for manna and looking to rocks for water. When others are looking at the mountains of economic and circumstantial impossibility, we must be the ones who look BEYOND the hills to where our help comes from. If you know your Father, you will trust Him. I need to get to know Him more...perhaps you do too.

Broken Toe-A Lesson Learned

I broke my toe Saturday night. Okay, so I am not medically certain that I broke it, but I hit it pretty bad and I tend to err on the side of exaggeration. My family was sitting around having a nice time and laughing about all sorts of things. I decided to film the moment to capture the memories and the minute the camera turned on everyone got quite. To keep the moment interesting I passed the camera to my girlfriend and got up to taunt our new puppy to chase me around the house as she always does. I began to run quickly, navigating all the obstacles that exist in a house right after Christmas. Yet in my rush, I neglected to dodge the solid oak dining table and chairs. My toe connected and bent in a sickening way and well...the rest is on video to go down in shameful and comedic history.

Anyway, Sunday I was up to preach a sermon called "The Overture of Heaven." I dealt with how God prepares us for newness in our lives. At one point I was discussing the dangers of rushing a season of preparation and the Lord quickened the painful event of the night before to apply to what He was trying to communicate. It was so simple and profound for me that I had to come home and write about it.

Many people believe and understand that God has a destiny for their lives. This grand scheme is overarching and all-encompassing. Yet the Bible also teaches us the the STEPS of the righteous are ordered by the Lord. The daily, tedious, seemingly insignificant progressions of our lives have just as much to do with God's plan as the milestones do. Many times, the Lord puts us in a position to be prepared for what He is going to do next. If you are anything like me, seasons of waiting and slow preparation are quite taxing. Drive, ambition, and urgency are usually very valuable qualities I possess, but when it comes to waiting patiently, they create quite a conflict. This entire year has been a year of waiting in some of the deepest and most personal areas of my life. For almost 8 months of the year I struggled with God to just "get on with it!" As I was preaching yesterday, though, God showed me what that is like.

When you are in a race on a track with a finish line in front of you, sprinting is crucial, especially in the spiritual sense to which I am feebly trying to analogize. Going fast in a place that is built for speed makes sense. However, sprinting in a place that is made for walking slowly-like a house after Christmas-will probably result in breaking your toe. If God has brought you to a place where He wants you to act, please sprint with all your might. However, if he has placed you in a season of preparation, please don't rush. Let Him do what He needs to do. His timing is perfect. When you finally do reach that event for which He is preparing you, the fact that you soaked in every designated second of His divine preparation will make it that much more valuable and invigorating.

...and please...don't run in the house while being filmed.