In my quest to be compelled by the love of Christ in 2008, I’ve started collecting quotes that reflect the magnitude of this love. Here’s one of the most haunting ones I’ve come across. I really hope this isn’t true. But I have a feeling it is.
You really only love God as much as you love
the person you love the least.
— Dorothy Day
A reflection on the love of God from the pen of George Matheson:
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.O Light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to Thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in Thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain
That morn shall tearless be.O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from Thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.O Hope that lightenest all my way,
I cannot choose but cleave to Thee;
And wrestle till the break of day,
Disclose the wisdom of the way
In blessings yet to be.
I just wanted to post an update on our Inner City Winter Relief Drive. Thanks to the generosity of the people of Mayfair, we were able to fill up 2 buses with winter clothing, canned goods, dry goods, and liquid laundry detergent. All of these items were taken over to the Inner City facility yesterday and put on the shelves in anticipation of today’s distribution. Additionally, Mayfair members gave financially to the tune of $16,000 to help meet the ongoing needs of the poor in our community. I’m so proud to be a part of such a compassionate family of believers. Thanks to each of you who gave and prayed during this hour of need.
Probably the greatest impact this resolution has had on me after the first month is the way Scripture has been my fuel. Obviously, the impetus for this little project came from 2 Corinthians 5. But as the reality of Christ’s love gradually sinks into my heart, I’ve noticed that Scripture seems to take on a more prominent role. What I mean is that certain Scriptures have become my Scriptures through this past month. I’ve been taking in a good deal of Scripture, but more importantly, I’ve been living it and the ones I’ve lived naturally stick with me. May the love of Christ compel me, I’ll find myself thinking throughout the day. Or There is no fear in love. Or You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Or Love is patient. That one’s been especially annoying so far. Today I stood in line for over 30 minutes at Wal-Mart (the moral of the story: don’t go grocery shopping on Super Bowl Sunday). The whole time, I had to keep saying to myself, love is patient, love is patient. I had the same circumstance last Friday at the post office waiting to mail off my passport paperwork. But I’m finding that these Scriptures are seeping into my life more and more every time I quote them. I’ve noticed how much more patient I am this past month, solely because I’m convinced that very often, this is the response that love requires in almost any circumstance.
So tonight I quietly give thanks for these Scriptures that are becoming my Scriptures. I’m hoping that this canon will continue to grow as the year progresses.
Our kids have been fighting a cold bug for the past couple of days. So this morning, I noticed that Joshua had some pretty serious snottage going on. I told him to bring me a Kleenex so I could help him get cleaned up.
When we were finished, he looked at me and asked, “Daddy, why did Jesus give me all these boogers?“
I know every good and perfect gift comes from above, but I’m not sure if boogers fit into that category.
I didn’t have much of an answer for him (I mean, seriously, what do you say?). But I know these are the soft toss questions. In a few years, there’ll be plenty of other questions he’ll ask and I doubt my answers will suffice then either. I know this because I’m not sure I believe some of these answers myself.
What Joshua doesn’t know is that this type of question has deep roots in Scripture. For thousands of years, believers have been questioning why God chooses to act in particular ways. The Psalms are littered with questions like Why God? and How long, O Lord? I know it’s a silly thing, but I’m thankful that Joshua is learning to ask his questions Christocentrically. I hope he’s asking the same type of questions in 10 years, 20 years, 50 years. To me, that seems to be the heart of faithfulness.
I’m reminded that we’re not called to always understand. We’re simply called to be faithful. Thanks for the reminder, son.
Pretty boring this week.
We’re both picking the Pats.
‘Nuff said.
(I wrote about this earlier in the week, but I wanted to remind everyone of the need we have at the Inner City.)
Our Inner City pantry is empty. The shelves are bare – clothing racks have been depleted – and hurting people in our community are literally standing in line for assistance…will you help?
Winter is always a difficult season for the impoverished and homeless in our communities. This Sunday at Mayfair, we’ll be hosting an Inner City Winter Relief drive to help alleviate some of the physical needs of our fellow Huntsvillians. We have a very tangible opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need the caring touch of God’s people.
We’re asking people to come Sunday prepared to give. We’re asking for donations of canned goods and warm winter clothing. We’re also asking that you consider participating in a special collection of funds to help meet the ongoing needs of the poor in our community.
We have an urgent need for the following:
More than anything else, our Inner City ministry needs your prayers. Lives are being touched and changed every day as a result of this ministry. Winter is the most difficult season and the opportunities are great. Thanks in advance for your help in this hour of need.
One year ago today was one of the worst days of my entire life.
At least for the first 12 hours or so.
On January 30, 2007, Sunny and I made our way to Dr. Bailey’s office to finally find out the results of an amniocentesis we’d had done. Her screening test came back positive for Down Syndrome, so we decided to go ahead with the amnio. We were supposed to find out these results on Friday the 26th, but the doctor’s office was late sending off the lab work, so we had to wait through the weekend. Then we were supposed to hear news on Monday, only to find out that his office was overbooked and there was no way for them to work us in. After a very, very heated conversation with his receptionist (good thing I didn’t make my resolution last year!), we made our way to the doctor’s office at around noon to finally find out the test results.
Here’s what I wrote on this blog exactly one year ago:
We’re so glad to share our good news with you. As you know, we were scheduled to meet with Dr. Bailey today. We were so nervous as we waited to see him. Our prayer all day long was one word: “Please.” As soon as Dr. Bailey walked in, he said, “I have good news!” The test results confirmed that our baby is completely healthy. Needless to say, Sunny and I were so relieved.
Words cannot express to you how much Sunny and I have appreciated your thoughts and prayers over these past few days. Thankful isn’t a good enough word, but it’ll have to do. Yesterday was a difficult day, but we were buoyed by the many prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Through all of this, you have been our cloud of witnesses. We’re eternally thankful for each of you and the part you play in our lives. I look forward to the day I can share this chapter of our story with our son. I will make sure he knows how many people loved him and prayed for him before he was even born.
I look back over this post and the comments with tears in my eyes. We chose to honor this day when we named our son, for Jackson means, “God has been gracious”.
One year ago, I experienced the graciousness of God as our prayers were answered.
One year ago, “good news” was redefined for me.
One year later, here’s “good news” in the flesh. Who knew the Gospel could be so cute?
The last of the LOST mobisodes was released this week. Looks like they saved the best for last. This one is entitled “So It Begins” and you can watch it by clicking here.
Can somebody tell me what this means? Is that Smokey? Or is Christian is alive? Anybody?
Man, I love this show.
already & not yet 