Real. Lost.

Being utterly lost and dependent on the Father means more...when you are actually lost. Admittance of lost-ness can be an emotional response to perceived brokenness. But don't we usually have our skill-sets and honed routines as auxiliary tucked into our self-conscious? WE ARE A CAPABLE PEOPLE. WE ARE LEARNED, FORTUNATE, EXPERIENCED, TRAINED, CERTIFIED, BATTLE-TESTED. But what about when we are truly lost? What about when our toned forearms grope to find no next wrung? What about when through obedience God sets us in territory where our mental maps find not recognizable landmarks...where earth and air don't even follow the same rules as home? TRUE OBSCURITY. TRUE MISPLACEMENT. Where hopelessness is as seemingly optional as a footfall's response to gravity.  NO PRAYERS ARE LIFTED WITH THE UNDERTONE OF SELF-CONFIDENCE. Naked in a shrapnel storm. The horizon-line is a mirage. BARE DEPENDENCE. What do we do? Do we do?


The Lord is our sun and our shield. 
He gives us grace and glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing
from those who do what is right,
O Lord of Heaven's Armies,
what joy for those who trust in you.
Psalm 84:11,12

The Holy Mystery of Today

Each and every day is a Holy Mystery where everything that we see, say, hear, feel and do is God speaking directly to us. What is He saying today? Why is it that we find ourselves second guessing his voice? Constant bombardment of our hearts and minds by everything around us makes it difficult to solve this Holy Mystery of today. Yet all the clues are there; laid out in front of us like a simple puzzle. But most of the time – for some reason that seems beyond our grasp – we can’t quiet solve it. We stumble around blindly, trying to force the square piece into the circular hole and call it “God’s will.” Now we’re wondering why things in our lives just don’t seem to be lining up. We get mad and impatient and take it out on everything and everyone around us, never wanting to look inward for fear of what we might actually see there. But the simple truth is this. Nothing in our lives will ever line up when we continue to force it. We don’t need to be a clever sleuth like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys to solve the Holy Mystery that is today; we simply need to let go. A quiet heart is much easier to follow than trying to use a magnified glass to follow some footprints laid out in front of us. Embrace the mystery, look at the clues, see where they take you. Maybe the solution of today’s mystery has been staring you in the face the whole time. Open your eyes, quiet your heart, and let God’s will unfold in front of you today.

                                                             .:TD:.

RENT IS DUE!

Transform rent day into a Day of Triumph with Psalm 84:11 and Rick Ross.

"For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right."

Blowin Money Fast- Rick Ross

^^^
(lots of cusses, but what about that beat?!)

techně: mastery of any sort of craft

. ANYTHING that JESUS is LORD over, you can make ART of it .

Psalm 90:12: "...teach us to # our days so that we may grow in wisdom..."

"Wisdom is a life of proportion that corresponds to reality...so that there is LARGE concern for what is important and LITTLE concern for what is unimportant. So, seek the kingdom first and let EVERYTHING ELSE BE ADDED TO YOU IN GOD'S WAY AND TIME. So, be a WISE people, a COUNTER-CULTURAL people, a KINGDOM-ORIENTED people, a GOD-BESOTTED people, a RISK-TAKING people, a kind of people who when you come to die, whatever time that may be...a week or a hundred years from now...will be glad that you walked with God DIFFERENTLY from those that are so concerned with such inconsequential things!"
-John Piper

God does not make perfect people....but PERFECT MOMENTS!

under a sea of sparkling black

stars seem to dance in this clear midnight sky.
we ponder their figures and drink in the moon.


our bodies, they shiver; we breathe in and sigh:
the chill of the night has come much too soon.


eyes open we watch the face of a friend
delight in immortal dreams with eyes closed.


for a moment light and time almost bend
as hope embraces the futures we pose.


longings are hushed by the rustling trees,
the wind whispers grace over words taken back.


how cherished our gift of hearts such as these,
standing under a sea of sparkling black.


eyes open we watch the face of a friend
seep in this beauty and rest with eyes closed.


the cold dark ushers in a farewell, then
softly kisses us with silence composed.
                                        -jf