He is Risen Indeed
08 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in optimism, school, short&sweet, the Gospel
In my tenth grade English class we had a couple writing assignments that were “imitations.” They required us to write about anything in the style of particular passage from an author. I wrote mine on a passage from Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse. So while the following may seem to have odd punctuation, it is because it is styled after Woolf.
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The tomb was empty; the tomb was deserted. It was as empty as my sister’s piggy bank—no coin in the bank, no body in the tomb. The centuries of despair had ended; heaven’s angels, singing, the Father, smiling, Love seemed to have triumphed. The Lord had risen and the stone moved. Birds had nosed their way in. Idly, aimlessly, the trees swayed in the wind. Some women entered the cave; two angels were standing there; their clothes gleamed like lightning; but where there once was a body was bare. The angels said to the women, “He is not here; he has risen!” The golden-flame sun burst through the sky and proclaimed the message with the joyful rays of sunlight. Christ had been crucified on the cross; he paid for our sins; good towered over evil; Jesus rose again just like he had said; while we still lived in sin and immorality, in the dreadful ways of the world, the Lord’s perfect blood was shed to become payment for our sins, and he gloriously rose which made the whole heavens beam in victory.
“He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” Matthew 28:6
Zzzz… [the Resting Place]
01 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
Is it lame that the main thing driving me to write this post is the fact that I missed posting anything in June, and I don’t want to miss July too?
–> Ughh, and now my grandparent’s wifi in the basement is failing me, and despite my great lengths [getting out of my comfortable bed and walking up the stairs—the internet still wouldn't connect] to get this post up in July, it will be August when it goes up. Darn. Practically, it doesn’t really make a difference, I know. <–
Anyway, this poem-thingy is something I wrote about a year ago in my PDP class when we were having a discussion about having a place for rest and relaxation. It seems appropriate now for a couple of reasons: (1) I am super tired right now and about to go to bed, and (2) I know some anxiety-producing situations have been going on in my life and the lives of many people I know recently.
Jesus
Where is my place of rest?
Everyone has a place he goes
But a physical place can’t truly calm a soulJesus, my place of rest
Prince of peace
Sovereign Lord,
So I can wait in faithWhy don’t we wait upon the Lord?
Why don’t we cast our cares on him?
Relieve our stress—in this place of rest.Prince of peace—true peace
Fulfilled peace
JesusOh, Your words can calm the storms
So why don’t I dwell upon them more?
Calm the storm in my heart right now.Jesus, my place of rest
Prince of peace
Sovereign Lord,
So I can wait in faithWhy don’t we wait upon the Lord?
Why don’t we cast our cares on him?
Relieve our stress—in this place of rest.Prince of peace—true peace
Fulfilled peace
Jesus—the beginning
And the
Jesus.
p.s. when i read it to myself, i have a melody in my head for it.
“For we who have believed enter that rest” Hebrews 4:3a
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Psalm 43:5
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
08 May 2011 2 Comments
'Mom' to Three
Mom, you are amazing and wonderful, and I am so thankful you are you. I wouldn’t want another.
Dear Mom—
It’s a proper noun,
Capitalized because
You’re mine—
My Mom,
Teacher, coach, and friend
Chauffeur for many years
My ride.
Oh Mom,
I love you so much—
Do you know that it’s true?
So true.
Please Mom,
Forgive me my wrongs?
I’m sorry, and I know
You do.
Thanks Mom,
I know you love me.
Unfailingly, you’re there
Beside.
Know, Mom,
I don’t want a new.
Keep singing in the stores.
I love you.
Dear Mom,
Happy Mother’s Day!
Tomorrow I’ll be home.
‘Till then.
Proverbs 31: 28a – “Her children rise up and call her blessed.”
In-class Poetry
21 Mar 2011 2 Comments
Alas, I epically fail at posting frequently. But at least this post means that February was the only month I missed.
Anyway.
I have this class this semester, in which I do not learn much (at least, not by the lectures [aka class time]). So sometimes I do not put 100% of my energy into paying attention [shun me]. Since taking notes in the class would be pointless (all the ppts are available online), I try to be a good academic citizen [cue BC buzz words] by taking ownership of my education. This is the result:
“Boredo—zzZ”
I hate that I’m saying
I cannot deny
This class is so boring
Incredibly dryBut nevertheless
I am doing my best
Studying for hours
Intelligence powerLearning is near nil
In the classroom white walls
Yet I sit here still
My eyelids start to fall
“Bettering the Bleak”
In-class poetry
I oft try to write
Transforming boredom
Now joyfully brightI write what’s inspired
Rarely changing themes
Preoccupied with
a prettier scene.
“Countdown”
Praise the Lord
Ten minutes left
I can’t wait
To eat my lunchFive minutes
Almost tasting
My sandwich
And carrots—yumTime is up
Praise the Lord
“La Primera Vez”
Debo tratar de escribir la poesía
Nunca he tratado de escribirla
Ahora puedo ver por qué no
Me duele leer estas líneas
These poems are for a good cause: my sanity. Share the love. Don’t hate. And for the record, I have a solid A in this class, so don’t worry about my [bad] classroom habits.
Despair not, for our God is in control
22 Jan 2011 1 Comment
There’s a lot that could be said as the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade passes. There’s a lot that already has been said.
In particular, I want to address prolifers because I believe it can be easy to become discouraged. After all, 38 years—that’s a long time. Over 50 million unborn babies have been aborted. But lest the word “abortion” become a euphemism, let me be honest: those innocent babies were murdered. That is a disheartening fact.
But there is hope.
Psalm 10 (ESV)
1Why, O LORD, do you stand far away?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
3For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.
4In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;
all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
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5His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
6He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
8He sits in ambush in the villages;
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in hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
he lurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
10The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
11He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
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12Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand;
forget not the afflicted.
13Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
14But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
call his wickedness to account till you find none.
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16 The LORD is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
17 O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
May this be your prayer.
Just the Dawn of Redeeming Grace
25 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
The tradition of Christmas carols can often overshadow the truth found in the lyrics of so many of the songs. “Silent Night,” as perhaps the most popular Christmas carol, contains these profound words:
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.
Jesus’ birth was the dawn of redeeming grace. It was the start of something great, but His birth did not save sinners—His blood did. Christmas is an essential piece of the story, but it is not the end. That’s not to minimize the importance of Christmas, but rather, it is to clarify its importance. The dawn alludes to the day, like Christ’s birth to his death (the means of redeeming grace).
Christ did come to save sinners. And what a humble entrance into this world—the King of kings in a lowly manger—do you notice the irony? One of my favorite modern Christmas songs, “Here With Us” by Joy Williams, captures the humble and amazing situation of Christ’s birth:
It’s still a mystery to me
That the hands of God could be so small,
How tiny fingers reaching in the night
Were the very hands that measured the skyIt’s still a mystery to me, oh,
How His infant eyes have seen the dawn of time
How His ears have heard an angel’s symphony,
But still Mary had to rock her Savior to sleep
His birth was glorious in wonder and humility, but it doesn’t end there. He lived. He died. He saved. He rose. He’s coming. Hallelujah.
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Every year boys and girls send letters off to Santa
“Presents aren’t the reason,” their parents must remind them
Christmas is the time of year to celebrate the birth
Of Jesus Christ the Son of God who came from heav’n to earth
But if we were to stop right there, the story’d be unfinished . . .
incomplete . . .
unresolved . . .
It doesn’t end with Christmas; I joyfully can say.
His birth was the just the dawn of the great redemption story.
He came because there was no other way to substitute
Only a man yet God could atone for sinners’ shames.
The wrath on the perfection, on the innocent, for me ‘s
The means of achieving the hap’ly ever after.
On the cross He said, “It’s finished,” and that I do believe.
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Oh death, where is your sting?
It doesn’t end with Christmas.
It ends when it is finished, and it finished on that tree,
Not with sparkling ornaments but the ornament of Himself
Crowned with thorns, dripping blood, bearing the wrath of God above,
The Light of the world hung, prob’ly not on an evergreen,
But the life his death has won will be forevermore.
Joy to the world.
His grace is greater still
10 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in despair, optimism, short&sweet, the Gospel
I was scrolling through my worship playlist, and I was thinking, “I am such a horrible person—are there any songs about the depth of my sinfulness?”
It sometimes seems as though it would make much more sense to sing songs about how great my sin is (as opposed to song about God’s grace, holiness, etc.)—after all, it is great. But then I remember, His grace is greater still. And that must be very great, for I know my sin, and it is immense. To be greater—that is an accomplishment.
“20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20-21
He is jealous for you
24 Nov 2010 4 Comments
in optimism, the Gospel, theology
“For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” Exodus 34:14
Jealousy. It’s often wrongly equated with envy. And while certainly one meaning of the word is quite similar, in the context of verses like the one above, “jealous” is closer to “fiercely protective or vigilant of one’s possessions.” God demands our worship to be exclusively directed toward Him. He is jealous for you.
I think the first verse to “How He Loves” gets it right:
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
These words are often sung without giving thought to what they really mean.
I know (more or less—less) what it is like to be jealous for someone’s affections. I guess a lot of people can probably relate to the situation actually. For me, I am jealous for my sisters’ love. They may talk about how they love their friends who they have unofficially adopted as siblings, but I love them more. Sorry. They are my sisters. People might love people like a sister or a brother. I don’t just love them like sisters. I love my sisters. They are my sisters. Of course, I realize my jealousies are corrupted with sin and pride, but the example still demonstrates jealously for affection.
Now think of a situation where you were jealous for someone’s affections. Now minus the sin and multiply that times infinity. — God is a jealous God. Do you realize the great magnitude of that love?
Become unaware of your afflictions, as the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,” overwhelms your heart. He is sufficient. Is He your portion? [Please note, I am asking myself these questions, as much as I postulate them here.] Do we “count everything as loss”? Do we “count them as rubbish”? It is not as if doing so is without reward. Using the term “net-benefit” doesn’t even begin to describe it. Knowing God!—can you honestly imagine something greater? Something greater than communing with the creator of the Universe, who gave up His Son to atone for everything bad you have ever and will do?
With such sacrifice, it is a little more understandable why He is a jealous God. You were bought at a price! You were not some flippant purchase at a garage sale; your life was bought by His death! Stop reading; contemplate that truth.
Why do we act like we are leftover junk from garage sale or a toy from a McDonald’s happymeal?
Once upon a time, that is what we were. Crap. Junk. Trash. Sinners. Yes, you are a failure. BUT. But in Christ you are righteous; you ARE a new creation. Your identity is in Christ. “You are precious in His sight,” as the children’s song goes, but only because Christ’s righteousness has been credited to you. And while you will continue to make mistakes here on earth, one day He will sanctify you completely and objectively. Because He is jealous for you and your adoration. He will not let you go.
This jealousy should flood our minds and hearts with this unshakeable truth: God loves you. If you are in Christ, you are not an orphan living on the streets, but a child of the Most High God. You are not a piece of trash; you are a piece of the most precious Gold. You are not failure; you are one in the remnant of grace.
Do not cheapen the price Christ paid by sulking in condemnation and self-hate. Self-hate is, ironically, a form of self-absorption.
You are redeemed.
Christ is worthy of your affections. Do not seek elsewhere.
~~~
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Humbly and convicted,
A forgiven sinner (aka child of God)
“9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4: 9-11
Motivating Grace
16 Nov 2010 4 Comments
in optimism, the Gospel, theology
Flee sin, but we are bound?!
Pursue Christ; He is set apart in righteousness?!
Flee sin, for it has been atoned.
Pursue Christ; He humbled himself.
Flee sin, for he died in my stead.
Pursue Christ; He is alive.
Flee sin, for we’ve died to the flesh.
Pursue Christ; He’s made us alive.
Flee sin; the prison door’s opened.
Pursue Christ; freedom awaits.
Psalm 27: 4
“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.”
“I cannot live without books.” – TJ [Thomas Jefferson]
02 Oct 2010 3 Comments
“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” – Charles W. Eliot
When I was little, I slept with an abundance of stuffed animals in my bed. Nowadays, I sleep with a profuse amount of books. I have ten in my bed right now.
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” – attributed to Mark Twain. And a man who can’t read is called illiterate.
I do enjoy reading. But I must admit, I just like books in and of themselves. Perhaps they make me feel smart—I don’t know. And since I don’t know, I guess they don’t make me feel smart. ; )
“A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life.” – Henry Ward Beecher
Once upon a time in the future, I hope to have a library. And I think I would like dark bookshelves, perhaps with dark cherry wood? I don’t want one of those insanely huge creepy libraries like in movies; I would prefer a comfortable [but still big, hehe] library. And I don’t want to just let the books sit there; I will try to read them too.
“Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I’ll have a long beard by the time I read them.”
-Arnold Lobel
