Category: life lessons

Almighty Father

“Almighty Father, Son and Holy Ghost, eternal and ever blessed gracious God; to me the least of saints, to me allow that I should keep a door in paradise.   That I may keep the smallest door, the furthermost, the darkest, coldest door, the door which is the least used, the stiffest door.  If it so be but in thine house, O God, if so be that I can see thy glory even afar, and hear thy voice, O God, and know that I am with thee, thee O God.”

A Prayer of St. Columba, 521-597 AD

 

Bryan’s Note

We must travel some distance, before something like this will cling to our hearts.  Columba’s journey to the presence of Jesus most certainly gave him a perspective that enabled him to pray with this intensity and this humility.  We cannot dissuade ourselves of his effort and his overwhelming desire to be near Him.  We can only watch, and mark the zeal which took his heart and soul into the burning presence of His presence.  Columba becomes a guide of what is possible and what is to be sought.  We must become (if we are in pursuit) a people radically changed by the reality of His presence.

 

 

The Varieties of Life: A Prayer for Direction

The Varieties of Life

 

“Guide me, O Lord, in all the changes and varieties of the world, that in all things that shall happen, I may have an evenness and tranquility of spirit, that my soul may be wholly resigned to your divine will and pleasure, never murmuring at your gentle chastisements and fatherly correction.  Amen.”  —

Jeremy Taylor

“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress.”
Interlude

Psalm 46:10-11

Some Effort is Required

Effort is Needed

Search for the Lord and for his strength;
      continually seek him. 

1 Chronicles 16:11

 

Sometimes, I think a day off would be really nice.  Employers typically grant two weeks off every year.  That seems equitable and fair.  At one stint, I worked in the corporate world.  Days off are treated as if they were gold.

This verse is saturated with responsiblity–our responsibility.  To search implies definite effort.  I lose my keys, quite often.  I start a search– an investigation, to find them.  I inevitably turn the house upside-down.  They have to be somewhere! (Typically I find them in my pants in the hamper.)

But to be a searcher after God requires continual effort.  He reveals Himself to me, but I never truly apprehend Him.  He makes Himself known, but He is unknowable.  It’s not quite the treadmill, because we do encounter Him.  It’s just that we can’t pin Him down or put Him in a neat little box.

We are told that we need to hunt for His strength.  Receiving strength is never a passive thing.  This generation that I’m part of is inflicted with this contagion.  We are essentially a very  apathetic people.  It goes against our grain when we step toward the Lord.

This verse ends with “continually seek Him”.  We must put effort into this endeavour.  For many, Christianity is pretty much a release from this.  We come to Jesus, and we want to rest.  But we are confused, our discipleship is going to be an effort.  Does your walk make you work; does it make you sweat?

Sunday Funnies: A-B-Cs of a Christian’s Heart

A-B-Cs of a Christian’s Heart

A lthough things are not perfect
B ecause of trial or pain
C ontinue in thanksgiving
D o not begin to blame.
E ven when the times are hard
F ierce winds are bound to blow
G od is forever able
H old on to what you know.
I magine life without His love
J oy would cease to be
K eep thanking Him for all the things
L ove imparts to thee.
M ove out of “Camp Complaining”
N o weapon that is known
O n earth can yield the power
P raise can do alone.
Q uit looking at the future
R edeem the time at hand
S tart every day with worship
T o “thank” is a command.
U ntil we see Him coming
V ictorious in the sky
W e’ll run the race with gratitude
X alting God most high.
Y es, there will be good times and yes some will be bad, but…
Z ion waits in glory…where none are ever sad!

“Too blessed to be stressed!” The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything. Be Blessed.