And There They Stood

And there they stood. Racked with grief that had placed them wanting an answer but refusing to truly embrace the truth, because the truth would not fix or reverse the catastrophe. Agonizing truth ... Unfair truth ... Cruel truth ... Is never a welcome guest and always a terribly abusive tenant.

Loss to the appearance of Thanatos (the separation that we call "death") is a heart ripping and gripping intrusion in our lives. When a life is snatched away and the "breath" is gone, the stillness of that moment is terrifyingly surreal beyond explanation. When looking down into the satin lined, highly polished "box at the end of dreams" , many of us tremble to the point where we strongly desire to lose control so as to run far, far, far away and keep running until... we are out of the reach of death's final squeeze. Our minds will always desire for a transport away... If only we could gain enough distance from death, that the realm of the breathless would not affect us and the virus of age could be staved off long enough that we could accomplish a full escape and leave nothing unattained.

I know they are gathering today, I can't be there. There is no box; only a memorial moment where words will be exchanged in love, to try to remember. We will pull at fading straw to pump up an imagined "good times" image of the "missing one" to attempt to make us all feel better about this "something" that we all truly fear, especially for ourselves (but for the Christ Factor). We will strive to be in the midst of the memorial with hopes that we can add comfort or at least increase those attending our future memorial (it is hard to face the truth of our own selfishness). Truly, None of us want to be left alone even at death and after.

I truly hate what can happen to the little ones who cannot find a way through the grief. This is why "Death and Hell", in the future present of God's plans, are cast into the Lake of Fire ... Never to have an affect on creation ever again.

AGAIN! I truly hate what can happen to the little ones --- BUT this is not a feeling I own, it has come to own me.

In trusting Christ to Save us -- We have realized that death, though sorrowful to others, has no power over us - "absent from the body, present with the LORD."  He holds us. Psalm 23:4 - "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me."

In walking with Him daily - HE REVIVES ME - HE MAKES ME FULLY ALIVE FOR OTHERS. --- Psalm 138:7 - "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, though wilt revive me: Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies; and Thy Right Hand shall save me."

What a gift God has given us ... As we allow the Spirit to energize and vitalize the Word we receive daily --- WE, through HIM, become LIFE GIVERS. Please let this soak your soul ... Re-read the passages above, bow your heart under His awesome care for the little ones and allow Him to "fold" you into the pleats of His manifold wisdom. LIVE TRULY ALIVE - BECOME A LIFE GIVING VESSEL.

Hearing the heart of the grief always stirs my soul -- below was one of those responses:

"Reading this...my heart is on its knees, my soul is on its face... my Spirit soars with His because I know that He is touched by the feelings you cannot express. He can handle the blame, the disappointment, the depression, the anger, the loss of faith, the chill from the loss of reciprocative love... keep grieving without shame in the arms of the Father. He is never disappointed with our pained response to earth shattering loss, that is why He is our God and we are His beloved.

Hope In Christ; remember that the "Highly Polished Satin Lined Box" -- is nothing more than a "Hope Chest".

COME ALIVE KIDS OF THE KING - The Little Ones need us,

HLFA,

Jeff

Welcome to the Weaned

What a crazy race life can be! You load the SUV of life with every possible piece of paraphernalia that you think will have you prepared for the journey, only to find that while the car and trunk doors were hanging open for loading, strange transactions were taking place that were way beyond your control. (Oh, quick tidbit of wisdom ... Don't ask the passengers "what can I do to make you more comfortable?" unless you are fully prepared for an earful of grief that can crush the tender heart of an unprepared servant).

Although every door hinge, every door seal, every window closure and window seal seemed to groan as I forcefully closed all loading points... I did manage to secure the ever bulging vehicle. As I stretched my aching "mover-man" muscles to prepare for the embarking of this life crossing ... I glanced over my shoulder to see two distorted faces pressed disturbingly against the glass of the back windows. One appeared as a wild-wide-eyed screamer with a massive ever flowing amount of gooey fluids smeared on the window within the circumference of its press; and the other face was squished in what appeared to be a very uncomfortable position... But it remained like a motionless, sleeping, thumb sucking angel. Huh?

What was going on? I didn't remember loading kids? ... Oh that's right, this was the preparation of my soul for this ride of a lifetime that we call "Life on this Side of Heaven" or "Walking in Christ" or "Walking in the Spirit" or "Walking with God" or "The Christian Life" or ......"In Christ and ever being furnished as a God Habitation (Any man in Christ is a new creation)... What I was seeing was the battle in me to "HOPE in the LORD".

We all have a choice on this celestial bound crazy race ... We can do nothing with God's Word and have a kicking, screaming, momma dependent infant of a soul; or we can develop a life that falls in love with the daily "Word to heart" investments, and grow a "quiet weaned child" - "ever dependent on the Father" soul?

Growing up in Christ has been viewed like a journey from babe to adulthood, but maybe the better depiction could be compared to the developmental stages of a child. Conception, birth, new born, suckling infant, toddler attached to Mom, and then toddler weaned. As the toddler weaned - the sanctified imagination opens, and we actually start to grasp the meaning of terms like warrior, soldier, victor ... and we get wisdom to begin trusting God for our success.

We will never stop being His Kids, but we don't have to be miserable spoiled brats in the faith. Have you ever met a spoiled brat ... Adult? (so embarrassing!) Sure, we all have met these big babies but most of the time in the mirror... and we all will continue to be that brat and spiritual our growth pains could be extended ... the longer we starve our souls by keeping away from the Word.

Daily without hesitation; Let's nourish our souls extravagantly with the Word ... and grow ever more... "Hope Filled".

"Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth and for ever." Psalm 131:1-3

HLFA,

Jeff

The Needed Voice

The chilling wind came roaring through the soundscape of the all but abandoned Rail Transfer Station. Miles of a geometrically laid, heavy, metal vertebra stretched from this now insignificant relic in two opposite directions. Turning myself in either direction would reveal two different vanishing points.

In both directions there was a feeling of forevers that would never meet. Both directions seemed pretty much like a locked-in decision once the engines of forward movement were engaged. Both directions showed no signs of immediate or imminent danger; and with a pause for a moment to provide a deep cleansing breath, it would appear hope could be on the horizon within the choice for either direction... Or not (sorry but the station seemed more like a collision of the two directions and the remains of a deserted end of a bad decision instead of a beginning of a promise).

Standing still definitely was an option, unless hypothermia was a condition that wouldn't sooner or later rock one into the burning sleep of a frozen death. Either choice of direction needed a voice so that the decision could be reckoned with. Both directions had light and darkness ... One would be a walk against the light and sooner than later would have the sun passing behind and the movement would definitely be into the darkness. The other direction seemed to be racing to stay with the travels of the light and though darkness would be inevitable ... choice for this direction would be for the fullest day, one would be walking in the light; until it was gone.

I took that deep cleansing breath and prayed for a sign. Then there in the midst of the ruin, dead center of the point of decision, was the Voice.

At first it sounded like the wind, then a babbling brook; but as I turned to listen it's decibel level raised to that of the thunder and the roar of the oceans. Why had I not heard this before? Was it that I was too busy trying to determine which way to go and weighing the outcomes of those decisions ... Though these imagined outcomes were based on the fears of my five senses.

Now that the Voice had caught my attention it had grown so loud that there was no protection for my ears let alone my entire being; the Sound of the Voice drove me to the ground, to my knees right in the midst of the rubble of someone else's abandoned dreams. I guess I wasn't going anywhere soon.

As I knelt there the sound began to dissipate, and I was still ... So I listened... finally ... O the numbing tingling sensation was similar to that of a tap on the right nerve cluster, but it was pulsing through the very fiber of my being. This vibration of my senses felt as though I was in the mode of a death-grip decision to be quiet (it was almost as if the Voice had waited for that decision from my heart) ....So I decide to be dead still.

There was a sudden very obvious silence that was louder in my soul than all the noise prior to this moment ... So I waited, I even tried to breath in such a way that my breath made no sound. The silence was so deafening that I could hear the rhythm of my heart forcing its pulsing pressure through me, and I could sense the flow of my life giving blood moving through my veins ... I was overwhelmed with a sense of extreme helplessness before the Voice .... All I could do was wait for what may come next, so I closed my eyes ... Ready for death if that was the next event.

Then I heard the Voice saying like a song --- "I AM"; and the Word that lay dormant in soul responded in a spiritually captivating litany, and in my mind fell the questions of the Spirit.

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The LORD" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I try to rule?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The LORD thy God" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I turn to idols?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The First" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I not start with You?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The Last" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I not rest in your outcome?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God not of the Dead but of the Living!"" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I search in ruins?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The Bread of Life" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I ache in hunger?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The Door" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I not trust You to open?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The Good Shepherd" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I not follow Thee?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The Son of God" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I feel misunderstood?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The Resurrection" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I cleave to death?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The Way" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I search for another route?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The Truth" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I search in doubt?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The Life" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I search for another?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The Vine" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why am I so barren?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The Light" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I struggle in darkness?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "The Root and offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star" --- and my mind groaned a harmony - "So why do I see darkness as the outcome of either of my decisions?"

"I AM", sang the Voice; my soul sang back "the Lord God of your Salvation" --- and my mind groaned a harmony that I did not recognize and the Spirit joined in with groanings that could not be uttered... the whole seen dissolved in a the tears that flooded my soul as I sang -

"I will take Your yoke, your burden upon me, and learn of You; for You are gentle and your heart has bowed near to me: and in You alone shall I find rest unto my soul" (Praying through Matthew 11:29)"

I learned that my dire need wasn't to know the right direction to travel; I learned that what needed most was to know You, my Lord, my God ... Jesus."

HLFA,

Jeff

The Song Prevails

Psalm 114:1,2 - "When Israel went out of Egypt; and the house of the Jacob from a people of strange language; Judah was His Sanctuary; and Israel His Dominion." When God's People depart from the entrenchment of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; God makes us His Holiness and the Realm of His power to be displayed to encourage other sojourners to walk His way.

Are we His sanctuary(A place set apart for only Him) and His dominion (A place where He rules)? So, here is the beginning of our story ... There was a blinding flash and the sounds of war were all around us. The battle actually was now in the trenches and the siege was on. The enemy looked familiar, but as soon as they spoke we heard their natural, unspiritual, politically correct babble; we should have recognized that we were the aliens, the outcasts, the pilgrims ... the different ones.

Suddenly...The cry as a song came from Above - "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, come to Me!" ... Our flight began as we became part of the "Praising ... Called out assembly". We were free, miraculously, from the divisive entrenchment of the enemy, and from the unintelligibly oppressive communications from those comfortable with abiding there. Now, the Word was becoming clear, and the direction of our lives was turning from our shame to the glory that the King had prepared for us, as He would dwell in us. Hallelujah!!

We began to move forward in the Song and the Song in us. And the Sea parted, the river split, the mountains skipped and whirled away like rams and the little hills like lambs. The Rock became a standing water, and the flint a fountain of water... The inanimate came alive providing passage and sustenance... All the world trembled before Him ... in us.

The divisions and obstructions that kept us from moving His direction, were now so terrified by this Indwelling Song of this assembly that they were dancing, whirling and fleeing out of the Way. At first we were paralyzed by the magnitude of the obstructions ahead of us, but then when the dance of the obstructions began, we were held in awe of this miracle. And so we asked the question, "Seas, rivers, mountains and hills what has sickened and weakened your resolve to stand in our way and caused you to flee away?"

The answer was life changing - "The Song of Hope is in You" - "Christ, The King is in You all!" At that moment we had a momentary window to understand why the whole creation was groaning. We had always believed that the seas, the rivers, the mountains and the hills were a hindrance or a blockade from the enemy. We had never understood nor realized that all Creation was groaning to be free also; free from the division, free to worship and cry out their song in the night ... crying from the need of His Presence ... that would release them from the bondage of the curse of sin.

O hear the Song again, the song of a soul set free... the redemption of the Sons of God.

Every day can either be a day entrenched in the disappointment of not being where we think we should be; or we can greet the day as a divine appointment to rise above the entrenchments of the enemy and begin to animate the world around us with His Song of freedom.

"Yet the Lord will command His loving-kindness in the daytime; and in the night His Song shall be with me, and my prayer to the God of my life." Psalm 42:8

HLFA,

Jeff