Wednesday, October 11, 2006

be the church

let me show you...


what organized religion looks like to me...





and the gospel...





and a home group...






and a family...

_

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

guess who's playing c-bus?



sat.
oct.
21st

more info
to follow...

Sunday, October 08, 2006

i won



first lawn
first lawn mower
first run...ugh!

Friday, October 06, 2006

in addition...




thank you to rae's comment (and anonymous as well) -

please check out stephanie woodward's thoughts on the recent tragedy in Lancaster. i like this chick.

i think i'll be checking in on her regularly...

Thursday, October 05, 2006

bored at work



well, more like lack of motivation...my boss (who normally sits within spitting distance) is out sick today.

the show: in Indianapolis was a treat (but i can't take credit for this shot).

the song: sister winter (linked to the title) was played and is just as beautiful live.

ps- i know it's kinda sorta ah christmas song towards the end, but its the only way to keep from becoming brainwashed by the techno-christmas-andy williams-remix they have looped into the playlist here at work...bahhh humbug!

pps- word to my homeboy john cline!

live the gospel



just about the only time i catch the news anymore (on the tv anyway) is when i am trapped on the treadmill. maybe reading the text at the bottom of the screen helps the information penetrate my brain more permanently, but sometimes i think i may go blind.

yesterday, the morning news was flooded with interviews, pictures and testimonies surrounding the Lancaster County school shootings. like a train wreck i found myself horrified but unable to look away. amidst all the graphic imagery, anger and brokenness, i found hope.
one of the local women interviewed said something like this:

"through this horrible tragedy, the Amish community of Lancaster County is learning to love our enemy(ies) in hopes that our actions and forgiveness can be a small glimpse of Christ's love for us and the forgiveness we so undeservingly receive everyday".

this statement moved me to tears. how often do i feel like i have been unjustly treated, betrayed, or judged. and how often do i respond back in a negative way, harbor resentment, or avoid confrontation all together. this humbled community suffered a greater loss than i can ever imagine and with all the unanswered questions (like why would God allow something like this to happen) they proclaim the gospel and love the enemy. instead of remaining silent, they boldly and bravely choose to reflect the love and forgiveness God gave us through the death of His son.

"we are more sinful and evil and weak than we ever dare believe, but we are more valued, accepted, and loved then we could ever hope".

i am thankful for the community of Lancaster County and the people in my life whom, through their actions towards others, paint a more vivid picture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

old home, new song

new home, old song depending on the view...

god continues to make the old new again. a home, the gospel, a song.

these words, though i may have heard them before, find a new and more steadfast meaning in my life. i read them like a prayer....
...............................................................................
Thy mercy my God is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue.
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Hath won my affection and bound my soul fast.

Without Thy sweet mercy, I could not live here.
Sin would reduce me to utter despair,
But through Thy free goodness, my spirit's revived
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.

Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart.
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground
And weep for the praise of the mercy I've found.

(Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah)
Hallelujah
(Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah)

Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own
In the covenant love of Thy crucified Son.
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine.

All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine.

Hallelujah

(*music by Sandra McCracken words by John Stocker )