kissed

I was hit by God's grace again the other day. As soon as we sin (and we have all sinned) we deserve to be struck dead. Immediately. And yet God gives us laughter, commands the sun to rise and set, gives us good things to enjoy, every day. And for those who accept the outstreched hand of His crucified and resurrected Son, and thereby come back into the stream of life, grace goes even further!
I really should be in awe of His saving grace, on my knees every minute I breathe, and get up on tiptoes reaching out to kiss Him who has brought me back to life.

Only seconds later, however, I read my Bible and this guy Judas walks off the page and stands right there, staring at me -
"And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him." (Matt 26:49)

As he is pointing my finger at me, I shake, and wonder. Abba, am I pure when I come to Your throne? Am I in danger of betraying you - again? Are my lips clean enough to praise, let alone kiss on you?

But God storms against my lies. God's kiss slowly transforms us from frogs to princes(ses), to quote Simon Ponsonby. He is the one who purifies and cleanses, and He is the one who initiated this love story...

I'm reminded of Isaiah and his calling -
"And I said: 'Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!' Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.'” (Isaiah 6:5-7)

My lips are clean, because You have touched them first. And I'm being drawn again into this spiral of adoration, up and up and up and up...

The Echo of a Promise

You are my fortress and my shield -

let this mirage become reality.

I call you Father and Lord -

built these words into castles of meaning.

Each one of Your names

exhausts the alphabet

and my heart beats wildly

at the faint echo of Your promise,

fearing that the weight of Your love

might fracture and break it.

I see forms and shapes and shadows

like trees walking around.

Put Your hands on my face

gently

till my eyes are opened, and I see clearly.

My head keeps yelling at my heart

to believe, believe, BELIEVE!

Remember my soul, remember!

But you hand me a steaming mug

sit me down on the beach

wrap a blanket around me

and we watch the waves, lapping against the shore.

Rest, this heart of mine.

Later He will teach you to swim.

It's a funny thing

I trust that I will be able to trust

with Your help.

Still Safe

"Unless there's an element of risk in our exploits for God, there's no need for faith." Hudson Taylor

Joy will crown their Heads

How intricate is God's salvation plan! What an amazing Lord of Creation, who on the third day speaks vegetation, 'plants bearing seeds', into being:

"Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.' And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day." Genesis 1:11-13

And then came Adam, with whom all creation fell. But, fully knowing that it will cost Him everything, God promises the restoration of creation...

"The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom" Isaiah 35:1

Including His precious children. But - for joy to crown our heads -

"everlasting joy will crown their heads." Isaiah 35:10

- He Himself had to carry the wilderness, Adam's crown, the thorns of sin and shame, to the cross.

"and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head." Matthew 27:29

On the third day He rose again! And with Him, all creation; we are transformed from Adam's seed to Jesus' seed! In Him we live!

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. " 1 Corinthians 15:20-23

I always knew...

What a beautiful Tim Keller quote on marriage:

"It is to look at another person and to get a glimpse of the person God is creating, and to say, 'I see who God is making you, and it excites me! I want to be part of that. I want to partner with you and God in the journey you are taking to His throne.' And when we get there, I will look at your magnificence and say, 'I always knew you could be like this. I got glimpses of it on earth, but now look at you!'"

No man like this Man

As I'm yet again beginning to tackle the women-in-ministry question, I found this quote in Rich Nathan's paper on women in leadership. The whole issue really is not primarily about what women (or men) or 'allowed' to do (lead? preach? decide?), but rather what men and women - deep down - are intended to be.

"Perhaps it was no wonder that women were first at the cradle and last at the cross. They had
never known a man like this Man. There never has been such another. A prophet and teacher
who never nagged at them, never flattered or coaxed or patronized; who never made sick jokes
about them…who rebuked without querulousness and praised without condescension; who took
their questions and arguments seriously; who never mapped out this sphere for them, never
urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female; who had no ax to grind and no
uneasy male dignity to defend; who took them as he found them and was completely unselfconscious. There was no act, no sermon, and no parable in the whole gospel that borrows pungency from female perversity. Nobody could possibly guess from the words and deeds of Jesus that there was anything “funny” or inferior about women’s nature."
Dorothy L. Sayers (close friend of C. S. Lewis), Are Women Human?

A Prayer to the God of my Life

"By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life." (Psalm 42:8)

When I hear the multitudes
fast approaching
the enemy prowling
not a second to spare

When I sense I am
losing hold
one to a million
dust in the wind

It is You who reminds me:
I have given my blood
I have parted the waters
Called back the flood

Waves become stepping stones
the lake calms down
You are on the safe side.
The land is won.