Red Veil

RED VEIL, originally uploaded by ajpscs.

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

–1 C 13:12

Disturb our peace

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain, Jesus Christ.

-Sir Francis Drake, 1577

A dream is a wish your heart makes

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you’re fast asleep
In dreams you lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true.

I found myself sitting on a log in my backyard today, with an audience of hungry squirrels and trees that shed hot glowing leaves as they slowly burn out, like stars. Isn’t it funny that when you’re young, you cry so that people will take notice? And now it only happens when it’s certain no one’s looking. There were so many things going on at once in my mind; I just couldn’t find the right words to say what I wanted to say. I don’t even know what I would have said if I had had the words. In that moment, I felt like a child who cries because he’s tired and doesn’t know how to tell his mom and dad how he feels, because he has no language yet. I felt like a very young child. It was comforting to believe that the Father knows the word before it’s even on my tongue. That I don’t have to say anything and He understands exactly what I feel without me having to explain myself in words. This song suddenly came to me and the downpour stopped as I started singing these words.

Hope is a very peculiar thing. It dramatically illustrates the capability of the human brain to construct imaginary representations of the universe, allowing us to disengage from the present, recall the past, and forecast the future independent of any current sensory input. Consciousness then enables us to choose among these past, present, and future scenarios and integrate them into coherent plans for action. What is it?

Hope is independent of the apparatus of logic but is necessary in every condition. The miseries of poverty, sickness, of captivity, would, without this comfort, be insupportable. But in reality, hope is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs the torments of man.

What Sweeter Music

In 7th grade, I sang in Patapsco Middle School’s Chamber Choir and this was one of our Christmas concert pieces. I ended up keeping my chorus folder and years later, found the sheet music stuffed under my piano chair. I hadn’t realized in middle school what a beautiful song this was, arrangement, lyrics, and all.

What sweeter music can we bring
than a carol for to sing?
The birth of this our heavenly king,
Awake the voice! Awake the string!

Dark and dull night fly hence away
and give the honor to this day
that sees December turn’d to May,
that sees December turn’d to May.

Why does the chilling winter’s morn
smile like a field beset with corn?
Or smell like a meadow newly shorn?
Thus on the sudden, come and see!
The cause why things thus fragrant be.

Tis’ He is born who’s quickening birth
gives life and lustre, public mirth
To heaven and the under earth.

We see Him come and know Him ours
who with His sunshine and His show’rs
turns all the patient ground to flowers,
Turns all the patient ground to flowers.

The darling of the world is come
and fit it is we find a room
to welcome Him,
to welcome Him.
The nobler part of all the house here is the heart.

Which we will give him and bequeath,
this holly and this ivy wreath.
To do him honor who’s our king
and Lord of all this reveling.

John Milford Rutter

Little Flower Child, Play a song for me

Little Flower Child, Play a song for me, originally uploaded by Carina Olsen (Kat’s Photography).

If I go to Jesus, He will make me glad
He will give me pleasure when my heart is sad.
If I go to Jesus, happy I shall be.
He is gently calling little ones like me..
–Fanny J. Crosby

I woke up this morning with this song in my head. I didn’t realize that I was singing it until the words came to me. I don’t remember dreaming about anything so I couldn’t help but wonder how that song floated it’s way into my unconsciousness in the night. This hymn is probably not the most theologically sound one out there; I can already hear people saying that this promotes the health and wealth gospel. But let’s not go there, shall we.

As much as God is way over my head, in His grace I’ve been given glimpses of His nature over the years I’ve walked with Him. This song reminded me that God likes to keep it simple and childlike. I understood a little bit more today, why Jesus loved the children so much. Their hearts are so uncluttered and free of this world.

Flower Children

Peace and Love was the sign of the flower child
In the sixties, the young were passive not wild
They believed in peace, love, – giving, and sharing
Often judged, – not by their deeds, but for what they were wearing

Their parents were hardcore, most of them survivors of war,
worked hard for their children, to see they were provided for
To them freedom had a whole different meaning,
Found it hard to understand – why their children were so alienating

Lack of understanding made the young feel as though they were caught in a trap
The discrepancy between these age groups, became commonly known as the generation gap
Those involved in this epoch of time, all believed the world was in need of a revolutionary change.
Their acts of rebellion, were acts of love, divinely prearranged.

These baby boomers, with their idealistic dreams,
their hearts overflowing with love; – this is what made them gleam
What happened to this generation of peace seeking warriors?
They became doctors, lawyers, actors, and bill collectors.

It’s a shame from their vision – they had the world beginning to listen. For the uniting of the world, it seemed, – was about to be Christened.

–David Tanguay

What it is..

“It is nonsense,” says Reason.
“It is what it is,” says love.

“It is misfortune,” says Calculation.
“It is nothing but pain,” says Fear.
“It is hopeless,” says Insight.
“It is what it is,” says love.

“It is ridiculous,” says Pride.
“It is careless,” says Caution.
“It is impossible,” says Experience.
“It is what it is,” says love.

              –Translation by M. Kaldenbach

http://www.metroministries.org.ph/home/

“How does one become a butterfly?” she asked.

Butterfly Girl, originally uploaded by Lars VanDe Goor Photography Art.

“You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”

America the Beautiful – Pikes Peak

America the Beautiful – Pikes Peak, originally uploaded by Clickr Bee.

I’m back in America now, and when I stepped off the airplane, the first thing I noticed was the diversity of the people I saw. Big people, little people, white people, black people, yellow people, people with different hairstyles and fashion styles. It felt really good to be on American soil again. I could almost smell the freedom here.

These days, I feel like the foreigner here. Not to mention that my friends tell me my being screams F.O.B. Maybe it’s a bit of the reverse culture shock, after being in Korea for a year. When I’m just driving on the back roads on a quiet afternoon, and take in the scenery of Maryland, I can’t help but think “America, the beautiful.” Sure there isn’t that much to see here but it’s definitely not the cramped, sunlight blocked because of towering highrises, sewage stank Seoul (I <3 Seoul). Maryland certainly has its own cow dung stank. It was much easier for me to get by in Korea because I spoke the language proficiently enough, but the cultural differences, the social life revolving around alcohol, the secondary education system was a lot to digest.

Korea was an experience and memory that I would never trade yet it sure is good to be back.

Staying Warm in a Cold Blue Storm

Staying Warm in a Cold Blue Storm, originally uploaded by Michael Speelman.

Splendidness.

Word Study: “Firstfruits”

Usually, I know if some kind of big holiday is coming up in Korea because a week before, the church puts a special offering envelope in the bulletin so I can prepare it ahead of time. This past Sunday was 맥추감사 or spring Thanksgiving for the wheat harvest.

I’m living way out in the countryside where farming is the largest source of income, so this day of thanksgiving shed a new light on this sort of holiday for me. The garlic season just ended so when the old grandmas and grandpas at my church give this offering of thanksgiving, they have a tangible harvest to be thankful for. The passage spoken on came from Exodus 34:22:

And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks of the first fruits of wheat harvest and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end.

With the help of my massive Thompson Chain Reference Bible, I decided to do a word study on this. The Bible actually talks about several different kinds of first-fruits. 

• Firstfruit of our labor: 
• Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your increase.
• Firstfruit of the Spirit: 
• Romans 8:23 Not only that but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we even ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies..
• Christ, the firstfruit: 
• 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.
• Romans 11:16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
• Firstfruit of God’s creatures: 
• James 1:8 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
• Firstfruit of God’s people: 
• Revelations 14:4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 

I was able to finally define “firstfruits” according to the Word. It is the best; the most treasured, valued; representative; the purest form. Upon more research, firstfruits actually has to do with Divine ownership and giving God priority of the natural world, the souls of men, upon all human possessions, upon the firstborn son (human or animals), and upon the firstfruits of labor. 

With a mentality of giving the Lord my firstfruits, I felt that it should include my entire being, not just my possessions. Is it a response of thanks? Because we can’t really pay Him back. Neither is that what He wants. The firstfruit mentality has to be of the heart, which then it transfers to everything we own.