November 2012 Blog Posts (81)

O Lord, my spirit is weakened and parched,

from trudging through this present wilderness.

Send down on me Your abundant showers,

which are scented with Christ’s righteousness.



Transform the dry soil of my life;

please renew my strength and sustain me;

let my joy bloom once more with Your splendor;

keep my eyesight focused solely on Thee.



Rescue…

Oh my Lord, once again I’m before you,

begging that You sift my heart.

Insure the chaff of my life is blown away,

while allowing the kernels of Your truth

to be planted in me, for the purpose of bearing…

spiritual fruit that delights You.

The door of my heart has been unhinged;

You may enter my threshing mill anytime –

even if You need to wake me.

Lift me up and shake me without…

Lately, life has been rough and coarse;

how have I strayed off course?

Be my light and show the way,

for You alone are Love’s real source.



O my Lord, please touch me

with Your spiritual purity!

Open my eyes, that I may see…

the full beauty of Thee.



Cure me of my blindness,

as I wander in this wilderness;

meet me where I am,

with Your loving kindness.



O my Lord, please touch me

with Your spiritual purity!

Open my eyes,…

Eph 3:13 -19

  So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.   For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,   from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,   that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,   so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,   may have strength to comprehend…

As Thanksgiving approaches, I think about a comment that I have heard many times. "Thanksgiving is just an excuse to eat until your stomach aches." Unfortunately for some, this is all to true. Also, there are football games being played on Thanksgiving, annoying  family members coming to visit that you only see once or twice a year, and catching up with them can be time consuming. And, of course, there are the "black Friday" sales that so…

Thanksgiving Day … really, already?

Greetings!

Our weather in Southern California has been unseasonably, uncharacteristically warm, so it seems next to impossible that Thanksgiving Day is almost here.  Nonetheless, the calendar does not lie.…

Those whom God advances to honourable employments, he makes low in their own eyes; and where God gives grace to be humble, there he gives all other needful grace. How highly he speaks of Jesus Christ; the unsearchable riches of Christ! Though many are not enriched with these riches; yet how great a favour to have them preached among us, and to have an offer of them! And if we are not enriched with them it is our own fault. The first creation, when God made all things out of nothing, and the…

I'm glad I'm alive. I realize I was so close to death.

Honestly, it helps me to appriciate life more. People try to block the very thought of dieing from their minds as much as possible. I realize though life is more than big houses and shiny cars, money and material posessions.

In today's society life is cheapened. Death is glorified.

So many people don't understand how fragile this life really is. Every breath is a gift from God. Every time…

http://shar.es/GINJl

http://shar.es/GINti

Hello there. A very brief little bit about myself....



I'm a Christian in the Benedictine tradition. One of the appealing aspects of this tradition is that it comes from before any of the great schisms of the Church and is a tradition that has been embraced across denominational boundaries. It is neither fully Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, nor Protestant. The tradition emphasises the place of prayer in our walk with our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, but…

Good Day!

Allow me to press ‘pause’ in John for a moment and share a few things, as I take you with me on a journey I was just able to make.  In a real sense, the journey began in the Spring of 2000, when the book fresh wind, fresh fire was recommended to me to ‘jumpstart…

Shortly after Judas Iscariot (a disciple of Jesus) helped Jesus fulfill the prophecy of Psalm 41:9 by handing him over (betraying him) to the Roman authorities, Jesus was asked by Pontius Pilate "What have you done wrong?"-John 18

Jesus replied "My kingdom is not of this world".  Later on Jesus says "Those who are…

For having preached the doctrine of truth, the apostle was a prisoner, but a prisoner of Jesus Christ; the object of special protection and care, while thus suffering for him. All the gracious offers of the gospel, and the joyful tidings it contains, come from the rich grace of God; it is the great means by which the Spirit works grace in the souls of men. The mystery, is that secret, hidden purpose of salvation through Christ. This was not so fully and clearly shown in the ages before…