Leonard Cohen has become one of my favorite modern poets. Don't get me wrong, I am no poet or literary buff. It is a deep down desire of mine...but until that day truly comes, I read sparingly from a few great poets deciphering what their artistic words and phrases mean.
Let Cohen's words here create some thought in you today.
"Sit Down, Master"
Sit down, master, on this rude chair of praises, and rule my nervous heart with your great decrees of freedom. Out of time you have taken me to do my daily task. Out of mist and dust you have fashioned me to know the numberless worlds between the crown and the kingdom. In utter defeat I came to you and you received me with a sweetness I had not dared to remember. Tonight I come to you again, soiled by strategies and trapped in the loneliness of my tiny domain. Establish your law in this walled place. Let nine men come to lift me into their prayer so that I may whisper with them: Blessed be the name of the glory of the kingdom forever and forever.
(C) Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Humble pie...tastes great
Yesterday I was invited out to a golf game with 2 guys that are well beyond me, as far as golf goes. In fact both of these guys really are beyond me in almost every way the world would value.
They are older, more set in their career, hold higher levels of authority, more financially healthy, and on the list could go. And the Lord knows their golf game is well superior to mine.
I should have been intimidated to play with these guys, and believe me I was. I put my bag of 50+ year old golf clubs next to theirs as we arrived. Clearly my set was dwarfed in comparison. I mean, I still am using actual wooden 'woods'.
Needless to say the first tee box became my most feared place.
All this to say, to my surprise and great delight, we had an awesome afternoon. Yes the clobbered me on the course, but after that first shot, it was very clear status was not important anymore. Even level of skill wasn't really a factor. We were committed to walking this 18 hole course for the next 4 hours together. It was a great time of connection that was unique on that day. When would the 3 of us get this kind of time in any other setting?
So Q of the day...
Why do we fear each other so much? What is it in our search for belonging and community we rate ourselves against each other in a sort of checklist, that is unnecessary.
Last time I checked we are all of equal value. All son's and daughter's of God...period. Nothing more or less.
Today I find great comfort in that. I hope you do.
(Oh and by the way, I got par on 2 holes...but let's not talk about the rest of the double and triple bogeys.)
They are older, more set in their career, hold higher levels of authority, more financially healthy, and on the list could go. And the Lord knows their golf game is well superior to mine.
I should have been intimidated to play with these guys, and believe me I was. I put my bag of 50+ year old golf clubs next to theirs as we arrived. Clearly my set was dwarfed in comparison. I mean, I still am using actual wooden 'woods'.
Needless to say the first tee box became my most feared place.
All this to say, to my surprise and great delight, we had an awesome afternoon. Yes the clobbered me on the course, but after that first shot, it was very clear status was not important anymore. Even level of skill wasn't really a factor. We were committed to walking this 18 hole course for the next 4 hours together. It was a great time of connection that was unique on that day. When would the 3 of us get this kind of time in any other setting?
So Q of the day...
Why do we fear each other so much? What is it in our search for belonging and community we rate ourselves against each other in a sort of checklist, that is unnecessary.
Last time I checked we are all of equal value. All son's and daughter's of God...period. Nothing more or less.
Today I find great comfort in that. I hope you do.
(Oh and by the way, I got par on 2 holes...but let's not talk about the rest of the double and triple bogeys.)
Friday, September 18, 2009
Welcome to the Blog
I don't believe that often enough we can share our thoughts and learnings on how God is moving in our lives. This will one outlet for that.
Let it encourage, challenge and spark conversation as we dialogue.
Plastic for Pearls, comes from a lyric in a song a friend of mine wrote. Simon Hoskyn out of Vancouver is a great artist, and well worth checking out. These few lines have brought me a fresh view of how I have been saved.
And I’m not out to make sense of everything
But I want sense enough to fall back on You
What if I did? What if I did?
Gave my whole life, let it all fly
Stepped before sight, and lost the whole world
Fell into real life, traded plastic for pearls
Let it encourage, challenge and spark conversation as we dialogue.
Plastic for Pearls, comes from a lyric in a song a friend of mine wrote. Simon Hoskyn out of Vancouver is a great artist, and well worth checking out. These few lines have brought me a fresh view of how I have been saved.
And I’m not out to make sense of everything
But I want sense enough to fall back on You
What if I did? What if I did?
Gave my whole life, let it all fly
Stepped before sight, and lost the whole world
Fell into real life, traded plastic for pearls