belle

lovely music

at what price, unity?

His prayer in the garden--for us to be one...

the second commandment, to love one another...

Paul tells us to make every effort to preserve unity...

at what point do we give up the fight? walk away from a brother/sister and refuse to fight for relationship with them? yes, you cannot control their reactions. should they choose to hate you, to accuse you of a myriad of things, demand that you conform to their twisted standards, does that justify you breaking fellowship?

in the film, to end all wars, one of the characters chooses to give his life for a fellow prisoner--a brother--who, even though they share the same situation (pow) they do not see eye-to-eye on how to relate to their captors, to the extent that they fought and the one sentenced to die rejected the friendship of the one who then gives his life. we can exclaim over the nobility of the sacrifice, but really the amazing part is that the humble brother had laid down his life every day up to the point when he actually died. and that is much more difficult.

am i right? yes, often. was Jesus right? always. and His response was humility. He, who had every, EVERY right to demand "fairness"; who was justified in any action He took, chose the way of death. can i choose death?

it may be, like in the movie, that those i forgive and continually extend forgiveness in dying to my rights may not receive or accept that forgiveness. it may be burning coals upon their head. or they may scoff at my offerings of love. they may even come to the point where they demand death of those they hate. but that is not my story. i cannot ever base my actions upon their decisions. my response must always be love, no matter what their response is.

and love preserves perfect unity. i will continue to work at the relationship, offering humbly to pray and seek areas in which i can still repent. i will continue to love and offer my love even if you choose to walk away. the love must show that i will never stop being open to walk in unity.

at what price, unity? at any price. at the price of the blood of the Lamb.

a musical punctuation

food for thought

just finished Chosen by a Horse and thought to share some quotes. the book, from a non-religious perspective, shared fresh views on the importance of identity and not letting others define it for you. also, it challenged me about continuing to love after much hurt.

Unlike me, Lay Me Down seemed to feel no rancor. In spite of everything, she was open and trusting of people, qualities I decidedly lacked. It was her capacity to engage that drew me to her, that made me aware of what was possible for me if I had her capacity to...to what? Forgive? Forget? Live in the moment? What exactly was it that enabled an abused animal, for lack of a better word, to love again?

Her past had surely been as bad as mine but she showed no bitterness, no resentment, no neurotic need to isolate herself from other horses (or people) in order to feel safe. [...] Her capacity to love seemed enormous.

By her gentle affection I felt restored to the status of someone who mattered, someone who was needed. She gave me that, a sense of family. We both belonged to nobody, nobody who cared, and now so late in our lives, this miracle had occurred.

Was I the only one who didn't know that facing death meant facing life? They were exactly the same.

To love without an echo is the death knell of the soul. Foolishly, the soulless body grows anyway, marches into the future without its nucleus, without its self, bonsaied by this echoless love.

psalm 143

hurry with your answer, God!
i'm nearly at the end of my rope.
don't turn away; don't ignore me!
that would be certain death.
if you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice,
i'll go to sleep each night trusting in you.
point out the road i must travel;
i'm all ears, all eyes before you.
save me from my enemies, God--
you're my only hope!
teach me how to live to please you,
because you're my God.
lead me by your blessed Spirit
into cleared and level pastureland.

encouragement from christa

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage? His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human will do him harm. The wind blows the grass and earth, and shakes his stump, but he sits stoically, never removing the blindfold. It is the only way he can become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appears and he removes his blindfold. It is then that he discovers his father sitting on the stump next to him. He has been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm. We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us.

for anna for laughs

the light was low
the air was clear
the conversation sweet
when you and I
a passing car
did chance upon to meet
its occupants
some three or four
enjoyed the air as well
for out the door
leaned one young man
and yelled clear as a bell:

woohoo! *whistle*

come august

next door a room sits empty
like the one on down the hall
another friend has moved away
a voice has ceased to call

like furrows in the sand remain
the marks upon her door
where posters then called out her name
the paint is still once more

as an echo in the hallway comes
i think i hear her voice
perhaps we two could sit awhile
but now i have no choice

the mem'ries stir from time to time
some good, some ill--all past
the life we shared within these walls
was never meant to last