The palm tree made a shadow on your face
As the sun peaked gently through the space
of leaves, and nests, and branches, and birds.
As Your sun blushed eyes rose to meet mine
With your cheeks and lips tinted the color of wine
the palm tree made a shadow on your face.
I watched as you left a trail in the sand
To stand beside me and hold my hand
And the palm tree made a shadow on my face
Im with you and you’re with me
Together we are an unbreakable team
We’ll hum to the rhythm and sway to the beat
As the palm trees make shadows on the beach
Monday, November 30, 2009
Candles of Heaven
The night is warm and the candles of heaven are burning brightly
With each brush of waves a clear, deep breeze stretches its wings to sweep the aggression off her face
Surrounded by the unrestricting night and voluminous wind
It collides with her body and entertains her soul.
She asked the waves, “is this how it’s supposed to be?”
Sometimes the pieces of life seem so awkward and out of place
Sometimes I feel like I’ve stepped out of bounds or played the wrong note
I’m a fish swimming in the opposite direction
“of course it is,” replied the waves
“There is no rule book to life
It’s different to you, and him, and her
There are no limits or wrong notes
Play freely young one and step where you desire
Let your feet be led by the yearnings of your heart
It is in this mess that beauty rests and lays her magnificent wings.
Now rest your sweet head on the tiny grains of sand and be
Ever consumed in the notion of being so small in such a gallant universe
That is guided by an Almighty hand.
With each brush of waves a clear, deep breeze stretches its wings to sweep the aggression off her face
Surrounded by the unrestricting night and voluminous wind
It collides with her body and entertains her soul.
She asked the waves, “is this how it’s supposed to be?”
Sometimes the pieces of life seem so awkward and out of place
Sometimes I feel like I’ve stepped out of bounds or played the wrong note
I’m a fish swimming in the opposite direction
“of course it is,” replied the waves
“There is no rule book to life
It’s different to you, and him, and her
There are no limits or wrong notes
Play freely young one and step where you desire
Let your feet be led by the yearnings of your heart
It is in this mess that beauty rests and lays her magnificent wings.
Now rest your sweet head on the tiny grains of sand and be
Ever consumed in the notion of being so small in such a gallant universe
That is guided by an Almighty hand.
James 3:9-12
(this is oooold)
READ JAMES 3:9-12
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should no be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
As a way of celebrating the beginning of summer and no more exams or due dates, me and seven of my friends crammed our luggage and camping equipment into two sub-compact cars and drove south for a week of camping on the beaches of Florida. After 23 hours of being stuck in the backseat of a Honda Civic surrounded by a variety of camping equipment and random pieces of luggage, I wanted nothing more than to touch the ocean. After a two hour accidental detour and a near death experience with a ditch in Alabama, we arrived at our campsite well after dark. The first thing we did was flock to the beach.
The moon was the biggest I had ever seen it and seemed to light the entire beach which stretched for miles on either side. The waves spoke gently to the sky and the water seemed to reflect even the starlight that reached down. Everything about the beach that night praised God in its own way. I cannot remember a time when the ocean looked so beautiful. It was a moment so perfect that not even a picture from the best camera could have captured it.
The water appeared warm and inviting and we walked along the shore and let the ocean flow back and forth over our feet. I dipped low and slipped my hands beneath the surface just as a wave came crashing toward me. Not only did the water manage to soak my clothes, but it also found its way into my mouth. Having never swam in the ocean before; I was shocked by just how salty the ocean water was. Immediately something that I saw as being so beautiful was ruined by the saltiness of the water. The visions I saved in my mind of how handsome the ocean appeared were erased the second the salty water touched my tongue. It seemed so backwards that this gorgeous ocean was capable of tasting so badly. It completely changed everything I thought the ocean was.
After reading these verses, this exact memory came flooding back, much like the ocean water that soaked my clothes. Like James uses examples of nature to illustrate his point, the ocean water reminded me of how backwards we act sometimes. The words we speak have the strength to completely change the way outsiders might see us. How often is it that we go from praising the Creator of the universe to vocalizing ugly thoughts we have about our sibling, parent, spouse, or the guy who had 13 items in the 12 items only lane at the store? It’s completely backwards. Not only do the words we speak have the capabilities to hurt others, but they also pull us away from God. We cannot be freshwater springs if all that is flowing from us is salt water. We cannot praise God using dangerous words.
The first portion of these verses state that the tongue is capable of two things, praising God and cursing men. With the tongue we are all guilty of jumping from one end of the spectrum to the other. We are all guilty of praising our God one second and cursing someone who was made in God’s likeness the next. It seems ridiculous that we commend God for his creations, but then turn around only to put down something else that he has made.
If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. 1 Peter 4:11
We cannot be true witnesses of Christ if we are constantly vocalizing ugly thoughts and spewing salty water. As my mom (whom I have come to realize does actually know a thing or two) always says, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
READ JAMES 3:9-12
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should no be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
As a way of celebrating the beginning of summer and no more exams or due dates, me and seven of my friends crammed our luggage and camping equipment into two sub-compact cars and drove south for a week of camping on the beaches of Florida. After 23 hours of being stuck in the backseat of a Honda Civic surrounded by a variety of camping equipment and random pieces of luggage, I wanted nothing more than to touch the ocean. After a two hour accidental detour and a near death experience with a ditch in Alabama, we arrived at our campsite well after dark. The first thing we did was flock to the beach.
The moon was the biggest I had ever seen it and seemed to light the entire beach which stretched for miles on either side. The waves spoke gently to the sky and the water seemed to reflect even the starlight that reached down. Everything about the beach that night praised God in its own way. I cannot remember a time when the ocean looked so beautiful. It was a moment so perfect that not even a picture from the best camera could have captured it.
The water appeared warm and inviting and we walked along the shore and let the ocean flow back and forth over our feet. I dipped low and slipped my hands beneath the surface just as a wave came crashing toward me. Not only did the water manage to soak my clothes, but it also found its way into my mouth. Having never swam in the ocean before; I was shocked by just how salty the ocean water was. Immediately something that I saw as being so beautiful was ruined by the saltiness of the water. The visions I saved in my mind of how handsome the ocean appeared were erased the second the salty water touched my tongue. It seemed so backwards that this gorgeous ocean was capable of tasting so badly. It completely changed everything I thought the ocean was.
After reading these verses, this exact memory came flooding back, much like the ocean water that soaked my clothes. Like James uses examples of nature to illustrate his point, the ocean water reminded me of how backwards we act sometimes. The words we speak have the strength to completely change the way outsiders might see us. How often is it that we go from praising the Creator of the universe to vocalizing ugly thoughts we have about our sibling, parent, spouse, or the guy who had 13 items in the 12 items only lane at the store? It’s completely backwards. Not only do the words we speak have the capabilities to hurt others, but they also pull us away from God. We cannot be freshwater springs if all that is flowing from us is salt water. We cannot praise God using dangerous words.
The first portion of these verses state that the tongue is capable of two things, praising God and cursing men. With the tongue we are all guilty of jumping from one end of the spectrum to the other. We are all guilty of praising our God one second and cursing someone who was made in God’s likeness the next. It seems ridiculous that we commend God for his creations, but then turn around only to put down something else that he has made.
If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. 1 Peter 4:11
We cannot be true witnesses of Christ if we are constantly vocalizing ugly thoughts and spewing salty water. As my mom (whom I have come to realize does actually know a thing or two) always says, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
I'm Still Learning
There are some days I find it nearly impossible to explain or express how I am feeling. Often times, I have to make a concerted effort to even let myself focus on what is happening inside of me. It’s as if my radar for detecting whether or not I am bothered by something is broken. Because of this “glitch in my system”, I too often am unaware of the mess of emotion that begins to swell inside of my chest. It has come to my attention that I am an expert at swallowing my feelings. Lately, life has been really draining due to big projects, exams, difficult relationships, re-opened wounds, and an extreme lack of sleep. I swallowed a lot of pain these past weeks because I kept telling myself that I didn’t have time or room in my schedule for a meltdown. But last night, I became exceedingly aware of the tangled catastrophe contained within my heart and I could no longer swallow it down. Last night, at 3 a.m., in the darkness of my closet sized room—I wept. I woke up early this morning with swollen, tear-stained eyes that are just now (6 hours later) returning to their original design.
My Bible was the catalyst for the torrent of tears that fell down my cheeks last night. For the first time ever, I experienced my Bible through touch. Minutes before turning off my lights, I finished my third Old Testament paper, in which I summarized a variety of books. After reading about heroes of faith, like Moses and Joshua, and also about the incredible things that God did through them and in the lives of the Israelites, I realized something profound. I held my brown leather Bible in my hands and brushed my fingers across the words of Luke. As I did, I realized that in my hands I held the very breath of God. The same God that parted the sea and spoke through Isaiah and Jeremiah, is the same God that I am allowed to freely communicate with—the same God that dwells within me. The same God that cares deeply about the condition of my heart--even at 3a.m.
It is incredible to feel the true weight of the Bible when an understanding such as this is grasped.
I cried tears of confusion and exhaustion for a person I love. Chaotic tears for having no direction. fearful tears of being left behind and used. even tears that burned with self-revelation of my selfishness and bad attitude.
I’m still learning how to say, “I’m not ok.” For some reason, my greatest fear is appearing needy. Today, I didn’t even have to verbalize the fact that my heart is hurting; my eyes spoke for me. As i write this, God is walking me through a season of my life that is unlike any other. As heartwrenching as seasons like this may be, i am grateful for them. Why? Because I always enter into a new one with a fresh and tender understanding of the things of life.
My Bible was the catalyst for the torrent of tears that fell down my cheeks last night. For the first time ever, I experienced my Bible through touch. Minutes before turning off my lights, I finished my third Old Testament paper, in which I summarized a variety of books. After reading about heroes of faith, like Moses and Joshua, and also about the incredible things that God did through them and in the lives of the Israelites, I realized something profound. I held my brown leather Bible in my hands and brushed my fingers across the words of Luke. As I did, I realized that in my hands I held the very breath of God. The same God that parted the sea and spoke through Isaiah and Jeremiah, is the same God that I am allowed to freely communicate with—the same God that dwells within me. The same God that cares deeply about the condition of my heart--even at 3a.m.
It is incredible to feel the true weight of the Bible when an understanding such as this is grasped.
I cried tears of confusion and exhaustion for a person I love. Chaotic tears for having no direction. fearful tears of being left behind and used. even tears that burned with self-revelation of my selfishness and bad attitude.
I’m still learning how to say, “I’m not ok.” For some reason, my greatest fear is appearing needy. Today, I didn’t even have to verbalize the fact that my heart is hurting; my eyes spoke for me. As i write this, God is walking me through a season of my life that is unlike any other. As heartwrenching as seasons like this may be, i am grateful for them. Why? Because I always enter into a new one with a fresh and tender understanding of the things of life.
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