He Tells Me Things.

Like tonight. On my way home. In the lyrics to "O, Porcupine" by mewithoutYou, he says:

// you have a decent ear for notes
but you can't yet appreciate harmony. //

And earlier in the day, through this article, he spoke.

And I can think of countless other times in Scripture where the message has been repeated.

Don't be foolish, child.
I love you, and all that...
but I AM God.
You play a very good game of make-believe.
Sometimes you even listen well.
But that doesn't work well to change much.
I AM still who I AM.
It's a good thing.
I promise.

It's a humorous image for me to see this great God hunched over, speaking lovingly, running after me - a little kid blissfully unaware that my diaper is full or about to fall off (how embarrassing), looking at some toy on the distant horizon, intrigued and determined to get there.

Humorous because it's very weird that the scenario is probably true.
Humorous because God loves me enough (for whatever reason) to be a Father.
Humorous in a wonderful way that makes you feel blessed, to laugh.

It's been a nice past week-or-so getting to know this side of my God.

Response.

My reaction to the movement of God has been a question in my mind recently.

I know the theology: God is good. God is for me. God will (ultimately) be/do good to me.

I trust this. It's not simple. I'm not without fault.

But I wonder.

If I am elated when things are going well. When things seem to be working out. When blessing comes.

Living with a spirit of thankfulness. Prayer. Joy. Celebration.

Does that make me a hypocrite when I become bitter? Saddened? Depressed? Dejected?

When those dark nights of the soul come and I am no longer...

...in a spirit of thankfulness. The same thoughtful, thankful prayer. The joy. The celebration.

Can I be present in this immediate state of blessing? Devouring it. Loving it.

And face tomorrow when it comes?

Is that alright?

Pro-Diggity. No Doubt.

You'll notice a red circle in the image above. Inside that red circle you will see a $25 Flickr logo.

Yes, that's right - I went pro tonight. I figured I would try it out for a year. I currently host all my shots on Flickr - and with at least 45 more pictures being uploaded tonight I thought it a good idea to get the flexibility of showing more than 200 photos (total), with more options for sets, resolutions, etc.

We'll see how it goes.

P.S. [Please Go To My Flickr Page And Say Great Things About My Photos So That The $25 Was Well-Spent] Thanks!

Celebration.Intro

My wonderful friend Will purchased me a copy of Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster for my birthday. I started it this evening, going through the introduction slowly and surely, armed with a pen, underlining text left-and-right. I aim to be slow and methodical with my study of this book, hoping to foster in my life the "classic Disciplines" it speaks of. I will, Lord-willing, feature some sort of post on each portion as I am able to devour it. Below marks some quick notes, as well as my overall reaction to the themes outlined in the Introduction:

. "The finished product is the outcome of wide reading and careful thinking." -- (D. Elton Trueblood)

. "God intends the Disciplines of the spiritual life to be for ordinary human beings...[therefore] we need not be well advanced in matters of theology to practice the Disciplines...The primary requirement is a longing after God."

. "We simply do not know how to go about exploring the inward life."

. "The life that is pleasing to God is not a series of religious duties."

. "...inner righteousness is a gift from God to be graciously received. The needed change within us is God's work, not ours."

. "God has given us the Disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving his grace. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can transform us." -- He gives us a gift and tells us to use it.

. "The path is fraught with severe difficulties, but also with incredible joys. As we travel on this path, the blessing of God will come upon us and reconstruct us into the image of Jesus Christ."

. "[The Spiritual Disciplines] are meant to bring the abundance of God into our lives."

. "Jesus Christ has promised to be our ever-present Teacher and Guide. His voice is not hard to hear. His direction is not hard to understand...We can trust his teaching...If we are willing to listen to the Heavenly Monitor, we will receive the instruction we need." -- 1 Samuel 3:9-10

Final Thoughts:

* Our central goal must always be the presence of the Lord - in our hearts, minds, and actions. He is the destination, to which the greatest path (journey) leads. Our focus must always be towards Him. Our affections for Him. Our allegiance to Him. Our success by Him. He is our great centrality.

Portrait.

Here, very recently, I've wanted to try my hand at taking pictures of people. Most of my photography to-date has been devoid of human life. Not that there is anything wrong with either method - but there has been an itch in my viewfinder for a more "personal" aspect. I think people are very interesting...I just didn't think I had the chops to take pictures of them in a way that I considered "artistic" (candids are great...but I don't want to shoot them).

My friend Will was wanting a new picture for his blog and he asked me to snap a shot (or ten). I took advantage of the moment to try my hand at photographing flesh-and-blood. I'll be honest...I'm pleased with the results. (More on Flickr)