Meaningful Words (11/15/09)

What will your response be? This is not a one time decision, but a daily living in relationship with our loving God. Somedays I know His love for me and I rejoice in it. Like the love my parents have for me, it is not contingent on anything I do. It is mine simply because I am their son. When I can accept this as a daily reality, it changes how I live, walk, feel and even breath. Life is easier when I can take refuge in this reality. It is a source of great personal peace to know what even if I should loose my job, or get thrown out of my house, still God loves me, is there with me and is for me! 

Be Still

“Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

-Psalm 46:10

Be still, My child and know that you are loved.

Endless, limitless, eternal love is yours.

My Son paid the price and you are free to come.

Come and know Me

Come and know that you are loved.

Come with no expectations, for they will all be blown away.

Come with no preparations, the price has already been paid

Come with no restrictions for they are only self-imposed

Come desiring nothing, knowing you will receive all that is of true worth.

I am the One Who has loved you since before time began

As you were formed within your mother’s womb

I knew you and called you My chosen one

You are My child and I love you.

I Will Not Forget You

I will not forget you

I will not forget you, no (x2)

Though the winds may blow

And the troubles flow

Still I will not forget you

I will not forget you, no

For You are in control,

You have taken my heart,

You have redeemed my soul,

You have made me whole.

So I will not forget you, no!

My Heart

Lord, I give you my heart

All I am

All I have ever been

And ever hope to be

All I have done and ever plan to do

All I am and ever wanted to be

You are the One I was created for

Why have I searched so long for more

In You all my hopes are met

In You all my desires are satisfied

In You, at last, my heart has found   

its home.

No Love

There is no love greater than He has for you.

There is no price more than what He paid for you.

All of heaven is desperate for you.

All of creation is longing for you.

Will you turn to this love

And accept it as your own.

He loves you 

More than you could know.

Thank you again for staying with me thus far. I know my letters are often long and at times random in their arrival. Still I pray for each of you when I think of you and take great comfort in the fact that I am known and loved. May each of you know that as well. 

Sharing My Life (11/05/09): Unconditional Love

With Thanksgiving approaching, my mind naturally turns to ponder those things I am thankful for. Chief among these is the unconditional love I have from my Creator and my parents. Some of you may know this already, for those who do not, my folks and I have been spending more time together during recent years and becoming a stronger family unit. The past two years they have come up to Minnesota to be with me for the whole month of September. During one of our dinners together this past September, my Dad asked how my sense of their unconditional love was these days. I replied that I was thankful for it, even though I was still learning to accept it. 

As I thought about it later, I saw much of my relationship with God in that question and answer. Throughout the Bible we read numerous stories and passages that illustrate God’s unconditional love for us. God knows us in a deeper more intimate way than we could ever imaging, more than we even know ourselves. His love for us is equally as deep and intimate. Yet often, we do not feel this love. The love God has for us has never and will never change. It is as deep and wide for each of us now as it was the day we were born. It is not contingent on our earning of it. No matter what we did, we could never earn it. Nor do we have to. The price has already been paid in Christ Jesus and we are free to come.

What does change is our response. I later wrote my parents a letter in which I indicated that part of my difficulty with accepting their unconditional love was my fear. Like most people, I fear what I cannot control and there is nothing controllable about unconditional love. Quite the opposite. In one of his letters to the early church in Corinth, Paul writes an eloquent passage on love describing it as “non-judging” and “always hopeful” (1Corinthians 13). When confronted with this amazing love, most people can scarcely believe it is true and turn away in disbelief. Others, much like myself many days, accept it as if on condition and spend their lives trying to earn it. Neither is the response God ultimately desires. God desires people who worship Him not our of fear or obligation, but out of response to His unfathomable love. Life with God is not about trying to earn His love or redemption, it is about walking in joy and peace knowing it is already yours in Christ. 

Life Update (11/15/09): Some Things Change . . .

I have passed the halfway point in my second quarter at Capella and the homework is mounting. Four more weeks to go and I have two major papers left to write. The main drawback I am finding in going to school online is that it means spending much time home in front of my computer, plus, as I mentioned to a fellow employee, there’s no class time or class work. It’s all homework. As the months progress, I really miss the one-to-one interaction with my classmates that I got at Bethel and Gordon. There’s part of me that’s really thinking of transferring to an on campus school in the coming quarters. Saint Cloud State has a program much like the one I’m currently in with Capella. There’s also Argosy University down in Florida. With them I would do much of my work here in MN and go there for a two-week intensive every quarter. We will see how it all develops.

Work continues on. I have yet to hear back from Human Resources about my driving privileges, so I continue to work mainly as a PCA. One of the clients that I work with was finally able to buy and move into a home of his own. He has a six member family including children and grandchildren and they all wanted to live together. I have been working with them for over a year now trying to find them a home and am relieved to know that is done and we can move on to other goals.

Coincidently, I may need to do some house hunting of my own one of these days. Mark, my current roommate and landlord, may be getting engaged soon. That would mean I would need to move out. I have been renting in different places now, so the time may be at hand for me to finally buy a place of my own. The question is where. My folks would be glad to have me move down to Florida and I could take my work with Capella down there with me. On the other hand, I have gotten quite attached to my friends, church and current employer here, so it might behoove me to stay.  I will probably be talking with the realtor who helped the family I mentioned above find their place soon. We shall see. Prayers always appreciated.