Bloom

As a seed you fell,
Soft or hard soil matters not.
Warm, secure, comforted you were in darkness.
You rested, you developed, you grew.

Cast off your outer shell.
Show your beautiful petals.
Bloom for the world to see!

Bloom for the woman that lost her child,
Your voice comforts.

Bloom for the poor that are hungry,
The work of your hand sustains.

Bloom for the child without hope,
Your touch is a foundation.

Fear not of your appearance,
He made you so beautiful.

Bloom for the world to see,
For it has forgotten what true beauty looks like.

Closest to my Father

It starts with a picture in my head.
Slowly it forms,
It twists, sometiems changing shape.

Eventually it finds its way
Onto some form of parchment.

Blurred to almost incomprehension,
I figure out the dimensions necessary.

The materials used are most important,
They always have their own story to tell.

I try to put my feelings into what I create,
Hopefully it's recognized for what I intended.

I feel closest to my Father
When I'm creating.

The Return to Normalcy

The American people have appraised the situation, and, with that tolerance and patience which go with understanding, they will give to us the influence of deliberate public opinion which ultimately becomes the edict of any popular government. They are measuring some of the stern necessities, and will join in the give and take which is so essential to firm reestablishment.

I'm back at work....tired because I've become used to getting up at 8:30 - 9:00 everyday. Houston got minimal damage and yes, it smelt like PineSol just as I predicted :) There is trash all over I45 from all of the people trying to leave Houston.

I'll try to write something more thoughtful later today or tomorrow...My brain is on strike it seems.

I am a Runner Part 2

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I really love the book of Acts. I believe that community and fellowship holds immense power. Power to comfort, power to heal. We were created for fellowship.

Rita is about to clean our clocks tonight. I have a friend that's a pilot for Continental that just flew into Houston and he's staying with me for the duration of the hurricane. This morning we ran as I always do on Saturdays, and running with someone else makes the trek so much easier. The pattern of his breathing, watching his feet hit the pavement and matching them. As we hit the half way mark, we turned around and I was in the lead for the run back. It was much more difficult to be facing forward and only knowing that my friend was behind me by the sounds he made. I guess that's a good example of Leadership.

I am a Runner
But I dont run alone.

God is a She

I asked a female friend of mine what traits of God were feminine a while back, but never got an answer. I began to probe this subject. Catching glimpses in what our Pastor says, in scripture that I read, even in my prayer life...Understanding was slow but clear.

I have always believed that if you wanted proof that there is a God, look at a woman. The curves of her body, the way she makes a man's heart beat so fast as she passes by; only the Creator of our universe could build something that matched a man so perfectly.

In the book by Staci and John Eldridge called Captivating, I began to understand why I felt this way. This book has answered many of my questions. Adam and Eve were made in God's image. The beauty of a woman is a direct representation of the beauty of God. A woman's passion, her ability to bring forth life, her strengths; these are all things that a man will never fully understand. Why did Lucifer tempt Eve instead of Adam? I don't think it was because she was easier to tempt/weaker. Maybe it was because of his jealousy of her Beauty, for he was considered most beautiful of the archangels.

Our relationship with God is a passionate one (the most passionate we could ever have). It's not about rules or some huge book that we obsess over. It's about falling in love with the most amazing person that we will ever come in contact with.






She is Beautiful.
She is Passionate.
She is in love with us.
She knows our hurts.
She knows how to quench them.
She is God.
He is God.

Jubilation!

We just got a memo here at work that they are shutting down all of the Houston offices Friday in preparation of the Hurricane! Wohoo!!!! 3 Day weekends are the best.


Now I know you are all thinking that I should take this seriously and should be worrying about what Rita is going to do to my city. Well I've been through a few of these and the most dramatic thing is that everything smells like PineSol (yes the cleaner) because of all of the broken pine branches.

Images

In His image I was created.

All of His powerful emotions,
None of the understanding.

He longs for us to worship Him,
I yearn to feel special.















He is the Prime Mover; Ultimate Creator,
I am dirt breathing holy breath.

Beating my bare chest I scream,
Why burdon me with such responsibility?

Concrete and Chalk

This weekend, a few of us went and watched the movie "Just like Heaven". Afterwards, we decided to go to a park that was close and draw some art on the concrete. It was really fun when the children that were watching us joined in.

Awesome call LK....

When you can't have Steak

Why is it that when I spend time with really great friends, it brings on feelings of lonliness? I have this saying : "When you can't have steak, enjoy hamburger" Thus, when God decides it's not time for me to find my soulmate, hanging out with awesome friends (yes, I think I have the best in the world) is the next best thing.

Second Thought:
First, read No More Doors
Now, I know that infatuating over finding someone became an idol in my life, and I recognized that I needed to trust in God to find the right person.

When is it acting on God's will, and when is it just me tring to do His job? Haven't figured that one out yet.

Has something to do with lots of prayer....

Bent

I cannot bloom
the way I used to.

My colors are drab,
Far less than my potential.

I am bent.
Longing to praise you,
The way you designed me to.

With despotic understanding,
You love me as if I were whole.

I raise my petals,
Awkwardly worshiping by choice,
A silhouette of what I will become.

Epiphany

I am a thinker by nature.. But my best thinking is when I'm taking a shower in the morning. I got my college degree in Computer Science and we were always faced with programming challenges that took a lot of thought. I'm sure that I looked like a lunatic somedays to my roomates when I bounded out of the shower (totally nude of course) and going over to my computer and typing in a line or 2 of code that fixed something or other. They got used to it...

Well this morning I had an epiphany....

If Superman had X-Ray vision, Could he see through his eyelids?

Man thats a scary thought....how did he sleep?

Castles

Castle faces Castle.
Worn.
Rebuilt over time.

Impenetrable at first glance,
Tired at the second.

Defences bristle for all to see,
A small door is almost hidden.

Inside each, a child huddles in the shadows,
Small hands eagerly waiting to be held.

I am a runner

Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. [27] No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

I am a runner
mind
body
terrain
These are my enemies.

Breathe in...
Mind: This hurts, you need to stop
Breathe out...
Body: I can't do this, please stop..
Ignore the pain....

The goal is easy to form in my mind
Even though I dont see it with my own eyes,
I know exactly what to do to get there.

Obedience,
Dilligence
Perserverence

Breathe in...
Breathe out...
Ignore the pain.

A talk with someone special

Who are you?
I am your Creator.

Do you know me?
I know everything about you.

Do you love me?
I love you so much, I died for you.

Am I Ugly?
You are my most beautiful creation.

Sometimes I feel alone.
You heared me knock, I am always here.

I feel so weak, I want to give up.
My burdon is light, take it.

I feel you now, thank you so much.
I love you...I love you...I love you

The Lost City

Why, O LORD, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Psalm 10:1

I'm sure that many of the refugees are asking this exact same question. Here in Houston we are taking in the majority of the refugees, and the response has been awesome. I know that the news has talked about it, but to see it in person is an entirely different thing.

This weekend, I worked at a huge warehouse that was taking in donations. The warehouse was normally used for pipe fabrication. The owner donated half of the warehouse for the donation process while he still ran his business. I totally underestimated the amount of donations we would get. Last night, we organized and boxed up close to a dozen pallets.

I was sorry to see that some of the donations were damaged (some of the food expired in 1999) and people used this as an excuse for some spring cleaning.

In the majority, we received very useful things. New shoes, lots of non-perishable food, toys, books...you name it (Someone thought it would be funny to ask me organize the XL ladies bras...I think I'm scarred for life).

Many of the refugees are wondering where God is.....
This is an excellent opportunity for Christians to show love.
Most have risen to the challenge.



Newsweek has an excellent story today on the Katrina Disaster:

Solitude

Walking hand in hand with his creator
Adam was the first to feel you.

Watching braided fingers,
I feel the same.

Your embrace seems so familiar old friend,
I sometimes forget that there is more.

Ultimate Providor,
you knew his needs.

Give me the faith
to believe you know mine.

Origins of Diamonds

Diamond is the hardest material known to mankind,
Graphite is one of the softest.

Diamonds are transparent,
Graphite is opaque.

Diamond is an excellent insulator,
Graphite has conductive properties.

Diamonds are the ultimate abrasive,
Graphite is a common lubricant.

How can 2 so dissimilar materials come from the same element?

We are all born into this life as Carbon. We can follow the status quo and become Graphite, or through tremendous heat and pressure, become something as rare and beautiful as a diamond.

You never get rid of temptation. Today has been hard for me.
Prayer, scripture, friends/family; these things help me to stand strong.
Inevitably it comes down to choice...
Do you want to be a Diamond or a piece of Graphite?

BTW, Diamonds are by far the most transparent material known to mankind :)

Paying off Debt

All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. Eph 4:31-32

I just graduated college. Of course I have debt which is thankfully shrinking quickly. Unfortunately, I'm not talking about that kind. That kind is impersonal. I get rid of it with the 1's and 0's that are deposited into my bank account twice a month. The debt I'm talking about is broken friendships. It would take a very long blog entry to describe the entire story, but to make it short, I lost a 20 year friendship (we met in 2nd grade). We traveled all over the world together. My fondest memories of childhood had him in them.

The reason we stopped talking isn't important. What happened afterwards is. After the final argument and we had gone our separate ways, He called me up feeling very convicted and wanted to talk things through. I was still pretty angry at the time and I didn't want anything to do with it. Almost a year passed and I really wanted to find out how this guy was doing. We met for breakfast (he worked nights). We talked, we laughed, it even felt like old times. After that, I haven't talked to him since. I saw his parents at a wedding a while back. It seems that my friend had to have surgery for some stomach illness. He's married now, and last I heard he is wanting to build a house out on some land that his family owns.

God I pray that you open doors in this relationship
Please give me the courage to contact this person
Please give me the patience to work through old situations