My boy.

I look at my disobedient child's relationship with me and I think I understand a little bit how God looks at us.

My little 5 year old boy has made an art out of disobedience. He needs to be "reminded" over and over and over again not to do certain things and he keeps doing them. I got so aggravated at him today that I yelled at him telling him how unlikable he gets when he behaves like he does.

And he does! Man, he can so get on my nerves, and his sister's, too!

And still. I LOVE him. I love him so very much. I look at him and I just love him.

I hear that love is an action, and I'm sure that it is a lot of times. I hear that it is something you have to "work" on, and "they" are probably right.

BUT.

But, I don't need to work on my love for my children. It's there. It never goes away. It's an ever present.. feeling. Yep, a feeling. I didn't need to get to know them to love them, to feel love towards them. I didn't need to get into self-help christian (or non christian) books, to know how to love them. I just do.

And I am reminded of that verse where Jesus talks about parents and children...

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

(Matthew 7:11, NIV)

God, I guess, loves me just like I love my kids (and more!)

Even when I disobey him over and over and over again.

It sure is a comforting thought. For me, at least.

Be blessed.

The tree.

How good is good if God never intended for us to know it?

If God was chocolate

If God was chocolate

(Inspired by - "A JOKE A FRIEND TOLD."

Scriptural References: (Romans 8:31, Is. 55:8, Matt. 6:25-34))

Lyrics:

I can feel Your presence in the summer breeze / I can see the distance between You and me / I can catch your fragrance from an April rose / Sure can hear your rhythms when the thunder rolls / But I can’t taste You; don’t think I’m s’posed to / But what would people do / /

Chorus: If God was chocolate; everyone loves chocolate / Everyone would want Him, want Him all the time / You can almost taste it; every godly visit, a party for the spirit, body, soul and mind / If God was chocolate – chocolate - chocolate / Mm-mm – chocolate – chocolate - chocolate //

Pray for an end to anger, you get a Hershey’s kiss / For each good deed a Snickers, I could get used to this / Pray they stop the fighting in the Middle East / and the battleground starts changing / to a chocolate fondue feast / The whole world over we’d discover a whole new hunger //

Chocolate - chocolate Chocolate - chocolate / Can almost taste You / but I think it all through / and I think it’s also true that God is broccoli, asparagus and herb tea / all that stuff that’s good for me that may not taste divine / But it makes a good start at building me a strong heart. So if you eat your broccoli / and you drink your herbal tea, finish your supper and you will see. You will see how it can be that // Chorus

God the revealer

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Philippians 3:15

Cardboard testimonies

The Yoga philosophy (and other eastern religions as well)

A while back I started reading a book, just out of curiosity and as a response to my missing Italy at the time. In fact the book is the recount of a lady who spent 3-4 months in Italy, 3-4 months in India and the same time in Indonesia. It's kind of a spiritual journey journal. It has nothing to do with christianity, but I was still curious enough to want to read it. And I have to say that reading the Italy part was fun and satisfied want I was longing to read -- a candid description of my culture.
Well, once I read that first third of the book, I put it aside and practically forgot about it, since I knew it was going to go into some hindu/buddhism sort of endeavor and I really didn't feel like diving into that (the part of the book dedicated to Italy was about food.. could I resist??)

The other day I thought I would pick it up again and see if I could finish it. I read a couple of pages and.. uhm.. I already have a question. I wish I had more readers to this blog to see what they thought about it, but as it is there probably won't be much of a response to this question.
Nonetheless, I'll ask it anyway.

Premise.
I'll have to copy a "couple" of sentences about her explanation of the Yoga philosophy.

Here it goes:

The Yogis,.., say that human discontentment is a simple case of mistaken identity. We're miserable because we think that we are mere individuals, alone with our fears and flaws and resentments and mortality. We wrongly believe that our limited little egos constitute our whole entire nature. We have failed to recognize our deeper divine character. We don't realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme Self who is eternally at peace. That supreme Self is our true identity, universal and divine. Before you realize this truth, say the Yogis, you will always be in despair, a notion nicely expressed in this exasperated line from the Greek stoic philosopher Epictetus: "You bear God within you, poor wretch, and know it not."

Now, my question is:

"How divine is a divine that doesn't know it's divine?"

Let it shine

People often ask me
Why do I sing
And I tell them
The same old thing
'Cause I know where I'm going
And where God brought me from
I sing because of Jesus
God's Holy Son

God has given me
Such a gift of song
Told me to sing
I'm singing from now on
I'm singing for my friends
And in the face of my enemies
Gotta let my little light shine
For the whole world to see

Let it shine for the world to see
Give God the glory
Shine
You gotta let it shine
(I gotta tell everybody everywhere)
Let it shine for the world to see
(Oh yes I will)
Give God the glory
Shine
You gotta let it shine

People often ask me
Girl, why do you sing
I look at them and I tell them
The same old simple thing
'Cause I know where God brought me
Where God brought me from
And one day soon
The Savior is gonna come
Oh yes He will
Don't let this moment
Pass you by
You gotta tell the world
That Jesus is alive
And please don't let it, don't let it no
Don't let it slip away
You gotta tell everybody everywhere
That Jesus lives today
He lives today!

Let it shine for the world to see
(Let it shine for the world to see)
Give God the glory
(You've got to give Him the glory)
Shine
You gotta let it shine
(You gotta let it, you gotta let it, you gotta let it)
Let it shine for the world to see
(I give Him the glory, give Him the honor, give Him the praise)
Shine
(Tell everybody how He's been so good)
You gotta let it shine
(How He's been so kind, oh come on and..)
Let it shine for the world to see
(Shine shine shine)
Give God the glory
(Give Him the glory)
Shine
(Give Him the glory, give Him the honor)
You gotta let it shine
(Honor, give Him the praise)
Let it shine for the world to see
(Shine shine shine)
Give God the glory
Shine
(Shine, shine, shine)
You gotta let it shine
Let it shine for the world to see
(Tell your boss, tell your family)
Give God the glory
(Tell your wife, tell your husband)
Shine
(Tell everybody everywhere)
You gotta let it shine
(Oh yeah)
Let it shine for the world to see
(I'll tell it everywhere I go)
Give God the glory
(I'll tell everybody)
Shine
...
I promise you I will let it shine..



Two years ago I fell in love with this song.
I couldn't find anything to download here for you to hear it.
I couldn't even find the lyrics, so I typed them while I listened.
But, just reading or writing it is not the same for me.
I fell in love with the whole song, music and words.
I am not doing it any justice, by writing it here, but I felt the need to do so tonight.
At least the words.

Just for myself.

Let it shine.

n

PS~ The song is by Tara Darnell.