That Name

The sum of all things is your holy Name, Jesus.

With that Name

mountains are moved;

chains of every description are broken;

raging seas are thwarted.

That Name

shuts the mouths of lions;

calls forward the heavenly armies;

the dead are called to live again.

Life.  Your Name breathes life.

I believe in that Name because of what it has done in my life

as well as in the lives of others.

I praise that Name for the everlasting love it provides

for those who seek it.

I have confidence in that Name,

not only for the words it speaks to me,

but also because it ushers me into the

glorious presence of that same Name.

I hear the words your Name speaks, 

and your presence is a reality;

a reality that I look forward to every day.

That name - the name of Jesus -

is not limited in what it can accomplish.

Try it,

use it,

test it.

Taste it,

breathe it,

live it.

Speak about the desires of your heart to that Name.

Let that Name prove Himself.

Don’t be afraid.  

That Name may be powerful,

but it is also very gentle.

Call out to that Name,

then be still … and listen.

Once that Name speaks to you,

you will never be the same,

and you will never look back. 

Jesus.

Name above all names.

Acts 2:21


copyright 5/31/2014 

Only Miriam

   

It is a hard thing for me to think again on the first time I saw Jesus. Things are so different now, I myself have so changed, that I shrink from what once was. 

  In my life, the rhythm of His step was so different from other men’s; ordinary men do not pace the earth in His manner.

  It was late afternoon and many shouted with pointed finger as they drug me through the streets that day. Some raised their hand in scorn among the murmurs of disdain. They dragged me toward Him but at that moment I already hated this Rabbi, for I was set to be judged. I felt so cold and I shivered.  But He did not turn His face toward me; He did not look at me.  

  He sat in the shadow of a Cypress tree within the temple court.  Many surrounded Him, many were there to view my shame. He stood as they dropped me into His presence.  He was as still as if He had been carved out of stone; like the statues in Antioch. I waited. Then, He looked at me and my soul quivered within. It was as if I had no secrets. I was afraid to meet His eyes.

My accusers then brought condemnation upon me, for all to hear, and I tried to bury my head in the stony floor. But there was something about His manner; I cannot say whether it was my aloneness, or His strength that drew me to Him. There was a kind of tenderness about Him. The crowd closed in around and terror seized me once again as I hungered for a hiding place, away from the angry, accusing voices. But He was still.  I curled myself up even tighter than before, as I waited.  But still no words came from him. So many eyes, so many faces. I was trapped with no hope of escape. Then He stooped beside me and began writing on the dusty floor.  The shouting slowly grew more quiet. Straightening to face the restless crowd, and with a voice so full of power, He said “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” And then He stooped again beside me and continued to write. I was trembling with a fear I had never known as I waited for the first stone to strike.

  I could hear the feet of those in the crowd shuffling away.  All the shouting voices were now silent as one by one, they left His presence.  I held my head and my breath for what seemed like an eternity when I heard Him speak to me. “Woman, where art thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?”

I opened my eyes to see we were alone and I was astonished! Turning back to Him I softly answered, “No man, Lord.” Then He said, “Neither do I condemn thee: Go, and sin no more.”

As I stood, I remained fixated on His eyes.  I stared at Him with unbelief. I searched for words; words of gratitude. Finding none I said, “Will you not come to my house?” and He said,  “Am I not already in your house Miriam?”

I did not know what He meant then, but I know now.

But at that time, I asked again, “Will you not have wine and bread with me?”

And He said, “Yes Miriam, but not now.”

Not now, not now, He said.

The voice of the sea were in those two words and the voice of the wind in the trees. When He said them unto me, life spoke to death. For mind you, my friend, in truth I was dead.

I was a woman who had divorced my own soul. I was living apart from this self which you now see. I belonged to all men, and yet to none. They called me harlot, and a woman possessed of seven devils. I was cursed and I was envied. When He looked at me that day, all the darkness of my night faded away, and I became Miriam, only Miriam, a woman lost to the earth she had once known, and finding herself in new places.

"You have many lovers," He said, "and yet I alone love you.  Other men love themselves in your nearness. I love you for yourself. Other men see a beauty in you that shall fade away sooner than their own years. But I see in you a beauty that shall not fade away.  And in the autumn of your days, that beauty will not be afraid to gaze at itself in the mirror, and it shall not be offended.”

               “I alone love the unseen in you."

                I cried "Master"

                And He smiled.

                And then He walked away.

                But no other man ever walked the way He                                   walked.

                And on that day, He slew the dragon within me, and my only desire was to follow. Thus it was, and thus it is today. For you see, I know now what it means to have Jesus in my house.

Adaptation from Khalil Gabran's writings

 Based on John 8:1-12




                                   
                

  

What Your Hands Have Done

  I hear the sound of thanksgiving, and the sound of heaven's song as I contemplate the wonder of being granted, a speck in the sand, the honor of bringing glory to Jesus name. "What is man that you are mindful of him"? "O lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" Psalm 8:4,9

  There is a man that praises you today because you touched his body with your hands. Joy and gladness are given to those who seek you from the desire of the mind to the devotion of the heart to the depths of the soul. You hear the supplications of those who meditate on the goodness of what your hands have done. Even for only three of us who expectantly brought our petition to you on behalf of one who suffered, you said yes! And now he worships you for your unfailing love. For this miraculous event we raise our hands to You, because you have just begun to set your plan in motion for demonstrating your power to us, as well as those standing by. This world perishes from the lack of seeing who you really are. Love everlasting.

copyright 5/24/2014

Gods Voice

  If you can't hear God's voice, Turn the music down!

  We wander about this world as if in a daze. So full of noise and clamor, so full of stress and deadlines. Rushing here, rushing there, Mommy, are we almost there? Surely we know what we are doing, don't we, do we? The question is--- are we so full of this world, that we don't even recognize God's voice even when He is literally shouting to get our attention? The trumpet may give a clear sound, but if the noise in our space is so loud, we cannot hear the call, how can we respond? "Be STILL, and know that I am God"

Psalm 46:11

copyright 5/20/2014

Place Of Solace

Oh, that I might find my place of solace.

I look for it; I look for it, but it's not here;

I yearn for it, I yearn for it, but it cannot be found.

Not in the the ones who occupy this space,

nor in the goods or plunder of this place,

none of these can quench the thirsting soul,

that is ever seeking for more of His presence.

I must wait, I must wait. For when the trumpet calls,

then, I will enter my place of solace after all.


                                                                                 copyright 5/5 2014

Free Flow

  When we pray, "our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:9,10  How do we know how the Father's "will" is done in heaven? How can we possibly know the Father's will as the angels know it? What has to be, before we can even know God's will? 

  There is a connective energy that takes place between some people. We've all seen it or experienced it. It could be a husband or wife; a co-worker or friend. For instance, we may be talking to a friend and say, "I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to be completely honest with me, and before you can say another word, they respond with an emphatic YES! Now, you hadn't revealed what you were thinking, but they knew. Someone walks in a room full of people, and at one glance we can tell what they are thinking or how they feel. Do you think this kind of communication can exist between us and God? Of course God knows what we are thinking all the time, but can we actually know what God is thinking? It happens continually if we are listening, because He purposes His thoughts to be transmitted to us in order for us to get to know Him on a personal level. Amos 4:13 When we allow people into our inner space, the communication changes. It becomes open and free, because we come to trust that person with ourselves. We have a name for that, soul-mates. God wants to be our soul-mate. He wants to share His thoughts with us, for when we share our thoughts back to Him, it draws us a little bit closer. He draws us closer and closer until we are one, just like Jesus prayer to His Father in John, chapter 17. Read it, and feel the pull of heaven toward full disclosure; open, honest, yep, and the willingness to be vulnerable.

   1 Thessalonians 4:3 says it is God's will that we be sanctified. Sanctification is a ominous word that carries with it the connotation and dread of a lot of work to make ourselves perfect. You will be relieved to know, [I know I was] it means to be freed from sin. Who does that? Not us; that's Gods' job, not ours. What Jesus wants, is for us to be free in every way to communicate with Him openly. Read that again. What Jesus wants, is for us to be free in every way to communicate with Him openly. The closer we become, the more willing we are for Him to have all of us, with nothing at all to inhibit the free flow of love between us. A free flow of love between you and I with God. Think about it. What a glorious thought!


copyright 5/3/2014

Fire Power

  Moses has blown it. He is no longer the darling of the Egyptian court. He is no longer a decorated general or next in line to be pharaoh of the greatest nation on earth. Moses now finds himself alone under a vast expanse of crystalline stars against a very dark sky. A shepherd, the lowest of occupations, and resigned to be no more than that, he expects nothing.


  The first forty years of  Moses life in Egypt was made up of being adored, honored, and decorated, with a bright future, but Moses became increasingly aware that his own people were nothing more than a band of mistreated slaves. His birth mother carefully taught  him that God's chosen were indeed this band of God forsaken slaves, and Moses made a plan. He was going to do something about this outrageous circumstance, and he was the right man to do it. His education, his position, his popularity, and his miraculous Nile River rescue proved it. Now, however, after killing the Egyptian and running for his life to as remote a region as he could find, he settles down in silence, accept for the bleating of the sheep. Any illusion that he is anything more than one who herds the dumbest of beasts is whisked away into the far expanse of the sky. There is nothing new under the sun---until the bush. You know, that bush, over there, it's burning. How did that happen? How could it happen? Moses waits; he strains his eyes in every direction to see someone, any kind evidence to link this phenomenon to a plausible explanation. The bush continues to burn. He waits and watches, but it does not burn up. Slowly he moves forward until he stands in front of this ever-burning desert shrub. It speaks. He jumps. It's God!


Why did God choose a burning bush? Why didn't He just speak?
The voice of God would get anyone's attention, don't you think? 
I'm of a mind to believe the burning bush carried a message. It may have been a wonder at that moment, but later as Moses had time to mull over the events of his live, I believe he came to understand. When Moses was in his royal state in Egypt, he made a plan. His plan was to help God. His desire was good. His motive was pure. He would start a fire for God; do something for the mighty cause of Jehovah. However, all his efforts to produce fires for God only produced burnout. The burning bush was an example of a fire that never goes out. The burning bush was God. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world; whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness" John 8:12 Moses thought after his blunder in Egypt that his effectiveness was over. Yet it was not over! What Jesus starts can't be extinguished. Even if we can't see it in the present, it goes on until it accomplishes His purpose. [see Philippians 1:6] When Moses accepted God's way rather than his own, he witnessed, and took part in the fire power of God almighty. That light, that fire, that power has never gone out. It changed the world, and it's still burning.---In you?

Hebrews 12:29
Exodus: 2&3

copyright 5/2/2014