wonder

"Wonder rather than doubt is the root of all knowledge." ~Abraham Joshua Heschel

saw this just now and thought it was interesting and worth some thought. but "late" is approaching and i need to get to bed before it comes.

mystery

i am amazed and stunned at the mystery of how God weaves and works and places and prods all of us in His perfect way and timing to create a world filled with sinners and saints whom He uses to bring glory to Himself...God loves turning rebels into worshipers...God loves turning sinners into saints...and He gets the glory in it all...

here in the quiet speak to me now
my ears are open to
Your gentle sweet whispering
break down the door, come inside
shine down Your bright light
i need a lamp for my feet, yeah i need a lamp for my feet

refrain
i want to hear the thunder of who You are
to be captured inside the wonder of who You are
i want to live i want to breathe
to search out Your heart and all of Your mysteries

You were the first and You’ll be the end
time cannot hold You down
so, why save a wretch like me?
no eye has seen, no ear has heard
no heart could fully know
all of Your mystery

Your glory burns in the stars
shine down your light let it burn in my heart
bring me to glory, bring me to You
Lord it’s your heart that i will hold onto

Your glory burns in the stars
shine down Your light let me know who You are
Jesus, Your glory burns in the stars
shine down Your light, let me see You, let me see You

mystery
phil wickham

Paul cries out in Philippians "I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him!"

and the Psalmist in Psalm 27 sings, "One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD
And to meditate in His temple."

O, that i, too, might KNOW Him. not simply facts and head knowledge. But a true relationship with Him. An intimate knowledge of Him. Based in truth and pervading and invading every area of my life and being. I have seen His mystery and I want to dive deeper into it. O, that my passion might be single: Christ and all He is. that i might be focused on seeking His presence, His throne, His temple. Meditating on who He is and who I was and who I am because of Him and all He has done for ......me? yes...He loves me that much! why should i not seek Him? why do i not more passionately seek and pursue Him?

another stamp in the passport

and another adventure.

not quite a week ago i returned from another incredible adventure. 2nd trip to haiti and 14th entry stamp in my passport. funny how i only have 2 re-entry stamps into the states though. not sure how that works. i know i've come back here more than that! this country is definitely "home" for me, but every time i travel to another country my heart grows for the rest of the world and shrinks for the closed-minded, pompus attitude I often see here in "America". (not sure why we use that word to refer to this country specifically, since Canada and Mexico are both in *North* America, a bunch of countries are in *Central* America and even more are in *South* America...aren't we all technically "America"?)

Once, when I was returning from Indonesia, I had a long layover in Jakarta and spent the night in a hotel. Turned the TV on and the only thing in english was music videos so the channel surfing stopped there for a while. I heard (watched?) the song "California" by Phantom Planet. I was repulsed. I mean, I like California and all. You can't find too many other places where you can have all four seasons (yes, anyone not from cali might not realize this, but we have sandy desserts, forested mountains, rolling hills and various terrains of sea coasts...you can find hot summers, snowy winters, green springtimes and colorful autumns...okay not as snowy or as colorful or as green as other states...but we have 'em!). Where else can you live and be able to drive an hour one way and be in the snowy mountains to snowboard or drive one hour the opposite direction and be at the ocean and go swimming (so cal!) ? ...but the lyrics of the song were praising california like it was the best place in the world and everyone should want to go there. huh. at that point in time i wasn't really looking forward to going back to cali. Indonesia is a beautiful place. the people and cultures are intriguing, the food is amazing. the people in mexico are wonderful. the country of Jordan has great food and awesome spots to visit. Israel...can't say enough about it. Iraq was quite scary :) but i miss the people i met there. Amsterdam is incredibly organized. Haiti...the people are wonderful and the land itself is a beautiful place (head to the coasts or fly over the mountains...beautifully tropical).

I had a professor in Israel who said that when he was growing up he used to want to be the president of The USA just so that he could pass a law that said everyone had to spend at least a year outside of the states. boy, that would change our view on the world!

well...i think i've written enough for one blog. here are some pictures from my latest adventure to Haiti...









my dad took this one. i love it. i think it captures SO MUCH of Haiti all in one shot:

from the inside out

have you heard this song??

a thousand times i've failed
still Your mercy remains and should i stumble again
still i'm caught in Your grace
everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
my purpose remains
the art of losing myself
in bringing You praise
everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

in my heart and my soul
Lord i give You control
consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
become my embrace
to love You from the inside out

everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
and the cry of my heart
is to bring You praise
from the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

From The Inside Out
by Hillsong United
album: United We Stand (2006)