Forged By Faith

Luke 6:24 NIV The Prosperity Problem To become wealthy has long since become one of man’s greatest and thus most commonly shared pursuits. And perhaps there’s at least some reasonable reason to that. For ‘tis a fact that with this world we have needs which need to be met such as even such simplicities as food, clothes, housing. And it’s no secret that such things cost money as nothing much here is really free anymore, not that anything ever was. But the problem seems to lie in that within this life in which we need to sometimes buy that which we need, neither anymore are we free. No, we’re but puppets performing on strings made of money. And I say this because, well, let’s be honest, all of us have done things for money that we’re maybe not proud of, probably wouldn’t do again, likely even regret having done the first time. Such is life. I mean, down here we’re all given what is a swath of time with which to live a life and despite however much we may have we all want to have something...

Matthew 5:6 NIV Everything emptied The same is all that can ever be filled for that which already has has already some that can, yes, be added onto, but that which is had already will be thus always there either blended with that which is added or elsewise buried beneath whatever’s placed or poured atop. And this truth, this simple, scientific understanding should prove enough for all of us to stop and question what we’re doing with life, in life for in life we spend life seeking always the additions and addendums added unto the already and thus seek with the same time and intention less of the empty. And indeed, of this I am truly guilty as I sit within what is a room that is as any other with what are four walls, a couple doors and even a window. Every wall nearing full with what is basically the very sum of everything I’ve managed to continue enjoying within this world. But as I’ve added and added and planned and plotted and figured out the pathway forward to the finishing of my ide...

Luke 6:25 NIV A barren beautiful A river with nowhere to go. It’s a desert that doesn’t want an oasis. It’s an iceberg frozen in place, unwilling to bend to the want of the waves around it. It’s a wasteland what wishes to be nothing else, hopes to become nothing more. Not here. Not now. Not even soon, it doesn’t matter anyhow. No, for upon the fringes of the found there exists this sleepy town in which all are welcomed in to what has always been an inn in which there’s both no room and yet plenty then of hope to spare. For whatever is had here is what will be left here when we too have left here. A promise given us not in order to grieve us but rather to see us unto that place where hope is, the very home of such companions as curiosity and the courage to chase it until we’ve run out of ways in which to waste it, run out of things upon which to waste it. Yes, He calls us into the desert, toward the rugged mountains which move and shake as we climb them quaking as we go. Yes, He calls u...

James 4:9 NIV The Wonderful World of Woe It’s, as far as we might ever know, the only house of humility and thus the very home of hope. Alas it’s the last place that people know to go as this world says it knows that should we venture near we’ll only stand to lose everything dear. And indeed, in this they’re true, finally close to right as within this house of humility we shall lose our lives. But there seems but one slight discrepancy that I believe should be discussed and that is that as much as woe helps us know what it is to lose out on the life we’d all rather love, it’s all that can help us learn of a love sent unto us from up above unto where we’re all called to go. But through the wonderful world of woe. For woe explains the narrow in what are ways that no other things ever possibly can. Woe helps us learn to let go what we have within our hand and question all that we’ve in our hearts. It asks we ask those questions that, having likely long known the answers to, we’ve instead ...

Ecclesiastes 7:4 NIV The hope of loss It’s quite clearly something we’ve lost as within this world the goal’s to gain. It’s to avoid trial, struggle, strain. In fact we seem a people ashamed whenever we endure hardship or pain, many of us going so far as to hide such socially-assumed weakness so as to leave unbothered those who should be our brothers, our sisters, our mothers, our friends. We don’t want to worry them with whatever it is that we’re going through that’s left us feeling as if we’re going under. No, we want for everyone to remain always lost within this wonder that is lust for a life in which exists this lie that everything is always fine. Only that it isn’t, is it? Truly, when’s the last day in which we’ve lived in which then everything was perfect? Those days simply don’t exist my friends! We want them to, and it’s understandable why. We want this life to unfold in such a way that it proves endlessly able and always willing to hold all for which we hope. Problem is that ...