Forged By Faith

Psalm 120:6 NIV breaks with belonging Here at least. And indeed, this, to me it seems, is perhaps the scene I’ve seen become something of a show that continues to go on and on inspiring me to do the same but only in the opposite direction. And this is because I daily become more and more aware as to the thoughts and attitudes of where we are. I see every day more than plenty of things that I honestly do not think are as they ought to be, aren’t what they ought to be, things said and done then by people who care not to be what they ought to want to be. No, daily in this world I see only less reason to continue thinking that I’m supposed to belong here. And as of 38, well, I’ve all but run out of reasons to ever still think I might even like to someday try again. Rather I’ve found myself thinking more and more as to the elsewhere that we’ve all been called to come and should honestly hope to be. Every single day I have at least one moment in which I find myself longing to just go home. T...

Mark 2:21 NIV recognizes the reckoning Because there comes a point, and it does come for each of us, in which we’ll look up and realize both the sheer gravity of our guilt as gained thanks to the sum of all the wrong things we’ve done and there too the necessity then of our changing. And that, well, everything. For when you’re made aware of all the years spent living as if you didn’t, couldn’t, shouldn’t, wouldn’t care, it becomes perfectly clear that continuing along within the same mindset sat atop the same course, it would only serve to make everything worse. Even if the outcome were to be our highly prized ideal of staying mostly the same. For what is there to gain inside the choice made to remain so unchanged when what we come to see ourselves as having sadly come to be is indeed something that makes us sad or angry or guilty or ashamed? Why seek to remain any of those things? Granted, the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot seem to anymore see...

Ephesians 5:8 NIV The recusal It’s an altogether formal withdrawal, a refusal of participation, from what is typically a legal adjudication as there’s found a measure of potential bias, either personal or professional, by which the party being withdrawn is removed so as to prevent said bias from becoming the potential grounds to cause doubt in the overall outcome of the preceding. In other words it’s a “legal process by which a judge, juror, or other adjudicator steps aside from participating in a case due to potential bias, conflict of interest, or appearance of impropriety.” Just in the case of our faith we’re neither the judge nor the jury, just far more likely to eventually face the executioner because, well, that’s what this world determined was best for Jesus. And He’s the One we’re here to follow in what’s become a world so vastly unchanged from those days in which the culture gathered together and demanded this Man be crucified. Not sure when nor where we managed to get it in o...

1 Thessalonians 4:7 NIV A life apart When boiled down to its inevitable simplicity, I really do have to say that I truly believe that this is the very purpose of God’s heart for we who are meant to be His as opposed to here where it so often feels as if He isn’t. And it’s not because He really isn’t here as He is rather omnipotent which defines then His ability to be omnipresent which allows Him to be everywhere, in everyone in fact. It’s just that the problem’s that we’re in a world in which most continue to refuse that offer, that outcome for what are an as of yet untold number of others. And what often makes it all that much harder, heavier, heartbreaking in fact is that these same many do indeed look like us, talk like us, walk like us and perhaps even seem to love like us. But this is where things tend to get murky as, well, since both looks and language can be used to deceive, unfortunately then so too might the same be said of love. Not that it should be that way as it most cert...

1 John 4:6 NIV But to listen Contrary to current convention, the reality is that to listen demands an intention of attention be given unto whatever the hearer determines is worth more than just hearing. For there’s in truth a great and growing difference between the ability to hear and the act of listening. One is something all of us can do, to a given degree of course considering the existence of such varied abilities regarding hearing impairment and deafness being real realities for some. But even they desire not only to hear some things but to in fact listen sometimes. And that’s because the other is a done by a brother, a sister, a mother who determines it’s worth their effort given unto the going deeper into appreciation for whatever another is saying. A difference of direction, decision, determination, devotion even that defines the line that separates those who we can help because they will both hear but, once that willing, will in fact go that extra mile and actually pay attent...