radiant light (John 1:1-18 & Hebrews 1:1-4)

before light

was.

You burned with all

radiance

in perfect Life.

with

your Abba & the Most Holy Spirit.

Love.

so big it burst out

Light.

before light

was.

speaking

light was no big task

for the Radiant One.

except...

for Your Plan to

make

a people.

in Your Image.

made.

from dust

that had yet to

appear.

knowing

our rebellion.

how we would crush Your

Image

in us...

how deeply we would

grieve Your great

heart.

still

You made us.

from dust

that had yet to

appear.

but Light speaking out light

planned

to love over

the broken Image.

to mercify Your Self so

completely

that your heart

would sing

JOY.

with every one of us

who

could stand it.

one day.

coming soon.

unstoppable Love

unstoppable Life

unstoppable JOY.

forever.

an easy death

at the end
of 33 years of following Your Abba
thru
the tangle of our sin-shattered world
our mangled lives
our broken bodies
our over-powered spirits
always giving in...to Your Abba's leading...
in word
in deed
in heart
after the dark-of-night-struggle
     with the enormous bulk of our sin-load...
after never really considering DIS-obeying
     Your Abba's lead...
after begging
     for another way
     for any other alternative...
the dying
was easy...
until the dark descended like a midnight
on Your heart & ours.
at noon.
then
the heart that always listened first
before speaking...
the soul that always watched Your Abba
for a clue before acting...
pushed thru the DARKest DARK
to offer up Your Own Spirit
to Your for--the-first-time-ever silent Abba
breaking 
the DARK.
our sin.
death.
into pieces.

our hosanna-prayer-hopes
came true.
real.
forevermore.

i wonder #1

i wonder if our Lord turns our self-centeredness toward a better end by just “carrying on the conversation a bit”…even if it does end in Him saying, “just obey for now…understanding will come later?!?”

i wonder if isaiah was right when he says that YaHWeH bares His Mighty Arm (rolls up His sleeves) in order to save His people?

i wonder if our Lord REALLY loves us so much that his MAIN agenda might just be US?!?

i wonder if it is thru the conversation ITSELF…that our healing & growing up comes? regardless of immediate outcomes?

after all, if the big people in our lives do not stop to have conversation with us (even if it is frustrating to them) how can we learn to take “the next step” in life?

i guess our Lord’s “everlasting mercies & patience” comes in handy when He deals with us…eh?

i wonder if our Lord really IS there when we can neither sense Him or hear His Voice?

i wonder...

how hard #2...

“how hard,”
You said, “it is for a rich man
to enter YaHWeH’s kingdom.”

“the odds
are better for a camel
to get through a needle’s eye,”
You continued.

we laughed.
it was a comical image…
then
we quit laughing.
it wasn’t so funny anymore.
“Lord, who is there that CAN be saved?”
we asked.
You were quick to reply,
“God makes it possible.
there is no other way.”

really, Lord?
no OTHER way in…
than YaHWeH’s grace and mercy?
no great acts of charity can do it?

or
was that Your whole point, Lord?

at first we’d thought
You were asking the young man
to give up his money
as a sacrifice…
to earn YaHWeH’s notice…
His favor.

then
it dawned on us
that giving it ALL away
was the minimum
requirement
to join You on the road…
&
joining You, Lord,
is the ONLY way into the forever-kingdom
of YaHWeH…
the kingdom that
hums with LIFE…
full-on-LIFE!

(for the back-story
to this post...
see Mark 10:17-31)

how hard #1...

“how hard,”
You said, “it is for a rich man
to enter YaHWeH’s kingdom.”

“the odds
are better for a camel
to get through a needle’s eye,”
You continued.

we laughed.
it was a comical image…
then
we quit laughing.
it wasn’t so funny anymore.
“Lord, who is there that CAN be saved?”
we asked.
You were quick to reply,
“God makes it possible.
there is no other way.”

really, Lord?
no OTHER way in…
than YaHWeH’s grace and mercy?
no great acts of charity can do it?

or
was that Your whole point, Lord?

at first we’d thought
You were asking the young man
to give up his money
as a sacrifice…
to earn YaHWeH’s notice…
His favor.

then
it dawned on us
that giving it ALL away
was the minimum
requirement
to join You on the road…
&
joining You, Lord,
is the ONLY way into the forever-kingdom
of YaHWeH…
the kingdom that
hums with LIFE…
full-on-LIFE!

(for the back-story
to this post...
see Mark 10:17-31)

in his arms #3

big
people want blessings that are
quantifiable...
profitable...
&
usually impersonal.

why is this true, Lord?

is it
that mostly we don't want
to be bothered?
to be distracted?
to be handled?
or
is it as simple as the
fact
that we like to be
in control?

little
people LOVE being
handled...
held...
cuddled...

is that why You
pointed them out to us
as living pictures
of heaven?
of grace?

is that why You
insisted
on HOLDING them
as You pronounced GRACE
into their lives?

is our refusal
to stop
long enough for You
to hold us
close...
the main reason we
notice
so few of Your gifts
to us?

(for the back-story...
see Mark 10:13-16)

in His arms #2

big
people see things
differently
from little people.

You knew this, Lord...
so
is that why You stopped us
as we tried
to prevent Your words of
blessing
from being spoken?

big
people think words
are cheap...

little people
know
that words can kill
or
at least make them cry.

big
people curse
life...
&
other people...
&
barriers to their plans...
&
frustrating circumstances.

little people
haven't learned
yet
to curse
although they do know
frustration...
& sadly...
cursing will come easily
to their lips
soon enough.

Lord,
Your words of blessing
exposed
our "protection"
of Your "valuable time"
as the curses
they were.

heaven
loves blessing.

death
despises it.

(for the back-story...
see Mark 10:13-16)