The fiction: Trying circumstances, instability within or without, personal failure, weakness, a lack of spiritual discipline, temptation, and the devil can separate us from God. The fact: “Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of You we are being put…
Tag: God’s love
That which Flows
Sketch by Patrick Murphy: http://inspiredsketch.blogspot.com/ That which flows forever from the extremities and from the guts of the wounded cosmos sustains That which flows forever from the memory and from the friction of the nail against the flesh of love remains That which flowed with the anguished cries and with the salty sweat of a man…
My Sister, My Bride
The following are lyrics to a song the Lord gave me a few years ago. (Listen to the song here). The words are based on Song of Songs 4:8-5:1. At the time of their writing, Solomon was poetically praising his lover. In the Spirit, we can hear Jesus singing a love song to His bride,…
A Boy, His Dad, the Rescue Bots, and Psalm 63
Photo of the TBS Westminster Reference Bible My three year old son is my buddy. When I’m home it’s cars, Rescue Bots, wrestling, you name it. He never wants to stop playing. One of the many blessings in my life is that I am home for lunch every day. My office is that close. As…
Narrowing Sonnet
Could we put oceans in a cup, a desert in an hour-glass, the skies in a falling rain-drop, the planets in a marble-bag, it wouldn’t touch the Lord, swaddled in a body, who also humbly wore the girdle of our laws, was threaded through the streets of Jews, endured the spit and then was split…
Another Scary Verse from Hebrews
http://vimeo.com/9654814 “For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries” (Heb. 10:26-27). This is one of those passages that most of us would like to wish away. Until…
Self-Denial and Cross-Bearing (Part 4)
Image from the film, “The Passion of the Christ” (Mel Gibson, 2004) This series is excerpted from a piece written by an author at Christaslife.com. The author wished to remain anonymous. *** Not Watering Down the Cross In case we might want to make the act of taking up the Cross into something less than what…
Self-Denial and Cross-Bearing (Part 2)
“Christ of St. John of the Cross” by Salvador Dali This series is excerpted from a piece written by an author at Christaslife.com. The author wished to remain anonymous. *** How Do We Identify the Followers of Christ? Jesus’ words in Luke 9 have already given us the basic answer as to how we might identify…
Those JELL-O Loving Antichrists
Scripture tells us “God is love,” and that God’s love was most profoundly shown through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross (1 John 4:16; John 3:16; 1 John 3:16). At one point in my walk I wondered: Is Jesus the historical person important? Or is it just the spirit of love He demonstrated that matters? There…
The King’s Chambers
“Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is more delightful than wine…. Take me with you—let us hurry. Oh, that the king would bring me to his chambers” (SOS 1:2-4). Pieces of clothing, like pretenses, are removed, like explanations, are cast aside, like self-image, collapse into hollow, rumpled piles, and…
The Voice of One 