Amused

Study break today: http://stayingfortea.org/2011/11/23/the-culturally-sensitive-butt/

Happy for a beautiful day today =) Week's half over!

God's Rag Tag Army

An Old and Beautiful Story

I think God must be very old and very tired…. God’s been on the march a long time, you know. And look at God’s rag-tag little army! All he has for soldiers are you and me. Dumb little army.


Listen!  The drum beat isn’t even regular.  Everyone is out of step.  And there! You see?  God keeps stopping along the way to pick up one of God’s tinier soldiers who decided to wander off and play with a frog, or run in a field, or whose foot got tangled in the underbrush.  God will never get anywhere that way.  And yet, the march goes on.


Do you see how the marchers have broken up into little groups?  Look at that group up near the front. Now, there’s a snappy outfit… –at least they’re in step with each other.  Only they’re not wearing their shoes. They’re carrying them in their hands.  Silly little band.  They won’t get far before God will have to stop again.


Or how about that other group over there?  They’re all holding hands as they march.  The only trouble with this is the people on each end of the line.  Pretty soon they realize that one of their hands isn’t holding onto anything–one hand is reaching, empty, alone.   And so they hold hands with each other, and everybody marches around in circles.  The more people holding hands, the bigger the circle.  And, of course, a bigger circle is deceptive because as we march along it looks like we’re going someplace, but we’re not.  And so God must stop again. You see what I mean?  He’ll never get anywhere that way!


If God were more sensible he’d take his little army and shape them up.  Why, whoever heard of a soldier stopping to romp in a field?  It’s ridiculous.  But even more absurd is a general who will stop the march of eternity to go and bring the soldier back.  But that’s God for you.   His is no endless, empty marching. He is going somewhere. His steps are deliberate and purposive.   He may be old, and he may be tired.  But he knows where he’s going.   And he means to take every last one of his tiny soldiers with him.  Only there aren’t going to be any forced marches.  And, after all, there are frogs and flowers, and thorns and underbrush along the way.  And even though our foreheads have been signed with the sign of the cross, we are only human.   And most of us are afraid and lonely and would like to hold hands or cry or run away.  And we don’t know where we are going, and we can’t seem to trust God–especially when it’s dark out and we can’t see him!  And he won’t go on without us.  And that’s why it’s taking so long. 


Listen!  The drum beat isn’t even regular.  Everyone is out of step.  And there! You see?  God keeps stopping along the way to pick up one of God’s tinier soldiers who decided to wander off and play with a frog, or run in a field, or whose foot got tangled in the underbrush.  God will never get anywhere that way. 


And yet, the march goes on.

- Martin Bell

"The Efficacy of Prayer" by C. S. Lewis:

“God,” said Pascal, “instituted prayer in order to lend to His creatures the dignity of causality.”

Psalms

Read Psalms 90 and 91 this morning. And reflected upon them -- and oh, the promises held herein are enough to blow my mind.

Sometimes I find it really easy to read, read, read and not think, ruminate, dwell upon the Word. (Eerily similar to how I go, go, go and do, do, do sans introspection on motivation and purpose and goal. Probably related.) God, keep me from treating our precious Word flippantly. Help me to hold it in high honor, to meditate upon it day and night, so that I will not forget your character and your promises. So that I can really and truly trust in your grace and provision, leaning on your constancy and faithfulness in an uncertain world.

For you are God from everlasting to everlasting.

I am nothing but dust, all my days naught but a second.

Teach me to number my days aright, that I may gain a heart of wisdom.

Satisfy me with your unfailing love.

May your favor rest upon me and establish the work of my hands for me.

You are shelter, refugee, fortress, savior, protector, rescuer, deliverer.

May I acknowledge you, trust in you, dwell in you, love you.

May these words be hidden in my heart. May they be true.
And may today be a day of thanksgiving and grace and remembrance and love.

Oh kiddos

Kids say the ca-raaaayziest things. But, oh, how this made me laugh =)

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(credit: picture from tumblr)