If I could ever praise Him

This being good friday, it is a lot rougher this year than other years since I just passed through a season with my own father's passing. I do have the comforting things from him such as slacks and shirts and ties and the like. But I like to hold onto memories. Yet those are not the tangible things that I can touch like I can touch a letter from my dad or his favorite shirt or tie or jacket.

As I reflect on the love of Jesus as he came into the world as a man disguised as God for his growing up years. Except people knew and heard of his unusual birth to a virgin. Being conceived by the Holy Spirit. Not the usual things that happen in day to day birth announcements.

I wish that I was not confined to a mortal body but had the body where I could be focused on praising Jesus forever. There are times that I would rather hunker down at my computer and try to beat myself in a high score of Scramble. That in a way makes me a little bit like the pharisees who were narrow-minded in their focus on God. I would rather not be like that.

Help me Lord to be more focused in my worship of you so that I can be a Berean like follower who searches out the Holy Scriptures awaiting for you to jump into my life to make it brimming and full of joy indeed!!!!!

May the Glory be fully be made to God on High.

Yet, my dad is able to fully comprehend everything now that he has shed his mortal body and is going to be able to see all that he may not have fully comprehended or indeed have heard while on this mortal coil.

Trudging through the Snow!!!!

I am going to be trudging through about a foot of snow tomorrow. hey, I am much stronger than the wary flakes that are going to be falling from above. I watched and observed a magical Thursday morning when some of the flakes were furry and some were in the diamond shape. I enjoy seeing them fall. On that particular morning, the snow falling had an even heat with the east and the westerly directions coming down at the same pace.

I held my hand out and caught the flakes that fell into my black felt gloves. I never watched the snow fall into my hands like I did that morning. Maybe that is a small fringe benefit of being a commuter on three bus lines. I have the time to observe little things like from time to time.

Yet, when many of the flakes gang up on me, the combined effort will be much more than I can individually handle and I will be overcome. So I will have to take it one footstep at at time to get through the journey~~~


Enjoy and make a splash in the melting snow puddles!!!

Time to tame the elephant into the cage

This is the year to tame the elephant into their cages at work and at home so I can be more productive and focused in my life.

touching the hand and face of God

Many painters from Michaelangelo and others during the Renaissance have tried to represent the hands and face of God. I would love to be part of that reality now touching and being present with God in the every day. Just as Michaelangelo was laying below the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel or really a cathedral as I think about it.


What he expressed was a representation of what he saw in God. What are your thoughts on what God is like. I'd love to know.

For I do know that God has been experienced through the hearts of the writers in the Bible.

Joseph and Mary's commute

The christmas story has a very long commute in it with Mary and Joseph and Jesus having to travel through the desert.

For in my long commute, I have certain deadlines to meet; a 6:30 bus, a 6:50 bus and an 8:08 bus. Yet, with the family of Jesus they took a little longer to move around and not at a scheduled pace dictated by the department of mass transit.

For I learned that wisemen traveled two years. At first my worship pastor said two hours, and that is like my commute. But two years takes a little longer. And to look up and head towards a star and by faith even before that star arise. To head in a direction that God led them to.

And the three wisemen brought the right gifts along, not ones at deep discount or from standing in long lines, but ones that met Jesus's needs perfectly.

So merry Christmas to everyone and a good night of peace as well.

The ARK

I watched parts of the movie, Evan Almighty. It gave me a cheer to see how a modern day senator becomes Noah as he listens to God even as he gets mocked in front of the assembly. at the end, the angel of the Lord or the Lord himself writes in the earth, ARK for acts of random kindness. In this movie, it showed how we need to stick together in the toughest of times to become a family. The angel even said that you have to learn how to do the dance of life.

I also shared in response to a friend saying life is humbug as I said " you need a bah in front of humbug. Yet, bah is what King David tended, that is sheep. And Jesus is the Great Shepherd, a descendant of King David. So, I saw Bah to whovever wants to respond that way to Him. And I am glad that I did not really mean bah since you brought me around to the real meaning of the Holiday of Jesus even if you are building some new constraints and parameters for me to walk in this faith journey.

Thank you Lord for giving me something to laugh at and to be in your household of faith.

And thanks for reconnecting me to a classmate through a simple response to someone's post. Lord, i only wish I could friend you and have you instant message me back. NOw that would be cool!!!!!!

But you left your messages already in the Word of God and in my Spirit. I just need to poke and prod through them more closely!!!

The Mixing Bowl

Under the counters in my kitchen there are many mixing bowls that I rarely use. I have them stacked with the biggest one on the bottom and I nestle the others within it. Almost like nested dolls.

I was at the holiday concert of the Bridgeport Symphony and I heard the spiritual, He has got the whole world in His hands. As I offered up a small humble prayer for an individual I barely know, I realized that God mixes them up on our behalf. Through the use of the Holy Spirit collectively and separately as well. For He makes something beautiful out of them.
And when I look at our experiences on our earth, our earth looks like a mixing bowl. Just as I have watched dishes being prepared with mixing bowls and on rare occasions have used them myself, the heat of the oven shapes the raw material into something tasty.

Our experiences can be raw but in the heat of His love, He will shape it into something wonderful for people many years from now.
For He does have the earth as the mixing bowl in His hands
shaping and redirecting the world for our betterment.

peace.

scott

Integrity

Humility

generosity

three very unique words with a connection. to be explored later.

from Rick Warren and a friend starting up a local church at the Seaside in
Bridgeport next year.

The ADVENTure

this is the season of advent. Or another way to put it...advent ur ous living. A time to begin anew the walk in faith and also to belong to it in community. When I reflect on the way that God brought about the holiday of Advent, He bore Jesus through Mary at the time of Easter, a time of springing forth and renewal of the earth. A time when seeds must die in order to be brought to life and then on Christmas, Jesus was born to the Blessed Mary to renew the cycle of life and death.

For this Christmas, it is a tough time being down to just mom and not dad. For dad has become part of the very basis of how he started- as dust returns to dust. Or as some movies put it, star dust, the stuff of wonders. That is what I would rather call it.

so I will get on my sled and take the adventure. Avoiding the trees and pushing from behind the sled with snow soaked gloves as I propel the sled forward. Getting some of the white wet snow clinging to my hands, already slightly numb from the deepening cold. Seeing the breath hang upon the winter air. Oh to be a kid again. But now I have the maturity to bless others and understand Him much more deeply. Or times to barely grasp the essence of God at all.

Peace and blessings to the reader. As you live out the advent season. Heading toward Lent as well. To this lent life from Him above.

scott

for a good laugh

For the most challenging of tasks I had to tackle tonight, it was the opening of the cough syrup bottle. What normally takes 20 seconds took almost 30 minutes. I had to pry the bottle with the scissors some, placed it in the dishpan , in a glass of warm water and even used one of the rubber jar grips. I even as I was trying to unscrew the cap, took the skin from my hand and even the prescription label came off. Definitely child proof and even adult proof. so much for trying this at 11;30 at night.