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This is a prayer that Jesus uttered concerning "glorification." "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with mine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was ... Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." (Easter 2010) "You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!" See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." (04/10/10) I am definitely going through the most difficult situation God has ever brought to bear upon my life. Those of us who love Him with all our hearts strive to know him and live according to His Word and by His guidance. First we seek to love Him ... so that we might begin to know how to love one another. We work at both simultaneously ... because we, by our plight, are dealing with both the temporal and the eternal. So ... we build ... here ... now. What I've come to see, really ... against my will, is that God can tear apart what we've worked so hard to "establish." The only thing I know for sure right now is that He is the author, the designer of the only plan that will work forever ... and the finisher. And so I achingly look to Him. I thank Him ... not for my work ... but for the work of His Son, Jesus Christ. And I pray for His Spirit to guide me through these dark days. I remain steadfast in my Faith ... which I know is most assuredly a gift from God. I will hold onto it with all my strength. Praise the Lord! (jrs 04/18/10) My world, as I have known it, is turning upside down. My prayer is that it is actually turning downside up! We, who believe, worship a gracious, merciful, loving God who has his eye on the Sparrow. I love and trust the Lord with all my heart ... even in this tempest. Let us pray. (05/10/10) Mercy me ... listening tonight to music. Here are just a few of the lyrics that moved me (Praise the Lord): "When you fall asleep tonight in your warm and cozy room, know that I'm awake and I've got no shelter and no food. I am not alone. My friends are broke and lost. Looking for someone to lead them to my cross. I need your help. I need your help. Won't you be my voice calling. Won't you be my hands healing. Won't you be my feet walking into a broken world. Won't you be my chain breaker. Won't you be my peace maker. Won't you be my hope and joy. Won't you be my LOVE." (jrs 05/28/10) Absolutely loving "The Generous Mr. Lovewell." I think it might be MM's best yet. Brown Bannister has done it again. I simply can't stop listening to it. Delightful in every way. I would love to see what Brown could do with Nichole ... or David for that matter. I'd offer the keys to Perelandra in a heartbeat to see that happen! Meanwhile ... hope is beginning to rise in a dark and dreary circumstance. My prayer is to all those who are suffering. (jrs 06/01/10) I am a guilty sinner. It's painful. I have tried so hard to be honest and true ... but I have failed at the most important thing of all. In my enthusiasm I have failed to LOVE. I have sought to know our Father even to the disregard of another's feelings and, thereby, failed to LOVE them. I have considered my own thoughts more than those of another and, thereby, failed to LOVE them. I am thankful that God loved me, a sinner, so much as to cover me by the blood of Christ. I pray that the Holy Spirit will help me see beyond the veil of self consciousness to esteem others greater than myself. I pray that my story might be one of living sacrifice and not accomplishment. I pray for forgiveness, restoration, redemption and LIFE in Jesus Christ alone. (jrs 07/13/10) Thank you Father for your relentless pursuit of our hearts. Thank you that as you "call us out" ... you give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Thank you that as you slowly lift the veil and we begin to recognize our true selves ... and each other ... we are beginning to understand our "membership." Thank you that you are breaking down the walls, as in the days of Joshua, where we have confined and divided ourselves for so long. Please continue to motivate your Saints by the prompting and power of your Holy Spirit ... to rise ... for we long for "thy kingdom come." (jrs 07/19/10) I'm just sitting here tonight ... wondering ... do you think every thing ... that has ever happened ... was meant to be? That's a tough question I know ... but still ... I'm asking in earnest. There is no question in my mind although I have pondered the concept for much of my life. Do you suppose God is really THAT big? (jrs 08/09/10) I saw you first. (jrs 08/10/10) Today has been a very good day. Long (like many lately) ... lots of laughter (Praise God), tiring (it's been hot out) ... hopeful (Praise God again) ... a little despair (what else is new?) ... great stories with new friends ... I guess maybe I'm trying to paint a picture as I "ramble." Music ... is certainly a place of refuge for me. It is the only voice I knew that sooths my soul when I'm troubled. Thank you, thank you. So anyway here I sit ... like many others I'm guessing ... struggling with various circumstance and pain ... and the "time it takes" to resolve issues. I had a wonderful talk with a friend the other night. We spoke of truth, hope and ... dreams. I'm looking forward to more conversation but in the meantime I pray that all of our difficult journeys clear sooner ... rather than later. I'm not sure about you ... but I would appreciate the rest. I pray that God has given us the strength ... and the fortitude to press on! (jrs 08/16/10) This evening I'm in Perelandra learning to play the Mountain Dulcimer! Believe it or not ... I've never learned one single tune on that instrument. Well ... I'm learning a tune I really like that was composed on the Mountain Dulcimer called "A Case of You." You can google it if you're interested. Also I found this tonight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFinPD8n1N8&feature=related That's my friend John (one of my inspirations) ... by the way ... awesome if you're reading this ... and I mean that. I have to get back to this fret board so I gotta run ... just thought I'd do a quick post. I Love You. (jrs 08/19/10) So what do you do with the wind and confusion? I, personally, wish I could dance. (jrs 08/21/10) Good Morning. For me ... it's 1:28 AM and I've been up for a couple hours. Sounds crazy, eh? Well, for me at least, Paul Simon phrased it well ("Still crazy after all these years"). Anyway ... I've been listening to instruments, working on expansion plans, typing, praying, rejoicing ... and reading. Got my headphones on and felt moved to post. Ok ... so it all started with one song which ... led to another ... then Solsbury Hill ... then Sledgehammer, etc. I hope you're getting the picture! Anyway ... there's more to hear when those headphones are on. By the way ... the moon is awesome tonight ... and the crickets. i love u. jrs (08/27/10) |