Let me see (a poem)

Let me see

Let me see again the light
Give to me that sacred sight
That these fast passing days I might
Thru the night walk aright
Before the Light of the world

Ecstasies let my mind know
Let my eyes see let my heart grow
My sweat, blood, and tears flow
As I bow this clay body low
Before the Light of the world

I've loved flesh and pride and gain
But not when I see the lamb I've slain
Beams of joy from wounds of pain
I drink the wine free as the rain
Before the Light of the world

I saw how your own did not receive
Your testimony would not believe
Knew not the Father either and were deceived
Dared even in anger to seethe
Before the Light of the world

I see the wages sin imparts
The aimless hate and broken hearts
The children all are torn apart
And the kings are still searching in the dark
Before the Light of the world

I long to see the latter days
Sun of righteousness with healing in its rays
On every groaning nation displays
Every knee bow and every toungue praise
Before the Light of the world

I read John 8 http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=John+8 earlier in the day when I wrote this.

And I had this song in my head http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TgzTfume2c they kind of go together. The song is not exclusively Christian., but does have allot of Biblical imagery.

A Psalm in a shack

My Wednesday started out a total drag. I hardly slept the night before. Exhausted I made it to work slightly late. My shirt was wrinkled and this was noticed by my superiors. It was a pretty unpleasant experience for me when others noted my faults and they were right about them, I had no one to blame but myself, and I was still half asleep. Due to my shabby appearance my duties for the day were relegated to a shack. But a shack can be a very nice place. In fact as soon as I found out about the move I took it as good news. There is a lot less you have to deal with in a shack you know.
So there I was in the morning over 7 hours left of shack time ahead of me. I still wasn't feeling particularly "spiritual." That is when I remembered some of my own advice, "When we don't feel like a praying that is when we need to pray the most".
So I thanked my Lord, I confessed my sin, and I made my petitions.
Then I thought about worship. God is worthy of my worship in all circumstances,and often exalting the greatness of my God lifts my spirits.
So I looked to Psalms. I was thinking maybe my old fave 145 or something around those parts I settled on 143. I read it over a couple of times, said it out loud, and kind of sang it. I was struck especially by Vs. 7-10:

7 Answer me quickly O Lord
It is good for us to call out to God urgently. This prayer is recorded in God's word as an example for us. Although we must also have patience; this request is the righteous reaction when we find ourselves overwhelmed by dire straits. In fact this should be our first reaction instead of reacting in the flesh to cry out to God. In all our pain and confusion we are to cast ourselves upon our only hope i.e. The mercy of our God.
My spirit fails!
What is meant here by spirit? The spirit in this passage is that which gives us the ability to continue. It is our strength. It is our will. And at times it is entirely sapped. So we call out for God's quick action on our behalf. We are at the end of our own strength we need God's help. This can apply either to our internal struggles with our own sins or an external struggle. In either case the source of our strength is one and the same God. Oh that we would be conscious of our weakness more often and come to our rich King for help. What a God he is a God that doesn't take from his servants, but gives to them from his own strength.
Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
I hear in this line. Lord pay attention to me. Do not ignore me. Do not treat me like those whom you do not love. Turn your eyes upon my tribulation. Lord See and let me know you see. Lord care and act. Don't let me fall. Lord redeem my life.
8 Let me here in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.
The hearing here asked for is more than just physical hearing with the ear. It is more than the acknowledgement of a fact like The garbage truck comes on Wednesday mornings and God loves steadfastly. No this is the hearing only those whose spiritual ears have been opened can possess. This is similar to God's face turning to us. It is an intimate knowledge. It is a knowledge with an emotion of contentment. It is the assurance and reassurance of my Lord's love for me. It is ancient news that is new every morning (Lam 3:22). A comfort in the midst of trials and inconsistencies. I fail. I have wrong motives. I'm irresponsible. I'm proud. I'm critical. I love but not enough. I pray but not enough. I try bu not enough. Yet my Lord loves me . This is a comfort that only those who truly call upon God and trust him can know. That is why it says, "for in you I trust". This is a fountain for the friends of God. I trust him. I surrender my life to him. My future is uncertain, but it belongs to God, and I believe he will care for it. I desire to hear of God's Love because my hope is set in him and not in another.
Make me know the way I should go,
What a prayer of humility this is. I don't know which way I should go. I ware myself out trying to find it. Make me know they way. Lord I am the sheep and you are the shepherd.
for to you I lift up my soul.
To you in worship as an offering, and in surrender I give my whole self. In affection I lift myself to approach and adore you.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! I have fled to you for refuge!
Tee opposition is to great for me. The people, circumstances or thoughts that would do me ill are to great for me to stand. I have come to hide in you O Lord for cover, safety, and deliverance.
10 Teach me to do your will for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!
It is interesting to note that David wrote this Psalm. I suppose it must have been written in a time of real literal violence. Perhaps when he fled from Saul or Absalom. Yet in the midst of this conflict what does he ask for specifically? He asks for teaching. He asks for leading. How precious is wisdom. It is more valuable than money, horses, chariots, or weapons. To make the right decision is what is of the most value. In all of our circumstances we may see our physical needs, but what we need first is wisdom the wisdom from above. This requires God's good Spirit or the Holy Spirit. We need him to empower us and to guide us. We must set our minds on the things of the Spirit. And we seek from the Lord to set us on the level ground. The straight and narrow path. We desire straight paths for our feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. We want to be able to march on to the goal, and for our journey to end in victory.

Our hope is in the Lord. My Wednesday improved.

The Selfish Giant

Thursday I was tutoring at the learning center. Around 5 I had a slow stretch. All of the kids appeared to be on task and need know assistance. So I looked around for something to read. We mostly have children's books around of course. I found some short stories by Oscar Wilde. I had read two of his plays before "The Importance of Being Ernest" and "Salome" and I liked them both very much.
The story, "The Selfish Giant" surprised me on two levels. The first was that I didn't know Oscar Wilde had written children stories. The second surprise came towards the end of the story so I'll save it for closer to the end of my post.
The story is about a garden. It is the Giants garden, but he has been away. It is a beautiful garden where children play on twelve peach trees. When the Giant returns. He kicks all the kids out. He says shi garden is for him alone. He puts up a not tresspassing sign. With the children gone the Spring weather ceases. It becomes cold and frosty all the time. Hail bangs on the Giant's house. Even when it is Spring, Summer, and Fall everywhere else it is always Winter for the Giant.
One day the Giant hears a bird singing in his garden. He looks and beholds that the children have snuck back in and are playing in the trees. With them of course spring has sprung.
So far in my reading I'm thinking. OK nice fairy tale; nice fable. But its so simple. I might as well be reading some other children's book. I might as well have picked "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" of "The Cat in the Hat."
Back to the action. There is one corner and one tree where it is still winter there is one boy there crying because he can't get up the tree. The Giant is cut to the heart he repents of his selfishness. He will from now on open his garden to the children. The Giant went out and lifted the crying boy into the tree. The tree blossomed the boy huged and kissed the Giant in joy.
The Giant now loved all the children, but he loved best the one he had put in the tree. But he did not see him for years as the others came and played everday.
One day again he saw him. The boy was by a tree with silver fruit hanging down. When he came down he saw that the boy was wounded in his palms and his feet.
The Giant said,"Who hath dared to wound thee?" "tell me, that I may take my big sword and slay him."
And the story ends with this:
"Nay!" answered the child; "but these are the wounds of Love."
"Who art thou?" said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and he knelt before the little child.
And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, "You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise."
And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.
What Wilde accomplished with this tale was to hit the targe at which all short stories should aim. There is one moment one climax. In this moment we are struck with emotion and it wakes us up.
I was surprised to see such a vivid picture of the Gospel written by a man who was not a believer through out his life (although according to wikipiedia he converted to Catholicism on his death bed). In fact from what I've read it appears that Wilde himself was quite a worldy hedonist. Actually, come to think of it, everything I've read of his seems to have an interest in Christianity. Sometimes a mocking interest. Some times an apreciation of the aesthetic beauty of the revelation even without a belief or commitment to it.
Certainly in the Selfish Giant he gave a touching allegory of salvation and of Christ.
See how the Giants selfishness kept out all of the light and joy. Like the natrual man unable to see the glory of God. Dead in sin, "passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another."
Then he is giving eyes to see. He beholds the beauty. He has new eyes and a new life. His regeneration precedes his repentance. On belholding the Glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus he is stcurck by his own sin. He turns away from his selfishness to serve the living God.
Then there is the child. The suffering Christ crushed for Giants transgression. Who never the less gives him his love and his joy. The child who brings him safely to a greater garden than the Giant could ever give. The child who carries a Giant to Paradise.

The Silence is Killing Us!

This post is about Reverend Walter Hoye II. Walter's story is not being told in the main stream media. This is a story that should be heard and should be important to Christians, to Black Americans, to White Americans, and to anyone whoever resided in their mother's womb. This post will mostly consist of Reverend Hoye's own words.

On Thursday, January 15, 2009, the
Rev. Walter Hoye II, an African-American
pastor from Berkeley, California,
was found guilty of unlawfully approaching
abortion clinic clients at a
clinic in nearby Oakland. He is also
the plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging
the constitutionality of the ordinance
under which he was prosecuted.
Walter is an African-American pastor who
feels a special calling to work for the end of
the genocide-by-abortion that has been taking
place in the African-American community.
As part of his pro-life ministry, he stands
in front of an abortion clinic in Oakland with
information offering alternatives to abortion
and carrying a sign reading, “Jesus loves you
and your baby. Let us help.” On May 13, 2008,
he was arrested for allegedly violating the
newly enacted law.
On the day in question, he was confronted
by an escort from the clinic, who later
accused him of approaching her in a hostile,
intimidating manner. Fortunately, a video was
being taken at the same time that disproved
her account and confirmed his. Nevertheless,
he was convicted.

Walter was sentenced to 30 days in jail, and just got out of Santa Rita this week.

The following are his words:

The Silence is Killing Us!
By Walter B. Hoye II
The silence in the black American Church
regarding the evil of abortion is killing us. The
numbers reflecting the impact of abortion in
the black American community are horrifying.
From 1882 until 1968, 3,446 black Americans
were lynched in the U.S. over a period of
86 years. Today, that many black babies have
their lives terminated by abortion every three
days. That is 5,500 times as many black
Americans as were lynched in 86 years!
Today, 69% of pregnancies among black
women are unintended, but the abortion rate
for black women is almost five times that for
white women. Indeed, a black baby is aborted
every 72 seconds in America.
The fertility rate for black Americans is
currently 1.9, which is below the replacement
level of 2.1 according to the U.S. Census
Bureau. This means that black Americans are
no longer replacing themselves.
It has been reported that the abortion rate
for black women is 543 abortions for every
1,000 births. In other words, a black baby has
less than a 50:50 chance of being born alive.
Yet black American political leaders continue
to support the pro-choice movement.
Why?
Why did ninety-six percent (96%) of black
America vote for our new President Barack
Obama, a man who supports abortion, the
very action that is taking such a huge toll of
the black population? The total number of
black abortions has reached 19 million since
1970. That is more than six times the black
population of New York State.
How can that be in the best interests of
the black community in America?
Why are black American leaders afraid to
acknowledge how dangerous the President’s
support of abortion is?
Are black leaders too uninformed to be
outraged that for years he has been supporting
and is being supported by the Planned
Parenthood Federation of America, Inc.
Planned Parenthood is the leading provider
of surgical abortions in the United States
and, therefore, the leading terminator of the
lives of black Americans.
Is it possible that black Americans really
believe the product of a human father and a
human mother can be anything other than a
human being?
Do black Americans really believe a man
or a woman has the right to kill their child?
Can it be true that black Americans really
believe it is best to allow our babies to be
physically dismembered and sucked out of
their mother’s womb into biohazardous waste
bags because their parents income is below
the federal poverty level?
Do black Americans really believe that the
reason a black woman kills her child is because
she understands the value of an education,
the benefits of a job, and the responsibilities
of parenthood and family life?
Do black Americans really believe that if a
black woman does not have the love and
support of a man, she should consider terminating
the life of her baby?
Do black Americans really believe there is
a “time and place” to suspend the constitutional
rights of our offspring?
The statistics of abortion would say “yes”
to all of the above, As a black American pastor,
I am ashamed of the black Church’s unwillingness
to openly, publicly and forthrightly
challenge the morally reprehensible impact of
abortion on the black community.
According to Day Gardner, President of
the National black Pro-Life Union, abortion is
the number one killer of black Americans.
Abortion kills more black people than cancer,
heart attacks, stroke, HIV-AIDS, accidents,
and violent crime combined.
Yet our pulpits, if not supporting prochoice
leaders, have been criminally silent on
the issue of abortion.
They have been negligent in providing
tangible and practical help such as Post
Abortion Counseling and Education (PACE)
programs. They have neglected preventive
education for young people to prepare them
for the challenges of young adulthood. Men,
women and families have been deceived by
the lies of a pro-death society and hurt by a
rabid abortion industry. The right to know has
taken second place to the “right to choose.”
Sadly, they are not alone in this. A great
many other Christian and Catholic churches
share this scandalous reticence to speak truth
to power on this most important issue.
Yet, God has ordained every man of God
to serve the spiritual needs of the present
age. The Lord has given him the power to
speak truth to the hearts of their people.
In the black community no one has more
influence than the Pastor; and yet, brothers,
we have willfully allowed ourselves to be
deceived by our own self-interests. Abortion
is clearly a moral issue. The Word of God
requires us to stand up and speak against it.
In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his
“Letter from Birmingham Jail,” wrote:
“Whenever the early Christians entered a
town, the power structure got disturbed and
immediately sought to convict them for being
‘disturbers of the peace’ and ‘outside agitators.’
But they went on with the conviction that
they were ‘a colony of heaven,’ and had to
obey God rather than man. They were small in
number but big in commitment. They were too
God-intoxicated to be ‘astronomically intimidated.’
They brought an end to such ancient
evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests in
which the end was death.”
Let us face this new year without fear.
Let us humble ourselves and seek God’s
face.
Let us repent of our sins and ask God to
forgive us.
Let us, like the early Christians, boldly
choose to obey God rather than man and
bring an end to abortion wherever it exists.
* * *

more info can be found at:

http://www.issues4life.org/

More on home work or maybe Moron home work

Two months ago i made a post about how to think about home work Biblically. Well I haven't exactly licked procrastination since then. That is why I'm kind of a Moron ;) ;)

I think that my post was correct but lacked an element. And that is action. I/you have to actually do the work. Read the chapter write the paper etc. Even if it feels like drudgery and like it's our effort we act. Later we can thank God for what he alone enabled us to do.

I think a fuller explanation of the whole process has been described by John Piper with the acronym APTAT. I recalled that I had heard about this previously after actually doing some homework earlier today.

The below article is about APTAT. This very practical for Christian living, and can of course be applied to other, and more important things, than homework.

By John Piper March 14, 1983

Here is a reminder of last Sunday’s message. The terrible mistake of the Galatians was that they were trying to advance in the Christian life “by the flesh.” They had been bewitched into thinking that they could begin by relying on the Spirit but then could be completed only by tapping the resources of their own will and effort. But Paul said it can’t be done. “If you live according to the flesh you will die” (Romans 8:13). You must be completed in just the same way you began: by faith not works, through God’s Spirit not your flesh (Galatians 5:5). “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
So the big question is, how? Practically speaking, how do I obey God so that it is “not I but Christ in me” (Galatians 2:20)? How do I work in such a way that my effort is not a “work of the flesh” but a “fruit of the Spirit”? How do I serve Christ in such a way that what really happens is that he is working for me rather than me for him? “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45). And the honor and glory of God is this: that “he works for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4).
I asked Dana on the way home from church last Sunday, “Do you think many church people bother themselves with those kinds of questions? Are Christians concerned about whether they try to obey God by the flesh instead of by the Spirit?” He said, “The danger is pretty subtle. You hit close to home when you said the Galatians Heresy is, ‘God helps those who help themselves.’”
I hope after last Sunday we will all be very concerned with how we try to obey God. Remember the mark of the Christian is not how far you’ve come in sanctification, but on whom are you relying for sanctification? The Spirit? Or your self (= flesh)?
I know I have much to learn in this area. But this acronym is where I am right now. Here is how I try to live so that I will be able to say: Not I, but Christ. When presented with a new day or with a moral choice…
A - I acknowledge that without Christ I can do nothing (John 15:5; Romans 7:18).
P - I pray that God would make me love as Jesus loves, and work in me all that is pleasing to him (1 Thessalonians 2:12; Romans 5:21; Hebrews 13:21).
T - I trust the promise of God’s help and strength and guidance (Isaiah 41:10; James 1:5, 6).
A - I act in obedience to God’s word. Doug Heil asked me last Sunday if Philippians 2:12 fit my acronym: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”? I said yes, because look at the ground clause which follows: “for it is God who works in you to will and to do his good pleasure.” Yes! Yes! We act. We obey! But what keeps this action from being a “work of law” is that we have acknowledged our helplessness, prayed for enablement, and trusted that precisely in and under our working and willing it is God who does the work! Therefore our act is a fruit of the Spirit not a work of the flesh.
T - I thank God for whatever good comes. I give him the glory (1 Peter 4:11).
One last thing I would have loved to emphasize Sunday if I had had time: the phrase “hearing of faith” in Galatians 3:5 implies that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). So we must give ourselves to hearing if faith is to happen day by day in our hearts. Meditate on the word day and night and you will become like a tree planted by streams of water. You will bear the fruit of the Spirit.
APTATing,
Pastor John

Trippin

I went to the OPC youth snow rally at Leland Meadows. It was a great experience all and all.

Things kind of got started on the wrong foot literally. After work I picked Penelope up in Hayward. We had already packed everything the night before. Just one problem. Penelope's Mom had insisted on seeing her snow boots earlier. Which did not pose a problem in itself but Friday afternoon she was busy so I picked P up from a neighbors house, and had no access to her apartment. And no access to the boots!!!

This circumstance was understandable she had stuff to take care of that afternoon that even I would agree were a higher priority than the boots. But to be honest I was furious about this boot situation. I was in a bad mood the whole way up. Now I had to by a pair of boots costing both time and money and where was I going to find them? And didn't everyone understand how much effort I'd put in to planning this whole trip out?

Actually I'd been anxious about the trip all week.

What I didn't realize at the time and wouldn't until later was that I had made a much bigger and more preventable blunder myself in trip planning. More on that below.

So we set off slowly in traffic.

I figured we'd be able to find snow boots at a store once we got closer to the snow.

Our first attempts were in Oakdale.

Super Kmart strike 1

Payless shoe source Strike 2 I guess thats why they don't call it boot source

Big 5 (I thought this was a lock although probably over priced) Strike 3

You couldn't by a snow boot in Oakdale if you $1000 cash and $2000 worth of Subway coupons. What a town.

At this point I was acting irked with P.

When we had got all the way to Sonora (where the church was we were staying at) we hit TJ Max No luck. But they directed to that great haven for all weary travellers WAL MART.

And Wal Mart as usual saved the day. We got boots, socks, and received probably the best customer service I've ever got in my life. You just can't find people like that around the Bay Area.

The guy in the shoe section was very friendly. First he apologized for not having proper snow boots. Then presented a good alternative: Gollashes. He even made a joke when I said "15 bucks that's a good price" he said, "and you get a right and a left for that so its 7.50 each". He explained that Gollashes would be OK with the proper socks. And he was an expert on sock material.

I meant to just start off mentioning the boots briefly but this is running kind of long.

Any how problem solved.

At about the same time we were at Wal MArt something occured to me. I had been so preoccupied with having the right clothing for the snow that I hadn't brought anything for us to sleep on. I knew we were going to be sleeping in a church building. What did I expect there to be beds? What a Bozo? I wasn't going to purchase new sleeping bags at that point though so I figured we'd rough it for one night sleeping in our clothes.

Once we got to the church things took a turn for the better. We had a good worship service. I always enjoy worshipping God in circumstances different than my norm. And there was even a sermon on on anger. Go figure.

That night P made out better than me with sleeping arrangements. One of her new buds let her use a blanket.

I slept (barely) on the floor wearing one jacket for warmth and using the other one as a pad (kind of) with my back pack for a pillow. Oh well most times I can't sleep anyway when I'm not home even if there is a bed.

At 4:43 am I woke up for the last time. I went into the hallway and read the Bible by the bathroom light. I read Titus and Psalms 16 thru 20. Something struck me about 18:1:

I love you, O Lord, my strength.

David refers to God as his strength. Actually dependence on God for strength, victory, and deliverance is a repeated theme in the Psalms that I've probably read about a thousand times. What struck me this time though was how it relates to something else that has been on my mind.

That is the Fear of God. I confess that I often don't feel a fear of God, and that I think I aught to.

What struck me Saturday morning, sitting outside of the little boys room marked "sons of the King", was that David was dependant on God every day for strength, and if I depended on God more I would fear him more. If I really recognize that withoug God's help I can't accomplish anything (literally) I would fear him more. Another post on this later perhaps.

So Saturday Morning before breakfast I went for a little walk near the Church. Sonora is such a pretty town. I would love to live somewhere like that someday. I think. There is a Christian School there that is also a thrift store. How charming. There is a trailer park right next to the church. I wonder what they charge for space rent. Just a day dream. For now anyway my commitments are here in the South bay.

I had a good talk over breakfast with a guy from the South San Francisco Church. We were surprisingly like minded. And he had some insights about stuff in the Presbytery.

Then up to the snow. It takes about 40 minutes to get from the church in Sonora to Leland Meadows. The drive up was great. The roads were clear and there were awe inspiring views of the Sierras from the 108. You know when you have to keep your eyes on the road, but glance over and see the valleys, the pine covered mountains, and the snow and it's so awesome then you swerve out of your line a little bit then back to the road. It was like that.

I have memoires as a kid driving through similiar mountains and being able to look out the window non stop while listening to Beatles songs. Love Love me do. Although that was probably on the way to Tahoe further north.

This made me want to listen to some classic oldies I didn't have any Beatles so I played the Supremes on the MP3 player.

The snow play was great. The actually snow was just OK. It was icy not fresh. But I'll take icy snow with clear roads over glorious powder and having to dirve through it at least on this trip. Penelope had a great time. She's seen snow once before on our somewhat disastrous trip the winter of 05 into 06. This was the first time she really got to spend a lot of time playing in it though or did any kind of sledding. We hiked up the little hill and slid down on our inner tubes. One high point was that you are allowed link together with other people and a couple of times we slid down the hill with almost 20 Presbyterians linked together on innertubes. But then we couldn't hold together and as Presbyterians tend to do we split. Me & P stayed together though which we also tend to do.

I think I might have travelled faster on the inner tubes then I have before on skis. I'm not sure. On an inner tube you try to go as fast as possible and do nothing to try to slow yourself down. On skis if I were going that fast I'd probably snow plow to slow myself down or turn or end up falling over.

And at about 3 we were on the road again. Praise the Lord that I was somehow awake enough to enjoy the whole day and drive home. The drive home was Fabulous too. I really love driving long distance accross the valley. There are few things I enjoy more than driving on the 205, with some good tunes on in the background, seeing the fields and the mountains in the distance under the big sky. I like this even better than hiking or jogging. I think this is because when I hike or jog there is big focus on my own effort in the activity. Where as seeing the clouds and the faint pink beginnings of a sunset crusin down the hiway all I know is God's good creation.

Then the 84 thru Livermore and the memories of all those Fellowship Dinners and everything looks and feels so good, and then rolling into beutiful Fremont on the 680 and then home.

God is good to drop big blessings on an anxious little squirrel like me. Blessings so big I can't see my way out of them.

Those who fear him have no lack

There and back on a tank of Gas...

Christ cannot be weighed

I read this last night in "The Loveliness of Christ" by Samuel Rutherford:

"Convene all the lovers before your soul; and give them their leave, and strike hands with Christ, that thereafter there may be no happiness to you but Christ; no hunting for anything but Christ; no bed at night (when death cometh) but Christ; Christ, Christ, Christ, who but Christ? I know this much of Christ, he is not so ill to be found, not lordly over his love; woe had been my part part of it evermore, if Christ had made a dainty of himself to me; but God be thanked, I gave nothting for Christ; and now I protest, before mean and angels, Christ cannot be exchanged; Christ cannot be sold, Christ cannot be wieighed."

What an astonishing use of semi colons.

This what I think he meant in the parts that don't sound like English anymore (although I could be off):

"Convene all the lovers before your soul; and give them their leave":

Stop loving anything but Christ.

"he is not so ill to be found,":

Christ does not make himself hard to find.

"not lordly over his love":

Christ gives his love freely he doesn't guard it or keep it from anyone who seeks it.

"woe had been my part part of it evermore, if Christ had made a dainty of himself to me":

I would have been miserable forever if Christ had been more discriminating, and not given his love to me.

BTW: This is not a hard read. The Old English can be confusing, but you don't have to translate it page after page. There are just short passages. It is a selections from his letters. The longest of them are about your average paragraph. So you can read as much or little as you want.

I've found it beneficial. You have to keep the main thing the main thing as they say.

Towards a Biblical Theology of Homework

I am a chronic procrastinator. I am aware this is a common ailment. I don't think that because it is so wide spread that makes it a small problem. I rather think it is a huge problem that is affecting (or effecting I'm not sure; maybe I'd know if I didn't procrastinate so much) a huge amount of people. And I know for myself, at least, it is very damaging in many areas of life. It seems that I get caught in this cycle where doing my homework (or whatever task) causes me some anxiety so I put off doing it. The more time I put it off the less time I have to get it done which of course causes more anxiety. Then after putting things off to the last minute I get really freaked out. Then some how (by the grace of God) more often than not I pull it off. What I produce by pulling it off at the last minute is undoubtedly of lower quality than what I could have done had I not procrastinated. Also this is an emotionally and spritually painful process.

I believe that the root of the problem is that I am viewing the task wrongly to begin with. So then the problem is one of perspective. This is what I think my perspective should be:

I have a task or tasks to do.

There are only three possibilities:

1. I may do them poorly.

2. I may do them well.

3. I may not do them at all.

(Of course there is a lot of middle ground and subjectivity regarding “poor” and “well” but for the purposes of this exercise I think these categories are sufficient)

No matter which of the three I do the following is true: God is good, and is good to me in particular, and will continue to be good and good to me.

To whatever extent I do the tasks, or do them well, it is all by the mercy of God.

And I should pray.

The Homework prayer:

Lord

Apart from you I can do nothing.

Be merciful to me by reminding me of your goodness.

Be merciful to me in guarding me from fear and anxiety.

Be merciful to me in guarding me from the temptation to avoid work.

Be merciful to me by helping me think.

Be merciful to me in helping me to complete the work well.

Be merciful to me in reminding me that all I've done is by your mercy.

Amen.