A Weathered Perspective…Thoughts From The Pacific NW

And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”

Genesis 8:21-22 (New Living Translation)

Four things pop out to me to when I read this:

1. God smells stuff. And He likes to smell burning fat. It’s true. But hey, think about it; who doesn’t like bacon?

2. God is just. And our actions and choices obligate consequences, whether noticed, seen, or felt. Usually though they don’t go unnoticed or unfelt, or without consequences.

3. We are all bent towards corruption. We all need help.

4. God’s mercy on us is as great an attribute of God as His judgment and love. And our concept of that mercy should be as big as our concept of His attributes of judgment and love as well. God’s mercy continues to increase as time goes on. You will see this as you read the Bible. I can see it in my own life. You can probably see it in yours. I mean, look at the world we live in. I would say on a bulk scale, the world is corrupt. Yet God has not returned; yet. Nor has He eradicated the planet. But He continues to give opportunities for people to come to Him and receive His mercy everyday. He is waiting on us. He is calling us. And He even ultimately sent His son to solidify that mercy for us; eternally. And His greatest desire is for us to accept it.

God promises the constants He created in the natural world around us to remain (planting/harvesting, cold/heat, summer/winter, day/night). They are a reminder of the cycle of life. They are a set of paradigms that counter each other. They are each a new beginning. And they are also a reminder of the new beginning He offers each of us. It can be a new beginning of a new day. Or it can be a new beginning of a new life; in Him. Through Him, we all have opportunities for new beginnings, a change in the seasons. He extends them to us.

And we should extend them to each other.

You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I’m ashamed
There’s not anything to which you can’t relate
And you’re still here (Chorus)

What I resist, persists, and speaks louder than I know
What I resist, you love, no matter how low or high I go (Bridge)

-Everything by Alanis Morissette

Written, I believe, about someone who cares deeply for Alanis. Possibly someone who cares for her more than anyone she has known. This is such a rich and beautiful song; even though in her lyrics she describes many of the “ugly” spots of the human mystique. And we all share those ugly spots. We all have them. And these ugly spots are the areas in which we probably feel most vulnerable to others. They are the areas of our lives that we only allow certain individuals a security pass into our soul. And those that have that pass, we usually hold dearly. I think those ugly spots are what we see too often when we look at ourselves in the mirror each morning or night. They stare back at us and make us believe at times that the ugly spots are who we are. But we are not. Maybe some people feel they don’t even have someone who loves their ugly spots. Maybe when we hear that song by Alanis we like it because we dream of having what she is singing about; someone to love our “everything.” But there is One who loves our everything. He is with you in the morning and night while you look in the mirror. He is in the quiet. He is in the loud. He is watching you rest. And live. He knows your inner ugly spots. He knows your inner beauty. He created you! And it’s up to us to choose to see Him. I think you know who I am talking about. No, it’s not Santa Claus. It is the Lord of Heaven. The Creator. YHWH. The Bible tells us:

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous–and how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable!
I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!

Psalms 139:13-18

He has known us since in our mother’s womb? Now that’s almost too much information! But it sounds like God does know our everything. It says we are precious to Him. His thoughts about us are innumerable! He sees every part. And He is still here…

Rev 21:2 And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.

Rev 21:23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.

“The more you see the less you know

The less you find out as you go

I knew much more then than I do now

Oh you look so beautiful tonight

In the city of blinding lights”

City of Blinding Lights – U2

It is a new year. Many hopes and dreams are anticipated. Many hopes and dreams are left behind. I don’t know which thought receives greater consideration when contemplating a new year; what has happened in the past year, or what we anticipate for the new? One thought that is prevalent in my mind however is of Heaven. I probably am considering this because of my mother’s recent passing. And I know Heaven is where she dwells now. Although loss is hard and there is grievousness, there is something compelling in the heart when it happens that draws our thoughts toward eternity. The Bible tells us that God has placed the concept of eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Grief confronts us to this reality. And I think also that through sorrow, our heart is refreshed. The Bible tells us this too. It says that tears are better than laughter (Ecclesiastes 7:3). There is something very spiritual about sorrow. It is hard. And I would do anything to replace this emotion with the life of my mother back. But nonetheless, there is God’s goodness in the sorrow. Jesus experienced it. And maybe it is through sorrow that we actually have the deepest connection we can have as humans to our Savior.

I am drawn towards the vision of Heaven. I know this is where my life leads too. And anyone can have this assurance through faith in Jesus. Yes, it is that simple. And the verses above describe what awaits those who believe. And U2 even sing about it. I can’t think of a greater thought to dwell on entering a new year right now than that of an eternal promise; we will see God, and we will dwell with Him. My anticipation of this event comes in modes of comprehension. Sometimes I am fully aware of this fact. Other times I am focused on such worldly realities and the daily life. But I choose today to cherish this thought and the emotions it brings to me. I choose to cherish this fact that we will be in splendor one day too. I choose to recognize today that God holds a future for us. And that future is the greatest contemplation we could find ourselves immersed in…for one day we will be fully immersed in Him…

-n8p

Rev 21:2 And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.

Rev 21:23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.

“The more you see the less you know

The less you find out as you go

I knew much more then than I do now

Oh you look so beautiful tonight

In the city of blinding lights”

City of Blinding Lights – U2

It is a new year. Many hopes and dreams are anticipated. Many hopes and dreams are left behind. I don’t know which thought receives greater consideration when contemplating a new year; what has happened in the past year, or what we anticipate for the new? One thought that is prevalent in my mind however is of Heaven. I probably am considering this because of my mother’s recent passing. And I know Heaven is where she dwells now. Although loss is hard and there is grievousness, there is something compelling in the heart when it happens that draws our thoughts toward eternity. The Bible tells us that God has placed the concept of eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Grief confronts us to this reality. And I think also that through sorrow, our heart is refreshed. The Bible tells us this too. It says that tears are better than laughter (Ecclesiastes 7:3). There is something very spiritual about sorrow. It is hard. And I would do anything to replace this emotion with the life of my mother back. But nonetheless, there is God’s goodness in the sorrow. Jesus experienced it. And maybe it is through sorrow that we actually have the deepest connection we can have as humans to our Savior.

I am drawn towards the vision of Heaven. I know this is where my life leads too. And anyone can have this assurance through faith in Jesus. Yes, it is that simple. And the verses above describe what awaits those who believe. And U2 even sing about it. I can’t think of a greater thought to dwell on entering a new year right now than that of an eternal promise; we will see God, and we will dwell with Him. My anticipation of this event comes in modes of comprehension. Sometimes I am fully aware of this fact. Other times I am focused on such worldly realities and the daily life. But I choose today to cherish this thought and the emotions it brings to me. I choose to cherish this fact that we will be in splendor one day too. I choose to recognize today that God holds a future for us. And that future is the greatest contemplation we could find ourselves immersed in…for one day we will be fully immersed in Him…

-n8p

I am going to start blogging. I find some release in writing. I am better going at it old school with a pen and paper. But I am going to try this. I hope that this will allow me to connect with more friends and family in which we would value getting closer through words. I can share mine and you might share yours. Otherwise, I guess I will be just having a sort of online diary with myself. And that seems a bit odd; but whatever. This may end up being a short lived event. I am good at starting things, but the real test is continuing. I am like a serial entrepreneur. I do have the capacity to be consistent at things. And I believe as I have aged, I have become better at maintaining consistency. We shall see. Please extend grace. And I will continue to do so to myself. I am going to start blogging by just sharing thoughts on my daily devotions. Let’s see where it goes from there. I feel like I have a lot to say or share. Hopefully there will be some out there that may enjoy my ramblings and posts besides my self. Even if not, that’s okay. Maybe, as I stated earlier, this is some sort of self therapy. Anyhow, I will probably miss a day here and there for blogging, but I will do my best to try to update somewhat frequently. Okay, just who am I writing to here? I guess I am making an agreement with myself. I guess that’s a start…