Beauty?

Beauty...
The Mexican chefs praying over a young American girl who twisted her ankle.

Beauty...
Ashley, giving up her day even though exhausted, so that no one would be lonely.

Beauty...
Rachel Hardin on her knees before Jesus in the midst of a hurricane.

Beauty...
Casey coloring with the young girl across from our room, outside in the heat.

Beauty...
Erwin speaking with conviction and honesty, humbly cleaning the day before.

Beauty...
Heidi praising Jesus on the roof, cheeks stained with tears.

Beauty...
Dr. Sheets, broken hearted as she cares for sick prostitutes.

Beauty...
Johnathan speaking truth through frowns, allowing Jesus to change his heart.

Beauty...
Mr. Corona bending on crippled legs to tie Caleb's shoe, tears in his eyes.

Beauty...
Morgan, giving her shoes to a deformed woman after washing her feet.

You tell me that beauty is slender and blond, manicured and permed, dyed and accessorised.
But I'll tell you thats a lie.

I would much rather be lovely...
than pretty.
Beauty is a smile upon an orphans face; tears of grace, humbled hearts, praise in the wind. Beauty in brokeness.
"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting"
These things will fade, but the glory and fear of the Lord?

Beautiful.

Her heart

Journal entry July 08


Take her breath away with butterfly's and rustling leaves
sunsets and misty breeze,
clementines and moonbeam smiles
starlight and lily wiles

Than let crumbling brick and broken bridge
smoldering stick and ashes thick
break her heart and steal her gaze
imprint her flesh, soul ablaze

And let her know the reason for
this precious heart that you adore
impart a wisdom and a grace
inside the flesh, a sacred place


As mountain top and river flow,
adorn her cheeks with flush and glow
let broken beauty steal her heart
oh breath of G-D to never part.

The World is changing...

Journal entry written prior to graduating...

When the world go's black, there is hope.
There is the moon. bright brilliance in the night sky. Are we awed by the moon enough? The stars are "little hopes" because they are tiny resemblances of the moons glory.
Can they ever shine as bright?
will they ever be as significant? No.
And just as the stars go unnoticed unless they are really bright, deciples are worthless unless they are truely following Christ.
Why is it so easy to live without that light?

The world is changing...
I can feel it in my bones.
the very bones he breathed his life into.
The earth has grown shallow, full of nothingness. Stale air, facades of greatness with skeletins of dust. Bones bones! everywhere bones! people walk about in clouds of death and deception. suffucating in darkness they were tricked into thinking was how to live.
But the world is changing...
I know this! Because of the sound
Can you hear it?
Can't you hear it?
It's a ratteling of bones, many bones. Dry bones, hurting bones, dead bones. But there is a ratteling caused by you, stars who's light has grown dim. But your light is growing stronger, because Jesus is the moon and you have chosen to seek it, to look up as you bow down. And this ratteling? you're causing it! your prayers reverant or faithless bring a power and a hope to the dust. Jesus breathes into you, you are not your own. You have been given a new identity. And the ratteling?
It's the bones!
They are shaking and forming new bodies, facadless skin grows over the bones as you his deciples speak life into these shells. Embrace the power of G-D, accept his spirit!
The world is changing, I can feel it in my bones.
Oh these bones!

Love

Journal Entry: Written June 2008

Love is a battlefield.
I know that may sound cheesy; seeing as that is a line in an old song, but these few words are far from cheesy. They are a reality that go far beyond my understanding. I have been thinking a great deal about spiritual warfare and the battle that we constantly live in, whether realized or not.

I recently read a book "Waking the Dead" which gives great visual and incite to what this battle we are fighting looks like. This along with studying love in the Bible has lead me to those words which I no longer would consider cheesy... Love is a battlefield. Because love wins. love conquers. Jesus is Love. he lived love, he taught love, he breathed love. And this love beats Satan... always.

And Satan is angry. he will do anything to destroy, confuse, upset, uproot, undo and rattle anyone and everyone whether oblivious to the battle or fighting full-throttle. This enemy is brutal, but it cannot win. Not when love is our weapon.

Jesus says "take heart, I have overcome the world!"
My eyes have been opened to an ever present brutal battle. Something so huge that "Taking heart" seems like "ok G-D this is ridiculously hard, taxing, deathly, and unending! Take heart?!"
But then I could see it, taste it, touch it, feel it, breathe it.

Love

And I know...
Love wins. and so our weapon in this battle is love. The love Jesus modeled threw his life, the love Satan cannot kill, the love plainly penned in 1Corr. 13. TO fight with love? how could you not win? When love never gives up, cares for others more than self, doesn't want what it doesn't have, dose not strut or boast, dose not force itself on others, dose not revel when others grovel, is not rude or crude, takes pleasure in truth, perseveres, trusts G-D always, and keeps going until the end. "love NEVER fails"

As I was brewing Folgers this morning, I was overwhelmed with a scene from Harry Potter. In the book there is an intense battle taking place. In this chapter Dumbledore the wizard is fighting the villain Voldemorte. When Voldemorte is losing and cannot win he decides if he posses the boy whom holds Dumbledore's heart, than he wouldn't lose. However, when he enters the boys body he is in agony! HE is consumed by excruciating pain, caused by the love Harry's body holds. HE cannot live in him because of this love. The reason for the love in Harry is life laid down so that he might live. In the story Harry's parents sacrifice their life to save their son, forever binding him in the protection and power of their love. In the same it was with Christ. HE was murdered so that we might live. His blood covered us in forgiveness but above all... Love.
Therefore in this battle the enemy cannot win. I have realized that by arming ourselves in love, marching on our knees in prayer, and living out our hearts threw action...
we can show the world the face of Jesus, and in his book...
the battle is already won.

Love is a battlefield.

Are you ready to fight?