| An Appeal to Noise |

I stand below a stunning star-struck sky,
Yet I'm without adoration, I can't say why,
Perhaps the beauty of silence has been stolen,
Even the night screams out in terror, the stars themselves they cry.

I appeal to a world that had a Sabbath every night,
Yet turned its back on its rest in favour of a party life,
Where once a silent moment ruled for a period of time,
Now the Banshee rules from dusk til dawn, from light til light.

I walk a busy street and hum a catchy tune,
Yet small white buds in all ears prevent me from being heard,
I could yell, I could scream, perhaps one head would turn,
Only to shush me for my interruption of their noisy world.

I write, I blog, I appeal for a world to change,
Who even hears, better yet, who even cares,
This is but text alongside text beside text above text,
It's powerless until read, until heard, until the cycle breaks.

Yet starry skies are not alone the domain of silence,
Nor is night alone a Sabbath that we've long forgotten,
Take a moment, any moment, and stop to listen,
There is beauty in simple silence, beautiful peace abounds.

| A Moment's Contemplation of Posture |

There are days - not long forgotten or hidden, for they are days like today - that I see you clearly. There are moments in these days that understanding comes as naturally as breathing. There are silent whispers that are more fierce than a yell from a mountain top.

They are moments within the ordinary that are so far removed from ordinary that they ripple throughout my life with a message so grand. They are as though heaven itself has broken through.

Posture is of the utmost importance for moments such as these. It is the posture of our heart that sets us apart as those ready to hear and obey. It is a physical and emotional posture of being still. It is a mental posture of knowing just who God is.

For Psalms 46:10-11 says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."

| Learning From Poopy Babies |

There was a story that I was once told by a youth pastor of mine, oh some eight years ago. This particular youth pastor was a father at the time and so the story fit. He integrated this story into the message he preached and it has been a lens to which I look upon my spiritual life ever since.

The story was told packed full of nuances about this youth pastors baby son, for the bulk of those listening knew this particular baby. It was a story about a baby experiencing great joy and laughter while learning to walk, only then to fall and experience emotions that were polar opposite to the joy and the laughter. The child sought independence while learning to walk and although he experienced joy because he could do it without his fathers help, his father too experienced joy in watching his child grow. Then just as the child fell, there was an incredible need that the child expressed for his father. His tears and his pain called out to his father who of course came running to pick him up, tell him it would be okay, and that he loved him.

Such is the incredible relationship we have with God. He watches us and shares in our joy as we go about life in His presence. And the moment we fall and cry out to Him, He is there to pick us up, reassure us that everything will be okay, and that He truly loves us.

The story was twofold and the second part was equally as important to me for it spoke to the prodigal son in me. The second part of the story was more about the father and less about the child. Before this youth pastor was a father he was not much for messes. He never had an appreciation for cleaning up after someone else. However, his telling of countless times that he had to clean up after his son, and the incredible vulnerability his son must have been feeling, spoke once again about the dynamic of our relationship with God. For the father learned to love and cherish the moments that he was able to help his son. He found himself loving his child no matter what messy situation the child was in. How much more then will our Father in heaven love us in our vulnerabilities for allowing Him to be the one that cleans us of our messes.

I am still learning to live my life always in the presence of God, and that He is able and willing to take on any messy burden that I have. For He is truly a good God, and a great Dad.

| The Mystery of Mercy |

The greatest story ever told transcends many genres.

As a drama it tells the story of one who sought to change the world, his world.

As an action piece it tells of grand armies clashing, and gruesume death on the Roman cross.

As an autobiography it is God's story written for His people so that they would know Him, and know Him more fully than ever before.

As a mystery it is the story of the most unconventional king ever and how His mercy was manifested.

His mercy is a mystery; His love is undeserved, His faithfulness is beyond understanding, even His death and resurrection were entirely unexpected. The manifestation of His mercy is unconventional and, because of this, I reap the rewards.

It was the twist that no demon or devil saw, that no man understood, that the death of a king would burst forth a spring of living water for all to drink. It was life everlasting only days removed from tragic death.

I'm just glad to be a small part of the greatest story ever told, for I have been included in His miraculous mercy.

| New Car Smell For The Soul |

In light of my sister leaving this morning for Rwanda, I find myself inclined to think upon new beginnings and opportunities. She is venturing forth in faith for a year in a foreign country. She is not looking at this relocation as exile, for God is going ahead of her and preparing her way. He is the great provider of all things new.

Today I too have been given new opportunities, but it is how I choose to use them that is important. Paul writes about transforming ourselves from worldly to Godly in his letter to the church in Rome.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." -Romans 12:2

Today I have the opportunity to show my wife that I love her in new and exciting ways. I have been given a new day to sing praises to my God, attuning myself bit by bit more and more towards Him and His will.

Today, I choose to serve You God. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

| Reflections and Mirrors |

I am substantial, yet I know so little of substance.
I am real, yet I cannot always understand reality.
I am alive, yet my actions and attitudes harbour death itself.
I am flesh, yet my desire is to be something more.
I am spirit, yet I know not what this means or feels like.
I am a Christian, yet I would have followed the crowd and crucified Him.

I am a dualism, existing as both life and death, fallen and redeemed, sinful and covered by His blood, a slave and free.

I am not there yet.
One day I will be.

| Reclaiming Humanity |

Over the past year I’ve been told several times that I need to “own it”. ‘It’ is whatever it was that I was making excuses about, and therefore owning it means to declare it as mine, and then to deal with it. It comes so naturally to me to find other reasons and explanations as to why something has happened; making excuses comes easily for me. However, there is one excuse that I refuse to make for I find that it is not in line with my Judeo-Christian beliefs. This one excuse is formed in the phrase “I am only human”.

To say “I am only” – regardless of what follows – immediately speaks of limitation. It declares that something is not capable or able. Think for a moment about a mischievous child. Would it be beneficial for a parent to excuse the child of his behaviour by suggesting that it is okay because “he is only a child”? Surely not! Children are capable of both mischief and innocence. Likewise, to suggest that someone is only human such that sin is expected and even tolerated is just plain silliness. Humans are created with the capability for both good and evil. It is our human nature to walk with God as Adam and Eve did. For just as the fall divided us from God, the resurrection of Jesus Christ has given us a newly created opportunity for closeness with God.

Therefore, if we are redeemed by the resurrection of Christ, and created capable of goodness, why then do we associate our sinful behaviour with being "only human". We are so much more than the chains that bind us, and we should live accordingly.

| A year in Rwanda |

Check out my sister's blog as she spends a year in Rwanda teaching at Kigali International Community School

www.vickiinrwanda.blogspot.com