Blessed Be Your Name

I just got sent Matt Redman's 'Blessed be Your Name' by the lovely Miss L, and I realized that I'd forgotten how much I love this song.

So beautiful.

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

Because it's been such a long time since I've heard this song, I paid more careful attention to the words. This refrain hit my ear in a fresh way:

You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

My heart will CHOOSE to say.

Choose wisely :) And don't forget, whatever you're going through, you do have a choice in how you respond.

Obsession

David Crowder - Obsession

What can I do with my obsession
With the things I cannot see
Is there madness in my being?
Is it the wind that moves the trees?
Sometimes You're further than the moon;
Sometimes You're closer than my skin
And You surround me like a winter fog
You've come and burned me with a kiss

And my heart burns for You
And my heart burns... for You

And I'm so filthy with my sin
I carry pride like a disease
You know I'm stubborn, Lord, and I'm longing to be close
You burn me deeper than I know
And I feel lonely without hope
And I feel desperate without vision
You wrap around me like a winter coat
You come and free me like a bird

Prayer request

My friend's brother was in a massive car accident last night. Please pray. It doesn't look good.

A cost-benefit analysis

Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) [...] is used in the assessment of whether a proposed project, programme or policy is worth doing, or to choose between several alternative ones. It involves comparing the total expected costs of each option against the total expected benefits, to see whether the benefits outweigh the costs, and by how much.
- Wikipedia 'Cost-benefit'

This week, my church is participating in two different missions: one, by the sea, and another, here. Our youth group is running the one here, so tonight at church, we saw a few more youthful faces than we usually do. At one point, the minister asked them why they were participating in the week's activities, especially as they were giving up a week of their holidays to do so:

One: "'Cause I love working with little children."
Another: "Because we can teach others about Christianity and inspire them."

Then, someone: "'Cause God's worth it."

'Cause God's worth it.

The answer really placed the 'cost' of giving up a week holiday in perspective. It made me wonder again about my attitude... how I've been counting cost above benefit lately.

What comfort can be found in this short phrase - God IS worth it.

Amen.

How great Thou art!

You might not see him, because he is so small, but on the shore stands a man. A monk, to be exact.

I don't think we're meant to notice him.

He is not the focal point. In fact, he's looking away from us, towards the beauty of the elements, of the nature around him; and in so doing guides our own vision toward the enormity, the grandeur and the overwhelming beauty of the sky and the sea.

Moreover, we're told that he is a monk in the title of the picture. I like to think he's contemplating how the things he sees are such gripping reflections of One he cannot yet see. I like to imagine he knows God personally, and he's able to direct his praise to the One who has created all.

I love this picture especially, because it reminds me of who I am before God: nothing. In comparison to His eternal character and being, I am just a person who once upon a time for a splitsecond of an eternity stood upon a beach somewhere, in awe.

And then, I want to sing :)

O Lord my God! when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul! my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul! my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul! my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul! my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

PS I found this picture somewhere, on someone's website some time ago. I don't know what the name or the title is anymore. I'm sorry.

God continues His work

TheresALotThatNeedsToBeWrittenHereBecauseIveBeenPrivilegedToHaveHadSomeReallyGoodConversationsWithPeopleInTheLastFewDaysAndWithGodAsWellAsSomeReallyIntenseThoughtSessions:

StuffAboutMyself,MyInsecurities,MyDesiresAndAmbitions,MyThoughtsAndEmotions. StuffAboutGod,AboutWhatIThinkOfHim. StuffAboutPeopleAndHowIInteractAndPerceiveThem.

RealizingAllOfThisHasBeenFruitfulButCrushingAndOverwhelmingAndThoughtProvokingAndHumbling.

At the same time, God remains to be praised:

You never abandon what You have begun. Make perfect my imperfections.
- via St_Augustine's Twitter Account

I'm not where I want to be. But, hopefully, I'm not what I used to be.

Happy Fathers' Day

While trawling the mall yesterday, I saw a number of cutesy things to buy for Father's Day.

My favourite 'spotted' item, which I thought really apt for our relationship with God was a mug bearing the following words
"For someone who may be my father, but who I call dad."

Abba, Father.

afterthought: in sickness or health...

Having said everything I said yesterday, I must be fair and confess that in my arrogance, I only listen to God when I'm broken and on my knees.

in sickness or health...

Since second year at varsity, I've fallen prone to illness a number of times. In fact, in my second year and third year, I had sinusitis about 6/7 times each year (and each time I had to take antibiotics).

I finally figured out it's the dairy that's causing many of such issues, so now Life 2.0 is going a bit better. I still get ill quite regularly though.

In short, as one of my guy friends so earnestly remarked: "It's a good thing you're not living in the wild, 'cause otherwise you'd be dead by now. Survival of the fittest, you know?"

And this constant battle with my health has taken a toll that I didn't fully realize till tonight.

As I was sitting with the usual (headache, dripping nose, dripping post nasal drip, pressure in ears : the joys of sinusitis), waiting for prayer meeting to begin, I wondered why I never brought up my health as something to pray about it. Part of it was that I'm sick so frequently, it'd be a bit of schlep, but more importantly, I realized that although I have no doubt that God has the power to assure my eternal salvation, I'm actually not convinced about His being able to bring my physical body healing. When I get better, it's not 'cause I believe God has healed me, but rather the inevitable progress of the happy little fighter cells in my body.

But no, I told myself, I know that God has enough power! Jesus so clearly demonstrated this in the gospels, where he is shown to have power over illness, death, the elements, and people and spirits.

Then I realized that there's another level of disappointment within me: I feel now as though being sick is inevitable, and it's crippled my heart to the point where I don't think God cares enough to heal my physical being: That eternal life is enough, and so I should be satisfied with that. That I can't ask for more. That even if I were to, He'd say no.

What a feeble, sad, half-God I'm serving in my head, one that is clearly at odds with the loving, omnipotent Father in the Bible.

my way or Your way

If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.

- attributed to St Augustine on Twitter

Sanctuary

Sanctuary: [...] a right to be safe from arrest in the sanctuary of a church or temple, recognized by English law from the fourth to the seventeenth century.
- Wikipedia

"The church is full of weirdos. This shouldn't surprise you. The Rotary club won't have them; the athletics club won't take them. But the church - the church takes them all in."
- Frank Retief

Even though the church no longer legally provides sanctuary, it's good to know that the body of Christ still performs a role as a place of refuge, albeit socially.

What a glorious picture of grace.

the attitude of serving

You will certainly carry out God’s purpose, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John

via @CSLewisDaily on Twitter

Jesus' blood never failed me yet

I'm feeling a little homesick tonight, hearkening to a home I don't really know, but hope and pray for.

Gavin Bryar's Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (link to Wikipedia page here).

It's very simple - a clip of a homeless man singing the simple chorus "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet" that is gradually overlaid with instrumental tracks. It's very long (it unfolds slowly over 25 minutes), but a few verses are enough to be reminded of the simple truth:

Jesus' blood never failed me yet

Never failed me yet
Jesus' blood never failed me yet

This one thing I know
that He loves me so

[Watch/listen to the Tom Waits version here]

God is good. All the time.

“Lord, to whom shall we go?"

I've come to realize more and more that there is no-one apart from Jesus Christ.

In my despair, in my fear, in my hopelessness it is to Jesus I cling, desperately reminding myself and the emotion that tries to sinfully wrest me away from Him that there is no-one else who can compare.

Sometimes I do not follow Him willing. Quite often, my sinful self wants to rebel. More often than not, I do. But I cannot turn away completely - because I am helpless without Him.

I cannot turn away - because He is all I have.

I cannot turn away - because without Him, I am nothing.

Why?

Simon Peter says it best.

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

- John 6:66-69