Astounding

Nobody said it would be like this.  Maybe those who know are going on being astounded by even more astounding love, so they are too busy to say.  Actually, Steve Avant acted like this was his experience of grace, but I did not want to believe him.

Look.  I get a call that historically sent me.  Now, no send.  Just good questions to ask and good actions to take.  Then a soul at rest.  Then knowing...knowing what to do next and when, and all a soul at rest.  Then having acted, among other souls, still a soul at rest and still knowing what to do when, at rest.  Favor and grace at every turn.  Clarity of mind, absence of fear.

This is Kingdom living.  Thank you, Father.  Please keep me astounded.  Please continue to give me opportunities to receive love and give it away.

Resting in Christ is proving to be flawless. Running through the dark city streets being beaten by the watchmen but continuing to seek the Lover of my soul is the only right course. When my companions doubt my sanity;

Have you met my good friend Maria
The craziest girl on the block?
You'll know her the minute you see her
She's the one who is in an advanced state of shock
She thinks she's in love
She thinks she's in Spain
She isn't in love
She's merely insane
It must be the heat
Or some rare disease
Or too much to eat
Or maybe it's fleas
Keep away from her
Send for Chino
This is not the Maria we know
Modest and pure
Polite and refined
Well-bred and mature
And out of her mind! (Stephen Sondheim)

I know I am on the right track. I continue to be devoted to sitting at His feet when there is work to do.

Thank you for continuing to teach me to serve You in the manner which you desire. Please continue to make this passage available, and transforming our feet to conform with your path.

Doctrine is Hard To See

The Heart is beating, beating, beating. Right here. I approached and I got swept up in those arms. I got pulled in close. It is a closeness that is never found in human society. There are close approximations. But there is only one Holy Embrace. And it is the very best distraction.

I was trying to think about doctrine, but I got too close. I fell into the gravity well of Love. I was not trying to stay away from my Beloved. I just was not trying to get near. But there I go thinking about doctrine and the divine, and before you know it my head is lifted and there is no resistance. My face is plastered against Him, and he is soaked with my tears. This is the one place that was made for me, so I can rest. This is the safe stable place where nothing is missing. It takes so little effort to enter the presence of the Most High, now that the veil is rent. Now that the blood is spilled.

The really, really cool thing is that He can hold me, and He can hold you. He can hold us both right in the center of His attention, and neither of us is short anything. And neither of us notices the other. Father, you draw me and you catch me. You let me listen to you breathing. Thank you.

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I've got the wonderful love of my blessed redeemer way down in the depths of my heart.

If my faith is not irrational, if my faith does not appear crazy to those on a different path, what is the point? I would rather appear wrong on the right path than appear right on the wrong path.

The only thing that matters is that Spiritual Fruit abound. It is easy to look crazy. It is impossible to bear fruit apart from intimacy with the Spirit. Craziness will not bring me to the Spirit and produce fruit...but intimacy with the Spirit and bearing abundant Fruit will look crazy. People apart from this faith do not love like Jesus, are not joyous like Jesus, are not in peace like Jesus, are not patient like Jesus, are not consistently Good like Jesus, are not always able to be kind like Jesus, are not Gentle like Jesus. When the narrow way is observed from the broad way, there is no doubt that the one on the narrow way is just loonie. At the same time, the fruitfulness of the life of faith is visible too. Another contrast as well is that the life of religion bears something different from the life without religion, but what it produces is not Spirit Fruit.

Spirit Fruit, expressed out of me by the living sap of real life inside, is the indicator of the right path. But Gods love looks mad. Not when there is an occasional expression, but when the flow is generous and persistent.

Oh, to be thought mad by the loveless. Oh, to be thought a cornucopia by those who hunger and thirst. Amen.

Resources

What a stunning thing. There are parts of me that are done for the day. And maybe rightly so after a couple of hours of exposition. But at the same time I feel so much like a king's kid. The surface gets worn away and the core is revealed. I am so strong in Christ. The foundation is unshakeable and not subject to storms. I may forget to stay on it, but it is not going anywhere.

When you go walking in the Wild, look for parts of me dropped along the path. In fascination and adoration of the Great King, I do not miss them. They are parts of me that are not needed for clinging, leaning, trusting and following,

Father, thank you for believing in me.

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Exotic. Human. Novelty. Attractive. Attention-drawing.

Nothing is love but love. Many things are interesting, fascinating, rare. None of them are suited to sustaining life here in the Wild.

Lots of self flagellation over being distracted by these things over and over. They were not by themselves. For every time someone said, "turn from sin" there were as many or more who said "turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

I guess it took time and circumstance to point out that there was only one fountain.

It is not the last cigarette. It is the first free breath.