Can It Be True?

Can it be true?
That I would find a girl like you?
A beautiful flower all for myself,
So precious and innocent, saved for me?
How can this be?

I know it is true.
Your beauty is great and runs through
your face and your hands and your heart
So pure and lovely, I can hardly stand.
And I’m your man.

From The Blue

Sometimes I like to write to you
And make a poem from the blue
to make you smile
and all the while
I think “I’ll end up smiling too.”

A Basement Brother

I’m living with a man who is living in my laundry room
It sounds a little sad, but it’s not as though I want him to
It’s just that he’s not wanted in a room.

He seems to be quite happy in his hellish holding quarters
His desk is made from tables and he hasn’t any drawers
And I feel like there is something very wrong.

If no one ever noticed that he never does come up from there
I think that we would walk around not knowing if he’s clothed or bare
And ignorant I’d always want to be.

Now for my friend I’ll always have great feelings of great love
and while he plans to leave us soon, I hope that God above
will keep us right beside each other
No replacement with another
but that we will always be good friends.

Happy birthday Brian.

Conversation Preparation

I was thinking about this on a walk last year
I can go for hours without ever speaking, yet still communicating
that just promotes my behavior of living in this surreal reality dictated entirely by my expectations
where I’m never surprised
and it makes it easy to withdraw into myself
or step back from reality while “I” keep doing whatever it is that I’m doing
but it sucks
so I started talking to myself (on my walk)
And I talked aloud, because I hadn’t for so long that day

I wish I was saying this, rather than typing it
it gives you practice for actual social interaction
where you can’t edit yourself
I like to edit myself
I do it all the time
with almost everything I write
but that’s poor preparation for a conversation
you need the real talking to get better at not needing to edit yourself

that is a good point
and it’s beautifully written
I loved that line
“poor preparation for a conversation”
it rings with awesomeness
and I didn’t have to edit it

What I’m Praying For

My Shepherd Group

That they would see Jesus clearly in the Gospel according to Mark. That this small group planting would be a blessing to each of them. That the pains and frustrations and anxieties they have will be assuaged in Christ. That my sin would be kept from harming them.

My Small Group (of 8th graders)

That they would really love Jesus, and know Him in a saving and fulfilling way. That they would see Jesus in me and the other leaders. That they would grow up to be men of God.

My Neighbors

That the girls would be safe, and that our house would love them well. That America and her children would be safe and feel welcome in the neighborhood. That we could get to know Danny and Lisa, and the tin house. That Jason and Amy would feel blessed by having us across the street.

My Roommates

That we would love each other in real ways. That Ben and Tristan’s affections for the Lord would rule their affections for their girlfriends. That Brandon would be a blessing to Tobias and would grow in wisdom. That Brian would find a day job and be satisfied with being in Minnesota.

My Family

That my sister would find a wonderful job in Colorado, and that she wouldn’t feel as far away as I fear. That my other sister would find enjoyment in her job and she would not get towed anymore. That I would have more opportunity to spend time with my brother; I’m so thankful for our relationship. That my parents would continue to love each other more and more, and I could be closer to them than ever before. That my grandparents would be healthy and have a saving relationship with Jesus. That my aunts and uncles and cousins would know Him too, and the cares of this world wouldn’t grow up and choke out their fruit.

My Soul

That I would receive correction well. That I would enjoy the Lord more and more every day. That I would find a woman who I can love and care for with the love of Christ. That I would care more about others than myself. That I would pray more and more.

December Reading: Why We Love The Church

Good book, but I lost my interest and ended up skimming the last half. It highlighted many problems people have with church, but those of us who already see these issues and love it anyways may find the book unengaging toward the end. This book convinced me to stick to nonfiction that has stood the test of time, because a fine test time has turned out to be.

My take: read it if you’re having doubts about organized religion.

November Reading: The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes

I decided to revisit this ever so clever series to break from another book I was reading. Refreshing and witty, Sir Doyle continues to amaze me. The ending is sad, which is surprising the first time through. I read the collected works in middle school, so all this is a repeat.

My take: so clever and cunning, with dashes of brilliance to take the edge off. Then he dies. (oops, spoiler alert!)

Take A Walk

One of my favorite quotes is from an article by David Murray:

Here’s a test: Spend one day surfing the Internet and spend another roaming your neighborhood. See how many good dinner table stories you have after each. There won’t be a contest.

Yesterday I walked to the Convention Center. In that one half hour…

• I saw Tom hitting up Abraham for a job shoveling his walk.
• I chatted with Tom as we headed down 11th. He told me all about the places he goes to shovel, what folks give him for it, how he gets new clients, etc. He’s a very talkative fellow.
• I walked past a drug deal in progress. One guy says “why don’t I just buy from him?” “It’ll be 20 minutes, just wait.” I kept walking.
• A man asked me for money.
• Another guy, who was likely mentally hindered in some way, walked across Franklin with oncoming traffic. They stopped and honked, while he talked to himself about how people need to be aware of where they’re driving.
• A woman was walking her dog, talking to it in a really high pitched voice. She went down about 3 octaves to say hi to me.
• A business man glanced at me, and walked on.

October Reading: Frankenstein

Through the eyes of a young adventurer in search of the North Pole, we hear the tale of Frankenstein.

This is a story of perfect joy brought to complete despair. Victor Frankenstein is one of the more respectable, hardworking, brilliant, blessed men you will ever read about. In a fit of genius and shortsight, Frankenstein creates life. But instead of being a beautiful thing, this life belongs to a monster who plagues all with pain.

My take: a brilliant story, and an excellent read.

How Much Would You Pay?

Would you pay $500 so one person would know Jesus in a saving way?

How about $1000?

How about $5000?

How about everything you make in a year?

Would that be worth it?

2 years and $720 later, 6 people now know Jesus.

Support missionaries.