Wednesday, October 27, 2010

the heart. it melted, til it could be seen no more.

"in missionary enterprise the great danger is that God's call is effaced by the needs of the people until human sympathy absolutely overwhelms the meaning of being sent by Jesus. the needs are so enormous, the conditions so perplexing, that every power of mind falters and fails. we forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary enterprise is not first the elevation of the people, nor the education of the people, nor their needs; but first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ - "go ye therefore, and teach all nations."

when looking back on the lives of men and women of God the tendency is to say - what wonderfully astute wisdom they had! how perfectly they understood all God wanted! the astute mind behind is the Mind of God, not human wisdom at all. we give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the Divine guidance of God through childlike people who were foolish enough to trust God's wisdom and the supernatural equipment of God." -oswald chambers; my utmost for His highest.

photo credit: xraygary. :)

Sunday, October 17, 2010

dear heart,

dear heart, today was another day. tomorrow will be another.
in each i beg of you to grow and change.
in each, i beg of you to rearrange.
dear heart, we received good news today.
our dear friend grace had things to say...
it looks like he's coming. and he's coming back to stay.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

love is a mix tape vol. 8

fences claim they can separate
the ownership of landscape
and the street lights shine
and the sprinklers run all night
behind suburban walls and tall gates

but a breeze decides
if a seed will bloom or die
scatter out and multiply
and when rain comes through
to tap dance on my roof
i'm stuck but i am satisfied. to stay in.

oh river we are grieving, we've lost surprise here
our fruits are out of season, we sell them all year
we flee from fear.

and the days grow long
and sunshine is our song
the hot light makes our skin tight
and the house stays warm
so we sleep on the porch
and hope the stars will stay in our eyes
through winter

oh river come and take me
and make my eyes new
i'm tired of resisting
i've tried to bend you
we're afraid to see the blue lines
lead to the blue sea
cause we spend all of our time
trying to be something. more than something.

but there were fireflies in brooke's backyard that night
we fought the hot july in brooklyn with white wine
and to think that i'd been spending all my time
believing i decide what falls before my eyes
all we're after anymore is self control.
but we have to trade our wonder for it, we grow cold.
oh river, wash me deep. down to the sea and let it wash me over.

-joel p west; we sleep on the porch.