disciple

There is a big difference
between being close to people who love Jesus
and being close to Jesus Himself.
  
I can certainly learn from people.
 “He who walks with the wise, grows wise.”
(Proverbs 13:20)

But if I want closeness with Jesus,
I won’t find that
in following anyone
but Jesus Himself.
He is the One who must be pursued.

~ Lysa TerKeurst

Philip

Children,

a gift from God,

a blessing,

a promise of a future.

God of mercy, grant us wisdom to guide their footsteps toward You.

prn

Pro re nata

From Wikipedia, 

the free encyclopedia:

Pro re nata is a Latin phrase
meaning "in the circumstances"
or "as the circumstance arises"

that's my job title.
no kidding.
i finally looked it up
to find out what i do.
;)

i fill in
as needed
in patient registration
at the local hospital.

prn.
as the circumstance arises.

really? do i never check my draft folder?

checking my draft folder, i found this unposted post from. . .mm. some years ago.

this is the precious son-of-my-heart.

timely

"there is an appointed time for everything.

and there is a time for every event
under heaven--

a time to give birth
and a time to die;

a time to plant
and a time to uproot what is planted;

a time to kill
and a time to heal;

a time to tear down
and a time to build up;

a time to weep
and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn
and a time to dance;

a time to throw stones
and a time to gather stones;

a time to embrace
and a time to shun embracing;

a time to search
and a time to give up as lost;

a time to keep
and a time to throw away;

a time to tear apart
and a time to sew together;

a time to be silent
and a time to speak;

a time to love
and a time to hate;

a time for war
and a time for peace. . .

He has made everything
beautiful
in its time."
--solomon (ecclesiastes 3, nas)

tears or laughter,
each beautiful
in
its
appropriate
time.

i desire
fervently
to face head on
each circumstance
which time brings--
to fully feel,
to fully think.

oh, heart,
do not evade
or escape
or numb
or distract yourself
when faced with pain or pleasure,
but experience the full beauty
of each
and every
exquisite
moment.

stability

when pain crushes the heart
and threatens to numb the mind,
when profound grief
and anger
and anguish
and betrayal
beat tempestuously,

where is stability?

in his steadfast love
he is my rock,
solid and stable.

unscripted

when joseph's brothers 

came to egypt the first time. . .

 

God didn't send him a text 

or a memo 

or even a dream 

to warn him,

"today 

those 10 guys 

who wanted to kill you 20 years ago 

are going to show up."

 

he swore (more than once) 

"by the life of pharoah" 

what he was going to do to them.

he was serious.

 

they had wanted to kill him

for no good reason;

he would have been justified

if he wanted to kill them.

 

they had caused him to be a slave for over 20 years;

in justice, he could have enslaved them all.

 

instead, he told them 

that their situation couldn't be resolved 

unless one brought back their brother.

 

then he imprisoned them. . .

for three (short) days.

after which he summoned them.

 

and he said to them,

"do this, 

because i fear God. . ."

 

and i am just so relieved

to see that God put him in a position

where he

was forced

to react instinctively,

and he didn't know immediately how to react.

it was a li'l messy.

yes.  

it was.

but he took the time he needed

and focused on God,

and because he did that,

his response was much more lenient 

than what he had initially decided.

 

God didn't give him a chance to prepare his script 

for what we would read about him, 

oh, thousands of years later.

 

what he did 

is what God wanted to showcase.

and in the end, he was speaking kindly to them,

and comforting them,

and showing us all 

that even though they hated him 

and intended to do evil against him,

God all along had been planning 

for the good of all of them.