Enough

Familia de Mayo Carta de Navidad

DELIGHT!!! 

Delighting in the Lord above ALL ELSE. That was our focus given to us as a family last year end. Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." And what a theme! I thought it was going to be fun, and somewhat easy on a shallow level, but doable. Man! I tell you, that Heavenly Father of ours is ALL Knowing & ALL Powerful, but He indeed has a way and it is perfect! Now, when I say "perfect". I do NOT by ANY MEANS imply that it was fun, by any means easy, and at all possible to complete. BY ANY MEANS!!! In FACT! It was the total opposite! IT WAS NOT FUN! IT WAS NOT AT ALL EASY (shallow or deep), IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE (on my own)! But, I tell you whaaattt (in my Brenda DeWalt voice)----[That's Brenda]

It was GOOD and it was GOOD for me. IT WAS GOOD FOR US!

2013 Highlights

January
Joseph and I began our third month in the beautiful state of Colorado!

Joseph left his position as Associate Pastor at a church.

Tamika flew to California to share in her FIRST EVER  ladies' retreat, with some awesome ladies in which I have known for for years, but for the first time, met in the flesh! It was AWESOME!

Tamika turned 37, hey now!!!

The Body of Christ surrounded us like I have never experienced before. We were the blessed ones, for sure. Thank YOU ALL. You KNOW who you are!

Joseph began looking for job and we began hosting Bible Study(Matthew) in our home, weekly.

February, March, April

Continued surrounded by Body of Christ...
covered in prayer, daily

Joe found part-time work at Target working four hours, two-three times a week!
Continue Bible Study in home...it was good time in the Word with great people.. Also had lots of Coffee dates with the ladies (Tamika, of course) and Ladies' study Beth Moore's James Study

Visited St. Louis for a week at the beginning of April.

Began attending new Church, The Landing Place regularly (our safe haven for sure)
Sidenote: We did attend Denver Friends for about a month or so, but was a far drive! They loved us well there, too!

May
Joseph began his new job at LEVEL 3! It's Always All God's doing when He blesses us.

Granny & Papa visits!

Bible study concluded for summer

July-October

These months here, were some of the toughest months! EVER! Especially the summer. It nearly took us out or so it seemed! Dry and deserted. Lonely. Depression. Confused and Unwanted. Just a few words to describe them. Pressing hard to DELIGHT in the Lord! To be honest, it became easier ONCE we knew HE is truly ALL we had! He became "sweet" to us. A DELIGHT! When we mentioned His Name. (Please don't take this lighter than it sounds, it was a pressing in. Gagging on carpet fibers kinda thang!) ALL though we were far away from our closest brothers and sisters in Christ, we felt loved MOST! God was ever nearer!

August

Visited Rebekah in the Springs, sweet

Had sweet times with the Bokelman's dinners, tea dates, and watching funny youtube videos. Melinda you are precious to me. Who would have thunk us together!

Curran turned the BIG 6 (His golden Birthday)

 Our friends Holly and Andy dropped in! it Adventurous!  Golden is beautiful.

Shawn and Jules moved away to IOWA! (Happy for them, but sad for us)  [Met weekly and watched Psych]

September

Met the PERFECT FRIEND FAMILY EVER!!!! (Eden, Holly, Sarai, Zion)

A Sweet visit from our dear friend JEFF McKinney

We drove to Arnold's Park, IA to candidate for a Pastor's position. Fell in love with Marvis, Allen and the entire congregation!

October

My mom turned 60!

Amber turned the BIG 9 (Her golden Birthday)

Joseph & Tamika Celebrated the BIG TEN! Heck yeah!!!

WE GOT A CALL TO PASTOR IN IOWA! Everything began to make sense!

November

Grateful for Gia And Jerry for loving Duke like their own! We love yall!

Moved to Arnold's Park, IA.. I didn't say see you later to my Melinda! ;( Joe to his Nathanael! Joe and Nathanael met weekly for months discussing Scripture and making each other cry!

Granny, Papa and Willie(3) and Melanee and the boys(SURPRISE) drove up for Joseph's Co-Mission as Pastor of Light of the Lakes Church!

Brooklyn turned the BIG 8!!!

December

Joseph turned 33!

Had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends here! IT's cold here. They Want to take us ice fishing #Rescueus!

FARKLE is our new game! It can be dangerous!

Welp!
It is just THAT simple!
It would appear that God set.us.up. Perhaps. WE do KNOW this. We have learned that delighting in our good and great God does not come easy! We LEARNED HOW TO DELIGHT IN HIM ABOVE ALL ELSE! It ain't easy. But! It can be done with the help of our Helper He left with us! Who leads us into ALL Truth found in Christ Jesus! In Jesus Christ we find love and much needed grace. Hope! Our Hope against Hope!


I so wish I could mention EVERYBODY who prayed us through, paid our bills, kept us fed, just plain ole loved us! We praise God for everyone who has been in our lives theses past months, years, and forever... Divas (you know who you are!) God knows. He has seen your selflessness.

God has been Good To US!

Delighting in HIM Above All Else!

Global Mindset, Common Core Standards & Discipleship

Okay, so how does DISCIPLESHIP, GLOBAL MISSIONS, & COMMON CORE even begin to relate?  

What is Common Core? 

Government controlled, state(really federal) education for every child in the country. It is an implementation of standards of education beginning from K5(Really, shortly after birth if allowed. Remember the proposal for PreK). - your Career. 

Yes I said, career. "An integral part of Common Core Standards is the development of a national database of student-specific data.  Included in the database would be detailed information about learning disabilities and academic records collected soon after birth until college graduation." [http://stopcommoncorenc.org, "Are Home-Schooled students safe?"]

There is no opt- out button for CC. It's no wonder there are so many Public school  are now supportive of Home School groups, etc. 

I know, some may get tired of me mentioning this COMMON CORE stuff but it needs to be in your ear and mind so that you may fully understand what the implications are for you and your children, especially if you: HOME SCHOOL, PRIVATE SCHOOL,  and are a BELIEVER!!! (If your child is being taught 4x3=11, and that this is the correct answer as long as you can 'explain it a way' how will this effect how they read and understand Scripture, etc?)

CC standards has influenced a change curriculum for reading, math and science, thus far. For example, "close reading". The student is to ONLY read emancipation proclamation, for example, without reading what led up to it being written and what happened after it was written. It's sort of like putting a book so close to your face when reading that you only see the few words in front of you. IMAGINE, if this is the case when reading the Word. Anyway, I digress. This is not my WHOLE POINT in sharing this, so let me get to it.

I do have a link, here, (If you are looking for George, he's in the here,CLICK on it)for a THOROUGH insight to COMMON CORE and all that is involved. It. will. blow. your. mind. 

Why do I share this? 

Well, I share NOT to impart FEAR, although I KNOW some may go straight there..but for awareness and that you would remain ON YOUR KNEES and to promote SHARING JESUS!!!!! Because really ONLY JESUS can change a mind, heart and destiny of someone's soul.

ONE facet I like about the Common Core, Global initiative is that, all though with NO good intentions, it wants the world to think not in nationalistic terms but in globally. THAT is AWESOME! Only if it TRULY was for the COMMON GOOD of the people.

Honestly, we do NEED MORE believers, disciples who are WILLING  to enlarge the KINGDOM OF GOD. We need more followers of Christ that are not just city-minded, America- minded, and personal-destiny minded- but possess a Global projector for reaching the World for Christ, beginning in your own JUDEA. 

I mean, really WHAT IF WE LOOKED THROUGH THE LENS OF THE BIBLE rather our own self imposed view of the Christendom!

Let's get out, plant seeds and send more workers out to do the same. Who, in your 1000 ft. range can you reach? The Lord is working in the unbeliever, next to you! BECAUSE he or she has placed them in your path... SET the STANDARD, in your neighborhood, city and beyond with the ONLY true CORE: JESUS CHRIST! 



Disclaimer: To become TOO consumed with issues as such as this could point to immaturity as a believer. So, I am NOT consumed nor do i want you to be. ONLY SHARE JESUS!

The NOW!!!

Isn't it funny how the Word of God reveals your heart?

It CAN and it just DOES.

Reminds me of 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." Profitable meaning it is to my benefit, it can be used. (Glory to God) Sometimes it reveals and confirms those things in which we are doing for the Lord. The atta-girl! And. Often times, there is the revealing of the Yucky Stuff. EEEWWW!!! Yep! Been there, will continue to go there as long as I am on this earth. Hopefully, less and less though. We are suppose to progress. But, this  last Sunday, I had a little bit of both. I had an overwhelming confirmation as well as a you need not to worry about the the stuff you are worrying about. (reproof) My heart just burned. I wanna believe it was similar to what the disciples(who didn't realize it was Jesus at them moment) described when Jesus walked with them on the road to Emmaus(after His resurrection) and explained to them all that happened since Moses and the Prophets and "interpreted Scripture concerning Himself" to them. Then, once they were sitting at the table, He broke the bread and gave it to them and their eyes were opened! (I love that!) and Jesus vanishes. And as it is written in Luke 24:32 "They(the apostles) said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” THAT'S THE WAY I FELT Sunday, sitting in church with the U-G-L-Y (YOU AIN'T GOT NO ALIBI) CRY! I can't explain it any better this example here in Luke. And if you have experienced similar, you know what I am talking about. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, you won't forget it.

In light of the past 11 months or so. My heart and my mind has been through significant H & Ls...oh, highs and lows, sorry ;). Some due to my own stubbornness and disobedient ways and other times having to do with others and their issues. This (plural) has caused me (and my husband) to fall harder on my Savior and tuck myself even tighter under the WORD of GOD. But, yet still I have had this roaming question in my mind... and I (we) grappled with it, and grappled with it, took a break and then grappled some more...it just never leaves my mind. Even as my husband and I continue praying through some decisions right now, the question keeps coming to mind. When we put it to the side, it slips back in our conversation. (For good reasons, I am sure... God doesn't waste anything)--  So as I was sitting at church,  sandwiched between a sweet friend named, Brenda and my dear husband, Joseph, the pastor pulls out this Scripture. (Ok, it was listed in bulletin, so I looked it up and read it and I was like OHHHH!!! BOI!!! like all gangsta n' stuff- in my head though) But, as this Pastor was coming to a close in his message and in the context with Scripture references he read it and he painted a picture that mirrored our current situation and I could not use my eyelids as a dam any longer..tears just burst out...I couldn't wipe them fast enough you hear?! Now, my husband is rubbing my back (eewww, stop :) and Brenda, hits me on my leg and laughs a "Ha!" And I'm like for real, stop it! [That who 3 seconds reminded me of the older women wearing the nurses hat (never understood that) in church with the fans trying to fan the tears away]....I am thinking to myself Lord, what are you doing?  For REALS! What are you showing me? What are you telling? and...I'm praising Him at the same time, saying "I don't know what you are doing."

Nevertheless, I was NOT really bothered by my friend nor my darling husband. Not one bit. The Holy Spirit was revealing His Word to me and His plan to me in that instance. I promise, I am changed forever by this moment.  You see, for some months upon months, now, I have been trying to figure out the
'why' to a lot of things
                          and the "what do I do with this?'
                                                                    and the "what do I do with this now?".
It has been stressFULL! I am convince in more than one way, we REALLY don't NEED to KNOW the WHY.
                  Nope!
                          We don't.
                                        We just need to trust Him.
And in this moment the Lord answered my question by giving me some reproof.. letting me know He does not approve of me worrying and fretting and doubting. He affirmed that I need to do what I know is my responsibility as a follower of Christ: make disciples of those who are willing to stay and hear the message I have about my Savior.
Whether, I am struggling financially, I must SHARE JESUS, whether I am overflowing with funds, SHARE JESUS! Whether I feel I am alone and friendless (not true by the way), SHARE JESUS! Whether I am hurting, SHARE JESUS! Whether on a road less traveled or one congested with traffickers, SHARE JESUS! Whether I feel all things are well with me or not, SHARE JESUS!...
Our situations or circumstances,
                                     DO NOT CHANGE our KINGDOM RESPONSIBILITIES. They do not!
Sort of brings Paul to mind when he wrote to the body of believers in Philippi, "I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." Philippians 4:12 MSG

I was also encouraged and a heard a 'you're did well' and 'this is where it's at, in Me, and you didn't leave Me' (even though I know I wasn't/am not perfect). But, that's what I felt and heard my sweet, heavenly Father showering me with, ALL in those few minutes.
                                                                                                    CHECK IT OUT....
I know the Lord has great plans for my family and I, in His Kingdom, a midst His Will. But, my question was finally answered, in how to deal with the NOW!!! Check it out. It's so simple:

"Seek the welfare of the city to which I have caused you to go in exile, and pray to Adonai on its behalf; for your welfare is bound up in its welfare.’"

                                                                                                                  ~~~Jeremiah 29:7 CJB

Quite a bit of us are in places or situations we DON'T WANNA BE IN! So, what are you (and I) gonna do about it while we have TODAY? 
                                                  ....... I do pray as you labor to bring souls in the Kingdom and to make HIS Name Famous in your cities, that you find encouragement and maybe even some needed correction in this verse. WE know what our future holds. But, how do we handle the now? As the ESV says it,"But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."

He is good to us. (<---- Click on that sentence).Always.         

how do i receive a breakthrough? By becoming obedient to the Word of Jesus..by making my flesh obedient.

UnFIT

I am (my heart that is) not as cute as I thought it was, spiritually. As a matter of fact, it is FFFAAAAARRRRR from cute. How wretched is this flesh of mine! It is indeed true, that the LORD alone is God! He is MARVELOUS in ALL His ways and thoughts!

Me? Mannnnn! I battle with being FULL of IT, you hear me? Full of SELF. Full of SELFISH thoughts of SELFISH gains. 

I  naturally and without Filter (Holy Spirit) am:

selfish

stubborn

arrogant

lustful

mean

hostile

PRIDEFUL

have narcissistic tendencies

                                  Ah, Sovereign LORD! 

You are ALWAYS willing and ready to receive me and teach me MORE...and to LOVE ME EVEN MORE RECKLESSLY!

LORD, left alone, I am UNfit for Your Kingdom and it's Work. But, 

YOU Shower Me with Your UNENDING MERCY and 

                  YOU Clothe me in Your AMAZING GRACE! 

It is YOU who makes ALL things Happen- YOU are the FUEL & the OIL. 

     You are my Enabler. 

You are my CO-Dependent Relationship.

YOU are my [emotional, physical and spiritual] CARETAKER. YOU keep me going. I NEED YOU to survive. I need You to walk with me through my ugliness. You require that I know that I cannot do anything without You. I need You. 

You are my Source of life.

You, THEE Sustainer.

For WHOMEVER FINDS THEMSELVES HERE

What I am learning about God!

Every time I meditate on these truths, I am learning to trust Him all the MORE...
1) God will never leave me, nor forsake me...(Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5*)
2) He is my [forever] Friend...(John 15:15)
3) He is God and He cannot LIE, He cannot....(Numbers 23:19)
4) He sees me. He knows right where I am and He doesn't seem to be freaking out about it....(Genesis 16:13-14)
5)He loves me so much, that He is keeping me UNcomfortable..HE HAS A PLAN...(Proverbs 16:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Jeremiah 29:11, Genesis 18:17, Job 42:2, Isaiah 25:1, Psalm 135:6, ISAIAH 43:19 & PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14)

Not saying this is easy. Remain encouraged! As will I!

Who are "My People"? Part I [The Questions]

I am having a hard time right now, with the phrase, "my people". Have I been so removed from the "black" culture that I don't consider them, 'my people'. Have I lost myself, the original, who God created me to be? Have I lost myself to Christ so much so that I cannot relate with "my people"? Who Are of My People? For real. Who are they?

I have a lot questions.
                              Deep ones.
Is it wrong that my husband and I don't focus on race, daily. On the 'us' and the 'them'.

                                               Am I African-Amercan first, or a Christian first?

I mean really, which comes FIRST?

Should my Biblical World View be tailored to my ethnicity? 

Was I created brown, black, mocha, chocolate, peanut butter..African decent for the mere purpose of staying amongst them, my kind? Was I saved for the sole purpose of witnessing to them, ONLY? You know, the sort of  'giving back' to my hood. I have all these emotions. I have all these thoughts and feelings of how our immediate families, the African-American family, view my husband and I and our family. 

The ONLY Person that makes us different is 

JESUS CHRIST

And where ever we go...we find people who sing His Name; whether black, red, yellow, brown or white. We SHARE JESUS with those in our arms' reach- regardless of age, religion, economic state or ethnicity. Sooooooo. What is the problem?

My heart is torn because of the injustice and the works of satan being carried out in this earth. All peoples and nations are guilty of these dreadful acts. Dreadful acts like believing the lies of the enemy AND failing to hold to the TRUTH.

To name a one:

The Lie that ANY Culture (not necessarily, ethinicity) and/or Ethnicity trumps any other.

The devil is such an instigator. This is his thesis throughout the universe: Stirring Up Mess! He did it with Eve in the garden, in the beginning and he is still doing it NOW, in the end. He continues to shoot blanks and we continue to disperse. I wonder when we will see all of this for what it is..Satan's Chess Game. I am sure you know what I mean-->I am trying to take your King so I go for your Queen.

Hasn't anyone stopped and thought to themselves. The devil is trying to start a riot. Trying to keep the hate. You know, opposite of peace, which is what WE as CHRISTIANS are commanded to do.

I cry  for this world, this nation, my state, my city, my neighborhood. Because, we continue to bite the bait of the enemy...instead of realizing the prince of the air, satan, the liar....runs a muck at our distress...

God Be Praised!

Sustainer of ALL things in heaven and on earth. You hold it ALL together in Your Son Jesus the Christ. Thank You, Father.

 I owe my ALL to YOU.

Everything belongs to You and You alone. There is none like You, in heaven, on earth, or beneath the earth.

Thank You for your grace. Thank You for loving me. For helping me when I need help (which is all the time). For sending your daughters and sons to encourage and lift me up and speak truth to me; my spirit. Lord bless them. 

LORD, You Reign! You reign in my heart, in my life, my marriage, my parenting. Every Area, in our Family, Lord You Reign!!!

Thank You, Father for Your promise to dwell with us. Praise Your Holy Name. Lord bless my heart and my mind to keep them stayed on you! There I find peace. Peace like a river! Thank you for giving me fresh starts REPEATEDLY!

God be Praised!

Living by Prayer

O God of the open ear, Teach me to live by prayer          as well as by providence,    for myself, soul, body, children, family, church; Give me a heart frameable to thy will;    so might I live in prayer,    and honour thee,    being kept from evil, known and unknown. Help me to see the sin that accompanies all I do,    and the good I can distil from everything. Let me know that the work of prayer is to bring      my will to thine,    and that without this it is folly to pray; When I try to bring thy will to mine it is      to command Christ,    to be above him, and wiser than he:      this is my sin and pride. I can only succeed when I pray    according to thy precept and promise,    and to be done with as it pleases thee,    according to thy sovereign will. When thou commandest me to pray      for pardon, peace, brokenness,    it is because thou wilt give me the thing promised,      for thy glory,      as well as for my good. Help me not only to desire small things    but with holy boldness to desire great things      for thy people, for myself,      that they and I might live to show thy glory. Teach me    that it is wisdom for me to pray for all I have,       out of love, willingly, not of necessity;    that I may come to thee at any time,       to lay open my needs acceptably to thee;    that my great sin lies in my not keeping       the savour of thy ways;    that the remembrance of this truth is one way       to the sense of thy presence;    that there is no wrath like the wrath of being       governed by my own lusts for my own ends. By Valley of Vision

The Great God

O Fountain of all good,

Destroy in me every lofty thought,

           Break pride to pieces and scatter it

     to the winds,

Annihilate each clinging shred of

     self-righteousness,

Implant in me true lowliness of spirit,

Abase me to self-loathing and self-abhorrence,

Open in me a fount of penitential tears,

Break me, then bind me up;

Thus will my heart be a prepared dwelling

     for my God;

   Then can the Father take up his abode in me,

   Then can the blessed Jesus come with healing

     in his touch,

   Then can the Holy Spirit descend in

     sanctifying grace;

O Holy Trinity, three Persons and one God,

   inhabit me, a temple consecrated to thy glory.

When thou art present, evil cannot abide;

In thy fellowship is fullness of joy,

Beneath thy smile is peace of conscience,

By thy side no fears disturb,

   no apprehensions banish rest of mind,

With thee my heart shall bloom with fragrance;

Make me meet, through repentance,

   for thine indwelling.

Nothing exceeds thy power,

Nothing is too great for thee to do,

Nothing too good for thee to give.

   Infinite is thy might, boundless thy love,

   limitless thy grace, glorious thy saving name.

Let angels sing for

         sinners repenting,

         prodigals restored,

         backsliders reclaimed,

         Satan’s captives released,

         blind eyes opened,

         broken hearts bound up,

         the despondent cheered,

         the self-righteous stripped,

         the formalist driven from a refuge of lies,

         the ignorant enlightened,

         and saints built up in their holy faith.

I ask great things of a great God.



By  Valley of Vision

Kept by God

Jehovah God,

Thou Creator, Upholder, Proprietor of all

         things,

I cannot escape from thy presence or control,

   nor do I desire to do so.

My privilege is to be under the agency of

   omnipotence, righteousness, wisdom,

   patience, mercy, grace.

Thou art love with more than parental affection;

I admire thy heart, adore thy wisdom,

   stand in awe of thy power, abase myself before

     thy purity.

It is the discovery of thy goodness alone that can

   banish my fear,

   allure me into thy presence,

   help me to bewail and confess my sins.

When I review my past guilt

   and am conscious of my present unworthiness

     I tremble to come to thee,

     I whose foundation is in the dust,

     I who have condemned thy goodness,

       defied thy power,

       trampled upon thy love,

       rendered myself worthy of eternal death.



But my recovery cannot spring from any cause

   in me,

   I can destroy but cannot save myself.

Yet thou hast laid help on One that is mighty,

   for there is mercy with thee,

   and exceeding riches in thy kindness

     through Jesus.

May I always feel my need of him.

Let thy restored joy be my strength;

May it keep me from lusting after the world,

   bear up heart and mind in loss of comforts,

   enliven me in the valley of death,

   work in me the image of the heavenly,

   and give me to enjoy the first fruits of spirituality,

     such as angels and departed saints know.

Valley of Vision

The Servant in Battle

O Lord,

I bless thee that the issue of the battle

        between thyself and Satan

          has never been uncertain,

          and will end in victory.

Calvary broke the dragon’s head,

   and I contend with a vanquished foe,

     who with all his subtlety and strength

     has already been overcome.

When I feel the serpent at my heel

   may I remember him whose heel was bruised,

     but who, when bruised, broke the devil’s head.



My soul with inward joy extols

     the mighty conqueror.



Heal me of any wounds received

     in the great conflict;

         if I have gathered defilement,

         if my faith has suffered damage,

         if my hope is less than bright,

         if my love is not fervent,

         if some creature-comfort occupies my heart,

         if my soul sinks under pressure of the fight.

O thou whose every promise is balm,

     every touch life,

   draw near to thy weary warrior,

   refresh me, that I may rise again

     to wage the strife,

   and never tire until my enemy is trodden down.

Give me such fellowship with thee

     that I may defy Satan,

       unbelief, the flesh, the world,

   with delight that comes not from a creature,

   and which a creature cannot mar.

Give me a draught of the eternal fountain

   that lieth in thy immutable, everlasting love

     and decree.

Then shall my hand never weaken,

   my feet never stumble,

   my sword never rest,

   my shield never rust,

   my helmet never shatter,

   my breastplate never fall,

     as my strength rests in the power

       of thy might.
Valley of Vision

A Minister's Convictions

O God of love,

I approach thee with encouragements

derived from thy character,

for I am not left to feel after thee

in the darkness of my nature,

nor to worship thee as the unknown God.

I cannot find out thy perfections,

but I know thou art good,

ready to forgive, plenteous in mercy.

Thou hast displayed thy wisdom, power,

and goodness in all thy works,

and hast revealed thy will in the Scripture

of truth.

Thou hast caused it to be preserved, translated,

published, multiplied,

so that all men may possess it and find

thee in it.

Here I see thy greatness and thy grace,

thy pity and thy rectitude,

thy mercy and thy truth,

thy being and men’s hearts;

Through it thou hast magnified thy name,

and favoured mankind with the gospel.

Have mercy on me,

for I have ungratefully received thy benefits,

little improved my privileges,

made light of spiritual things,

disregarded thy messages,

contended with examples of the good,

rebukes of conscience,

admonitions of friends,

leadings of providence.

I deserve that thy kingdom be taken away from me.

Lord, I confess my sin with feeling, lamentation,

a broken heart,

a contrite spirit, self-abhorrence,

self-condemnation, self-despair.

Give me relief by Jesus my hope,

faith in his name of Saviour,

forgiveness by his blood,

strength by his presence,

holiness by his Spirit:

And let me love thee with all my heart.
-Valley of Vision

Valley of Vision

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,

Thou has brought me to the valley of vision,

where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;

   hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold

   thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox

   that the way down is the way up,

   that to be low is to be high,

   that the broken heart is the healed heart,

   that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

   that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

   that to have nothing is to possess all,

   that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

   that to give is to receive,

   that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,

   deepest wells,

   and the deeper the wells the brighter

   thy stars shine;

Let me find thy light in my darkness,

   Thy life in my death,

   that every good work or thought found in me

   thy joy in my sorrow,

   thy grace in my sin,

   thy riches in my poverty

   thy glory in my valley.

The Fullness of Christ

O God,

Thou hast taught me

         that Christ has all fullness and

     so all plenitude of the Spirit,

   that all fullness I lack in myself is in him,

     for his people, not for himself alone,

    he having perfect knowledge, grace,

       righteousness,

     to make me see,

     to make me righteous,

     to give me fullness;

   that it is my duty, out of a sense of emptiness,

     to go to Christ, possess, enjoy his fullness

       as mine,

     as if I had it in myself, because it is

       for me in him;

     that when I do this I am full of the Spirit,

       as a fish that has got from the shore to the sea

       and has all fullness of waters to move in,

      for when faith fills me, then I am full;

   that this is the way to be filled with the Spirit,

     like Stephen, first faith, then fullness,

     for this way makes me most empty,

     and so most fit for the Spirit to fill.

Thou hast taught me that the finding of

     this treasure of all grace in the field of Christ

     begets strength, joy, glory,

     and renders all graces alive.

Help me to delight more in what I receive

    from Christ,

   more in that fullness which is in him,

     the fountain of all his glory.

Let me not think to receive the Spirit from him

      as a ‘thing’

   apart from finding, drinking, being filled

      with him.

To this end, O God,

   do thou establish me in Christ,

   settle me, give me a being there,

   assure me with certainty that all this is mine,

     for this only will fill my heart with joy

       and peace.

 From Valley of Vision

Isaiah 58:5- 14

5    Is such the fast that I choose,
    a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
    and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
    and a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the fast that I choose:
    to loose the bonds of wickedness,
    to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
    and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
    and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
    and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
    the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
    you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If  you take away the yoke from your midst,
    the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
    and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
    and your gloom be as the noonday.
11 And the Lord will guide you continually
    and satisfy your desire in scorched places
    and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
    like a spring of water,
    whose waters do not fail.
12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
    you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
    the restorer of streets to dwell in.
13 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
    from doing your pleasure on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
    and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
    or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
14 then you shall take delight in the Lord,
    and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”