...running the course God sets before us, no matter the cost, no matter the task, to the end, for His glory
.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Bleak Midwinter

It is winter today- especially in my heart.

It is so cold outside our pipes froze.

My heart is so cold my pipes froze too- my thankfulness pipes, and my gratefulness pipes, and my joy pipes, and my eternal perspective pipes. They froze.

My dear Jesus, please thaw me. Your warmth is so needed today. Your flooding eternal reality needs to flow through me and unclog my perspective.


Sunday, January 3, 2010

God-Sized Dream for 2010

This year my dream or goal is not what successful goals are supposed to be. It is not measurable or able to be broken down to bite-sized chunks. It is not exactly specific and does not lend itself to an action plan.

But it is big.

And it most definitely requires God for me to do it.

It is this: I want to abide in Christ.

That sounds like a funny goal, even to me, and I am the one who wants to do it. I think it is that I want to go past knowing what I need to do and go to the place of doing it. And I want to go beyond doing and go to the place of being. I want to be so connected to Christ that I will decrease and He will increase. And I want to do it by His power, not by my efforts in the flesh. So here is my non-specific, un-measurable, without a plan New Year's goal- or maybe it is better named plea- for 2010:

Help me abide in You, my dwelling
Help me keep my feet on You, my rock
Help me be attached to You, my vine
Help me survive on You, my bread
Help me go through You, my door
Help me rest in You, my fortress
Help me obey You, my King
Help me follow hard after You, my shepherd
Help me born anew in You, my resurrection
Help me see by You, my light
Help me not get lost from You, my way
Help me learn from You, my truth
Help me breathe with joy in You, my life.

John 15:5-8 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me – and I in him – bears much fruit, because apart from Me you can accomplish nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and are burned up. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. My Father is honored by this, that you bear much fruit and show that you are My disciples.