Duels

He had said the worst thing that could be said; and it seemed accepted and ignored like the ordinary second best of the politicians. Everyday his blasphemies looked more glaring, and everyday the dust lay thicker upon them, it made him feel as if he were moving in a work of idiots. -G.K. Chesterton

This is my second reading of G.K. Chesterton's The Ball and the Cross. It is a story about a duel between an atheist and a Christian, who encounter each other in London, just outside St. Paul's Cathedral. (The ball and the cross at the top of St. Paul's is where the title comes from) The Christian, MacIan, is enraged by a newspaper article written by the atheist, Turnbull, so he breaks his shop's window and challenges him to a duel. The men purchase antique swords from a shop and begin to fight. They are convinced they must fight to the death for what they believe. Their dueling is interrupted, though, and they are sent running through the London streets, away from the police. They debate with each other as they go, escaping into the country. Their swords clash in the grassy hills , but again they are interrupted by someone who is so lackluster, they work together to be rid of him. 

The two duelists soon realize that they have more in common than they ever thought. As they run through the English countryside and encounter more strange people, they realize their enemy is not each other, but the world that has grown cold and has no place for both of them, who are so passionate in their beliefs that they are willing to fight for it. 

Reading Chesterton is like a theological and philosophical feast with lines that are simultaneously humorous and serious, and that go deeper if you let them. His subtle, and blunt methods of hiding some thought-provoking debates within the scenarios of his characters is intriguing. My second reading is so enjoyable.

To me this whole strange world is homely, because in the heart of it there is a home; to me this cruel world is kindly, because higher than the heavens there is something more human than humanity. If a man must not fight for this, may he fight for anything? -G.K. Chesterton

Dying of the Light

Catapult Magazine
The Dying of the Light

I wrote a new article called
"Hope of Autumn".


Check out my article, and others, here.

Flaming Darts

Deas Vail

Read: Ephesians 6.10-20

Paul writes about how we do not wrestle against the physical, but the battle is supernatural. The devil throws his schemes in our paths all the time. Paul calls them flaming darts, which makes me think of a mischievous boy hiding in a tree, shooting darts at the people passing by. In a way, the devil does that. Hiding away in situations leaving subtle (or not-so-subtle) temptations that can be disguised so well as something good. He prowls around looking for ways to tear us down and make us falter.

So Paul calls us to put on our full armor of God so that we can continue to stand firm in our faith no matter where we are or who we might be spending time with.

I went to a Deas Vail concert a few weeks ago, a Christian group, and didn't even think about the bands that would be opening for them. These four groups who opened were not Christian bands. Each group expressed their elation about opening for Deas Vail, but I wondered if they even knew their music and what they sang about. I wondered this as a young lead singer danced around in a shirt that bared all her stomach, and I wondered this as the next guy cussed every time he spoke between his songs.

It occurred to me about that time how Deas Vail must constantly keep their armor up, being on the road like they are, hanging out backstage and after the show with these bands. The influence could cause a wavering faith to be skewed, but their good influence could rub off on others.

Before I even fully formed my makeshift thoughts into takeaway wisdom, Jordan said the exact same thing to me as we sat at the tall tables outside Mitchell's Coffee Shop eating sandwiches. He said it makes sense to have secular bands open for a Christian band because there is the perfect opportunity to minister. The crowd, who may be there for other reasons, will hear about the Christian faith without going into a church, and some seed might be planted. Jordan successfully tied all my floating thoughts together within a minute.

It was obvious that Deas Vail has their whole armor of God on. I was standing on the sidewalk outside the venue just before Deas Vail was to go on stage, and I spotted the whole band just fifty feet away, huddled close, praying together. Samantha nudged me, "Is that the band?"
"Yea, that is definitely the band." I replied.

Deas Vail - "Common Sense"- click here to watch a cool live version

November in my Soul...

Do you ever have an unexplained darkness sweep over you?
It is described in Moby-Dick, by the narrator, Ishmael, "whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul..."
Oh yes. We all have times when our souls are in such a state.  I fight it sometimes because various pieces of my life are joyful, free, and independent, while other parts feel so caged, suppressed, and thwarted. Occasionally these conflicting pieces crash together and create a damp, drizzly atmosphere in my soul.

But I don't want to be a creature of circumstance, wavering to and fro, like the weather patterns. I want my joy to shine brilliantly in each moment. I wish for my soul to sing for the Lord all day, and make people wonder why I am glowing. This is what my favorite passage in the Bible talks about in Matthew 5.14-16:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put in under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Let's be the light of the world that Jesus tells us to be. When I focus on being a light for God instead of being fixated on my own struggles, it's amazing how the drizzle comes to a stop and the refreshing air swoops in to clear my soul of such darkness. Because really, it's not about me anyway.

Bliss

The Fall breezes are shifting

my thoughts

With a change in the air and

in these jots

Derelict are the days of

summer

And with hopes they will

stay away

I don't wish it to be 

longer

A contradiction to people

everyday

Call me strange but

know this

Fall and Winter, to me,

are bliss 

God's Time

I have been learning a lot lately about being patient for things.  To act too hastily circumvents the path that is being prepared for me. The other side of that, though, is learning not to be complacent; sitting still in one's own waiting. In this life, there will never be a perfect time to take that chance, initialize your dream into becoming a reality, or make that change. God's timing is perfect, but because we don't always follow God's lead, His opportunities don't always align with the exact moments that we decide. Seize the opportunity; there is probably a reason it was brought to you. If not, it will be made known. I am learning this week after week.
Let God direct your steps with help through godly family and friends who encourage and advise you. I don't understand God's timing but I trust in it, knowing He will bring to fruition that which is best for my life.

Road

Oh, I softly listen

to these flutterings of thoughts

That incipient their way in

and remind me what I ought

to do in moments of trepidation

Where, at a crossroads I stand

And each option is filled with fog

As I reach for a kind hand

to provide the encouragement

of the single step toward

The road of change, all good,

which God prepares me for

Wear Her Heart with Wishes

...she might wear her heart with wishes...

-Charlotte Brontë

An interesting line I read today in Caroline Vernon, a short story by Charlotte Brontë. I think about my own heart and how I certainly wear my heart with wishes about various things. Those things that seem so far off or unreachable, but then I remind myself (or am reminded by my family/friends) that with God, anything is possible. Scrupulous are His plans. That is where my hope sits. At the foot of God and His promises. The joy I experience comes about from the grace given to me, even while I try to navigate through the fog of uncertainty.

God in my Cube

I see, in the workplace, the opportunities to show love. It is such a struggle for me to choose love (which says a lot about the environment there), but when I do, I know it's because I let God use me. The mileau of the office is stressful, tense, and time is against everything we do. We are overworked and under appreciated. Our energy toward our work is depleted and no encouragement is sent our way. If I take a minute to sit at my desk and think outside the cube, none of the work I do really matters in the grand universe. Our manager makes it seem like this work is life, and all the micro-managing is critical. But it is not life, and it is not that critical.
What's critical, to me, is following God's Word in the Bible and showing love as we are called to do, no matter where we are. For Galatians 5.13 says-

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

This is why I need to be in the Bible everyday. My daily life is surrounded by alternate teaching that tries to trap me into thinking that work is more important than my life. Or spending time with family and friends. Or taking vacation. My life has been changed by loss over these last two years. Life is too short to not utilize every moment to bring people closer to love.
So, how can I bring this verse into the workplace? How can I live this verse better than I have, so that God is apparent in the cube with me? It is a challenge indeed.

Light Shining Out of Darkness

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain:
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.

-William Cowper

God's timing is absolutely perfect. Just when I am going through a down time when I feel like I am falling off the radar...lost in the woods...seemingly alone...God steps in and I am filled.
It is bound to happen every now and then. There comes a time when I ask- is there anybody out there? Well, deep in my heart I know God is out there and He provides encouragement through seemingly random episodes, that really are a catalyst for something good.
This poem reminds me of that.