Fall Down, It's OK

Ruins of Cathedral and Priory, St. Andrews, Scotland

In church one morning, a story the pastor told stuck in my mind for reflection later on. It was about grace, and how Jesus falls down with the fallen.

At a dinner party the writer William Faulkner was at, a gentleman pulled a chair out for a lady, but she was busy talking to someone else nearby, and as she went to sit down, she ended up on the floor. Mr. Faulkner immediately joined her on the floor so she wouldn't feel alone and embarrassed.

That's what Jesus did for us. He became lower than a servant for us. He demonstrated to us how to fall down with the fallen so we wouldn't feel alone. How many people would do something like that?

What happens when we mess up? What if we fail in a huge way? Does it really matter?

No.

A failure doesn't make you any less worthy of God's love. We can't earn His love, or lose it. A failure doesn't mean we should give up, either. In fact, it means the opposite.

It means we should try harder and have confidence that God wants us to succeed. All it takes is that next time you try. That's when you stand.

It is always simple to fall; there are an infinity of angles at which one falls, only one at which one stands. - G.K. Chesterton

Friend

A suitable match

To a perfect day

Like a cup of tea

and a scone on a tray

Is an amiable pair

With a glow for more

Amidst trials and talks

There is hunger, not a bore

They take comfort in silence

Knowing full well

If they mean what they say

Truly their hearts will tell

A genuine trust is

difficult to find

But when you do, it's

well worth your time.

A Different Time

Buckingham Palace, London

 

Time's an eye that remakes

the world just by looking.

-Daniel Tobin

Sometimes I wish I lived in a different time. Preferably the 19th Century or early 20th century. This modern age we live in is changing dramatically all the time, and technology, while is good in many ways, is also taking over people’s lives. Technology comes before family time. We are attached to our iPads and mobile phones. We can’t bear to be disconnected from the Internet for any extended period of time.

Do you remember when there was no GPS? You actually had to use a paper map to navigate. Do you remember when there were no mobile phones and you had to find a pay phone? And now, do you remember when you held a real book in your hands? Let me remind you what it feels like, in case you forgot. It’s a somewhat heavy, rectangular object full of paper held together with a binding. If it is one of my books, it probably has underlined sentences and notes in ink. If you flip through the pages, the scent of paper fills the space. It’s not an invisible file you download on your Smart Phone.

Another reason I wish I lived in a different time is for the manners, dress, and conduct. The way people dressed was respectable, quite unlike what I see teenagers wearing today. People had a certain sense of respect toward one another and the general conduct was that men acted gentlemanly toward women. I am talking simple things. Like opening doors and letting women pass in front. Giving up a seat for a woman. Speak in a respectful tone and not make derogatory remarks. I find that it is so rare, in this day, to find a man who does these things. When I do, I am astonished, but I shouldn’t be. What happened over the years?

I think all the frenzy around the Royal Wedding got me thinking about this again.....

Excuses

Sterling, Scotland

Excuses.

I think it is the weakest part of us that makes excuses. It's the part of us that doesn't want things to change, or go our way; locking us in complacency. I used to make excuses all the time. I found that I was missing out on living life because I was afraid of getting out there. A combination of college experiences, friends, post-college travel, and reading changed my outlook. Now I jump at the chance to do something adventurous. I have realized how much in this world I want to see and do, and how I want to get out there now to do it. What excuses do you have?

When you choose anything, you reject everything else. - G.K. Chesterton

Fear

Fitful praying and shadowy

anxiety surround me

Unsuitably.

Wafting through the sounds

that echo amidst the night,

It grows as the darkness deepens.

Lurking closely

Trying to capture me

in the grips of fear

of the unknown,

Yet my fear is of something

far greater than all.

The fear of the Lord and the

Power He has

Over anything that could

ever haunt you.

Fear wants to stop our stories. -Anne Jackson

Childhood

Remembering when days were long

Today they seem so short

Amidst the climbing trees, riding bikes

And our private basketball court

Energy with no end

As children often fare

A running freedom, still contained

Danger or worry seemed so rare

A childhood so merry

We barely had to carry

Any burdens of our own

A loving guidance in the way

As I look back to yesterday

And give thanksgiving and praise

That I was raised in that way

Pencils

I haven’t used a pencil in years. At work, someone gave me two Easter pencils, so I sharpened them just to give them a test run. It brings me back to high school days when I used a pencil in every class. A pen was such a permanent thing, and when you are in calculus class or English class, you make quite a few mistakes, so a pencil makes sense. Anytime I used a pen, which was rare, it felt strange, like I was making finalized thoughts that couldn’t be altered. And any mistakes had to be crossed out, which drew attention to the mistake. It couldn’t be corrected with the swipe of an eraser. I remember there used to be pens that had erasers, but I just couldn’t get used to that. It felt so contradictory.

Then, in college, a pen became my choice writing instrument, and all my spiral notebooks became full of my permanent scratches, numbers, and notes. Whenever I had to use a pencil it felt strange like I had been transported back to high school.

Isn’t it funny how times change, and with that, your writing instruments?
What is your choice? Pen or pencil? Most people probably don’t care, and I bet most people don’t even write much by hand anymore. With computers and smart phones at our disposal everyday, the art of writing anything by hand is becoming a rarity.

I like pens, especially the pens with a fine tip for smooth and thin lettering. If the tip is too thick I feel that my handwriting is messy and less uniform. I love writing by hand. Typing is definitely faster, but nothing compares with a handwritten letter or journals full of your thoughts and stories. Sure, our computers create great ways for us to share stories and writing, but it will never replace writing by hand for me.

Easter Morning

I woke up this morning with the hymn in my head, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" and humming it to myself I mused at the significance that this day brings to us Christians. This is a day the devil never saw coming. He thought he had won the battle- Jesus was killed. All hope was gone. The devil probably imagined scooping up new followers who had lost all hope and had nowhere to turn.

The devil's hopes were crushed on this day! What a joyous occasion to smile and celebrate, and to remember what it means for you and me.

He is not here; he has been raised, just as he said. -Matthew 28.6

Snow Dream

Faintly, at first it falls

Barely apparent against the sky

Glittering into my view, slowly

And I don't even question why

The snow floats peaceful

So soft and graceful

I lift my eyes up to the place

So the speckle on my face

Is surmised as real

The cold landings I feel

As my feet shuffle in sand

Snowflakes fall into my hand

And my companions disbelieve

Until I bring them out to see

Then they all stretch out to reach

The falling snowflakes at the beach

Tynemouth Beach, England

Good Friday

St. Paul's Cathedral, London

The cross isn't something that is easy to think about. It brings about some uncomfortable feelings and a situation that puts you outside your comfort zone. And that's intentional. The story and events are meant to grip you and make you think about it. It's meant to sink down into the depths of your soul where you can't ignore it and you have to make a choice- to decide what it means to you.

It's the freedom in this love that is hard for us to believe. We are skeptics, all of us. But what we have to remember is that Jesus isn't just another human. Humans are full of sin, faults, and love that fades. But that is not the love that Jesus offers. It's a love not of this world, so it will last through this world and beyond. He's asking us to trust in this love, believe in it, and have faith that it is stronger than anything we will ever know here.

Is it a risk? Of course. Is it worth it? What do we have to lose? As C.S. Lewis said- if we believe in Him and it turns out to be nothing, then we didn't really lose anything, but if we don't believe and it all turns out to be true, well, then we're in trouble.

God has poured out His love into our hearts. -Romans 5.5