Beyond Compare

Today, simply a selection from the Valley of Vision entitled "Year's End" . . .

O love beyond compare,

Thou art good when Thou givest

When Thou takest away

When the sun shines upon me

When night gathers over me.

Thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world,

and in love didst redeem my soul;

Thou does love me still,

in spite of my hard heart, ingratitude, distrust.

Thy goodness has been with me during another year,

leading me through ta twisting wilderness,

in retreat helping me to advance,

when beaten back making sure headway.

Thy goodness will be with me in the year ahead;

I hoist sail and draw up anchor,

With Thee as the blessed pilot of my future as of my past,

I bless Thee that Thou hast veiled my eyes to the waters ahead.

If Thou hast appointed storms of tribulation,

Thou wilt be with me in them;

If I have to pass through tempests of persecution and temptation,

I shall not drown;

If I am to die,

I shall see Thy face the sooner;

If a painful end is to be my lot,

grant me grace that my faith fail not;

If I am to be cast aside from the service I love,

I can make no stipulation;

Only glorify Thyself in me whether in comfort or trial,

as a chosen vessel meet always for Thy use.

My Myopia

Sometimes I just can't stand myself. I become so short-sighted and self-focused. Reading the Word, I find myself hoping eagerly that it will put me in a good light, that it will make me feel good about myself. It's appalling to discover myself thinking like the Pharisee, looking around and comparing myself to others who are "worse" than me. It reminds me of just how desperately I need Christ, how much I stand in need of mercy, and how amazing is God's great love in seeking me and saving me. After all these years, I'm still one ornery critter. One thing is for certain though: my capacity for praising the Savior grows in direct proportion to my understanding of how deep my fallenness is. Thinking of the adoption and justification that is mine through Christ opens my heart up wide and helps me see things the right way.

The Gift of Gifts

O source of all good,
what shall i render to Thee for the gift of gifts,
Thine own dear Son, begotten, not created,
my redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute,
His self-emptying incomprehensible,
His infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp

Herein is wonder of wonders:
He came below o raise me above,
was born like me that I might become like Him.

Herein is love:
when I cannot rise to Him He draws near on wings of grace,
to raise me to Himself.

Herein is power:
when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart
He united them in indissoluble unity,
the uncreate and the created.

Herein in wisdom:
when I was undone, with no will to return to Him,
and no intellect to devise recovery,
He came, God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost,
as man to die my death,
to shed satisfying blood on my behalf,
to work out a perfect righteousness for me.

O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds,
and enlarge my mind;
let me hear good tidings of great joy,
and hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, adore,
my conscience bathed in an ocean of repose,
my eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father;
place me with ox, ass, camel, goat,
to look with them upon my Redeemer's face,
and in Him account myself delivered from sin;
let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child to my heart,
embrace Him with Undying faith,
exulting that He is mine and I am His.

In Him Thou hast given me so much that heaven can give no more.

~From The Valley of Vision

Heaven Is The Face

Today is winter solstice here in my part of the world: the shortest day of the year, more darkness on this day than on any other. A lot of folks complain about winter, but I love it. I love the long dark evenings when homes glow with light from within and you have to bundle up in thick coats to go outside. I love the steam that comes up from my coffee or tea or cocoa and I love the expectation of holidays and food enjoyed with healthy doses of laughter with my friends.

As a little boy (well, even now...) I remember being filled with the wonder and mystery and expectation that this time of year brought with it - knowing something wonderful and beautiful was happening around me and that it was a whole lot bigger than I was. I remember feeling like I might burst if I took it all in at once.

For children, Christmas is a season of great expecation. I find that same feeling rising up in me when I think about the day I'll enter heaven. Think about it - it's almost too good to be true, yet, like Christmas morning, it will happen. Imagine children coming down the stairs and seeing a tree and lights and gifts and smelling warm aromas and thinking, "this is the best day of the year!"

Christmas used to make my heart ache and yearn. Now heaven captures me in the same way. I want it to come so badly. I wish it would get here soon. I know that everything I've ever wanted is there. Maranatha!

Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Heaven Is the Face" (kleenex advisory in effect):

Some Friends of Mine

I'm kind of excited right now because I'm reading something I've always wanted to read, and after that I've got another book to dive into that I'm very much looking forward to. I love reading and I love the books themselves almost as much as reading them. Kinda weird, I know. I treasure my little library and I've visited many of the authors more than once - some several times.

This year has been an interesting literary journey for me. Aside from the Scriptures, the pages of which I try to keep warm from turning, here's a short list of books that I've enjoyed in 2009: Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, Endurance - Shackleton's Incredible Voayge by Alfred Lansing, Shipwrecks of Lake Superior, Reclaiming Science from Darwinism by Kenneth Pope, Revival and Revivalism by Iain H. Murray, Bono by Michka Assayas, The Snowflake Man by Duncan Blanchard, parts of The Valley of Vision and All Loves Excelling by John Bunyan. I'm working on the Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner right now, and on deck I've got the Mortification of Sin by John Owen.

So what have you read this year that was good or useful? What's in your sights for next year? What are your favorite books of all time?

What Children Want Most

Behold, my first grade class (I'm the fella in the blue Star Trek shirt on the front row. Yeah, I'm cool like that):

My first grade teacher passed away last week. She had taught first grade for 37 years. I guess when something works well, there's no need to change it.

I distinctly remember NOT learning how to read in first grade. For me it just "happened". I do remember reading out loud for Miss Hehn (later Mrs. Purdon) about a dog name Spot and how he loved to run, and I remember being so proud. Not proud in the nasty, arrogant way adults are, but the face-beaming, heart-warming way that six year olds are when they've accomplished something. I credit Miss Hehn for that.

I also remember that I felt safe in Miss Hehn's class. I knew she loved me, and I trusted her. First grade was completely comfortable for me. Even at her funeral, the eulogy spoke of the countless times her students called her "mom" or "grandma" because she was such a comforting presence in class that they forgot where they were. I love and admire Mrs. Purdon for that.

In my church setting, I am a teacher. I am also a father. I guess the two are somewhat interchangeable, or should be. And what I've learned being a father and a teacher is that a most effective vehicle for delivering a lesson, whether in math or morality, is a loving heart toward the child being taught (we can talk about teaching adults another day...) I owe this, at least in part, to Mrs. Purdon as well.

Some time ago I read that if you're a father, your children's self-image is primarily derived from how they think you feel about them. I don't think I could agree more.

What children want most is to know that an adult loves them (oh, and by the way, discipline is included under the heading of love). I'd like to say "parents" in place of "adult" but there are so many kids who have no parents, or at least parents who will ever really love them. But I guess if I were to boil this down to something targeted at a male audience, I'd say that a child only wants to see their father smile at them.

I ask myself (ask yourself): When does my day brighten? My hope soar? My heart sing? When I remember that my Father smiles at me - that the One who chose me before the foundation of the world and sought me out and saved me through Christ loves me constantly and consistently and with infinite care.

Miss Hehn loved me and I thrived in her class. I'm trying my best to love my sons and help them to thrive. My Savior loves me and when I let myself believe it, I thrive.

Maker of the Universe

This is a post from the summer of '08, but I love the song and it's worth sharing again. . .

That song did it again. I haven't heard this song in a few years, having lost the CD (rats!), but I remember that every time I'd listen to it, I would be stirred by the first few notes and the stirring wouldn't stop until the song was finished. So this morning I find Phil's video for "Maker of the Universe" and the chills and tears began again as he sings the first two lines . . .



The Maker of the universe,
As Man for man was made a curse.
The claims of Law which He had made,
Unto the uttermost He paid.
His holy fingers made the bough,
Which grew the thorns that crowned His brow.
The nails that pierced His hands were mined
In secret places He designed.

He made the forest whence there sprung
The tree on which His body hung.
He died upon a cross of wood,
Yet made the hill on which it stood.
The sky that darkened o'er His head,
By Him above the earth was spread.
The sun that hid from Him it's face
By His decree was poised in space.

The spear which spilled His precious blood
Was tempered in the fires of God.
The grave in which His form was laid
Was hewn in rocks His hands had made.

The throne on which He now appears
Was His for everlasting years.
But a new glory crowns His brow
And every knee to Him shall bow.

Well Traveled, Still Wonderful

A blogging friend of mine sparked a thought process in my mind this morning.


Most of the folks reading this have travelled across these United States on four wheels (or maybe two if you're especially blessed) at a high rate of speed. In one day of travel your mind can be dazzled by the vastness of the Great Plains, overwhelmed by the majesty of the Rockies or the 'Dacks, and thrilled by the sight of the Atlantic or Pacific ocean. One of God's humble poets, Rich Mullins, wrote a beautiful song about our country. Funnily enough, the video was filmed mostly in Ireland ;)


One of my favorite lines from the song is, "There's so much beauty around us, for just two eyes to see, everywhere I go, I'm looking. . . " It's so true. And when we take the time to step from our vehicles and lace up our hiking boots, we begin to see things we never noticed at 70mph. There's just no end to the wonder that is all around.

In very much the same way, the Word of God is an endlessly delightful journey. Its vast expanse it's filled with amazing vistas all along the way. But like flying along the interstate in North America, sometimes our hearts and minds become dull to what seems familiar, though the sights are no less majestic. I might fly past a familiar Bible story or a passage that I've memorized simply through frequent use. It's in times like these that I'm learning to slow down, lace up my boots, and take a stroll, allowing the Holy Spirit to show me new wonders. It's refreshing and humbling to be reminded that I haven't learned all there is to know: "Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!"

I know that the young trees I plant in my yard are better nourished by a tiny trickle of water from a hose that saturates the ground and soaks the roots, rather than a five gallon bucket of water dumped on it all at once. I should realize the same is true with my own soul - a good long soak near the streams of living water is often what I need. Furthermore, I shouldn't let the wonder of God's Word be lost to my heart, no matter how often I travel there.

The Proper Use of Sin

"They demolished the sacred stone of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal, and people have used it for a latrine to this day." 2 Kings 10:27

It's been a rough, tough, busy week. The vagaries of life have shaken me up and have, unfortunately, given me opportunity to demonstrate my sinful nature. I've been pouty, angry, unloving and selfish. Even so, I believe the Lord has been gracious and helped me to grow in spite of myself.

When Jehu and his posse cleaned up the Israeli countryside by razing the temples of Baal and annihilating the priests of Baal, they were completely thorough. The Scripture above is the best ending I can imagine for this religious cleansing. It's the end of all idolatry and false teaching. Down the toilet.

What on earth, you may ask, does this have to do with having a hard week? Well, it's comforting for me to know that someday my sinful proclivities are going to end up the same way as Baal and his prophets. In a steaming pile.

I hate my sin. I love my Savior. And I smile knowing that day by day, He is defeating sin in my life and assigning it to the ash heap.