A Prayer for Paris

The sun rises today, as it has for so many years.  There is beauty in the morning, beauty in the breeze, but heartbreak in the world.

Will you join me in praying for Paris?

Father,

We don't understand what causes humans to choose the path displayed in horror last night.   Their goal, their thought process.  But we are saddened by the consequences of their choice.
We ask that you be close to those that are mourning, those who didn't know they had hugged loved ones, sent texts, commented on FB posts, for the last time.
Please be with the survivors, those in pain, those in the hospitals, those struggling to process what happened around them.
Please be with the doctors, the nurses, the nurse techs, the environmental service members, the hospital administration who are caring for the victims.  Give them wisdom and kindness, patience and skill.
And please be with France's president Francois Holland and his team as they wrestle with their response to these terrible attacks.  May they choose the right reaction, and may their allies hear your guidance as they seek to support a friend in need.

Thank-you for providing us rescue from this world through Jesus.  Thank-you that we have eternal hope far beyond anything darkness could ever touch.

Amen

Truth and Politics

Haters will hate

Tweeters will tweet

“Reporters’ can lie

Beware what you read

Time will reveal

What mere words cannot

True richness is measured

By what can’t be bought

So before you get angry

Before you get rude

Step back and consider

What is true?

-Kristen Harmon  

Lessons in Make-up

I recently got a new bottle of eye make up remover.

It's so full, and I use so little each night, that it feels like I should never run out. But eventually, little by little, day by day, the liquid is poured out, used up, and the bottle is emptied.

Standing there by my mirror, I realized this was a lot like life.

It feels like life should be endless, filled to the brim with so many days that their number is virtually uncountable.

But somehow, minute by minute, week by week, years go by.  Even decades.

Sometimes I wonder, what am I doing with my time?  How is it possible that so many days have passed by?  Am I using my moments how I should?

I thought of Jesus.   In Isaiah 53 scripture says that He "poured out his life unto death."

Imagine my eye make up remover bottle, 3/4 full, suddenly being poured out on the ground until it was empty.   What an incredible sacrifice He made.

While on Earth, Jesus proclaimed a great truth.  There is more.

In John 4 He promises, "The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

I think about the future a lot.  So I'm pretty grateful to know there is a future.  Because its the end of another day, and time to use one more drop.

The End of Days

It is my life that I must own

When I stand before the throne

It’s Jesus blood and His alone

Grants me life, my sins atoned.

Flings wide the gate, and leads me home.

Photo by Carrie Jones

The Price of an Opinion

There is an influential man in my church who has done many good things in his life.  And I believe his work has been greatly used by God in bringing people to Him.

However, recently he took a strong stand on a controversial topic.  And as a result many people that hold the opposing view, can't bear to listen to him.

Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. Only God knows which time this was for him.

But let me offer one word of caution from this observation.

Before speaking strongly on a fiercely debated topic ask yourself the following questions:

• Will your voice on this subject silence it on all others?
• If so, is it worth it?

I'm not saying it is not.   Sometimes strong words need to be spoken.  Even if they are not popular.

But I believe there is value in considering the consequences of strong words and remembering the words of Psalms 4:4-5.

"Be angry, and do not sin.  Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.

Love is Kind

Why is it so easy to lose kindness in disagreements?

I have been astounded at the unkind words thrown at each other by Christians over an extremely heated topic in my denomination. 

It's like passion for our position explodes into our conversations and for a moment the gloves come off, we forget who we are, and words far more hurtful than the original topic come pouring out.

Why does this happen?  How many topics really warrant this kind of passion?

Love is patient.  Love is kind.

I believe we need balance between courage and kindness.

Courage to believe truth even when it is unpopular.  Courage to fight for what is right. Coupled with kindness in our fingers, our speech, and most importantly our hearts.

Jesus said, "By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another. "*

May it be so.

*John 13:35

Spring Time Slow

I need for time to drip slow again.

Not painfully so

Not dragging its feet

Impatiently waiting for winter to end.

But Spring-time slow

Slow in the falling of green leaves

The nodding of sunlit trees.

Slow in purpose.

I’m tired of fast

Quickly typing, quickly walking

Too many tasks to accomplish

Too much energy at waste.

I need depth of time

Moments that energize

Sunlight on flowers

Melodies in air

Jasmine blooming

Breezes blowing

Poetry inspiring

Long talks entwining.

Time please drip slow again

Teach me how to linger

Shallow breathing is not living well

I want to breath life deep.

-Kristen Harmon

Fear and a Vacuum Cleaner

Jewel, our 4 year old Green Cheek Conure, hates the vacuum cleaner.    We aren't quite sure why, but it scares her.   She is not especially logical when frightened, often randomly flying around the room in response to a startling noise.

Today as I brought out the vacuum cleaner, she wasn't happy.  I turned it on and something interesting happened as I started on the living room floor.

She flew to my shoulder.

Which means she flew closer to the thing that frightened her.

Which to me means, even though she was scared of the vacuum cleaner, she was more scared to be alone and further away from the noise, then on my shoulder and near the noise.

She trusted me to keep her safe, even if that meant getting closer to her fear. 

I can't help but draw life parallels.

If God ever calls us to do something that scares us, it is wiser for us to approach the fear by his side then to stay on the sidelines.  We can trust Him to take care of us, even in rough or uncharted waters.