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Captivity…

June 10, 2010 / Seán / 0 Comments

Isaiah 5

“Therefore have my people gone into captivity…”

Why?

Because they don’t know You, dear Jesus… (v.13) Neither have they known you. Because they have satisfied themselves with a form of Godliness, instead of seeking Your face. Existence is theirs, but they have no life. No power. No victory…

I’m sorry my Father, Faithful Judge. My heart breaks too… There is nothing more You could have done… (v.4)

But You will yet save them.

And Jesus… oh save me too. I am, one of them, after all.

Just let us come to know You.

“When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” Eph. 4:8

Photo: © Jent Kyle, 2010

Covered…

June 9, 2010 / Seán / 0 Comments

Isaiah 4

The heart that belongs to God is purged. (v.4) It must be so.

But herein lies its glory– its everything…

For when it is purged, it is “clean,” and “beautiful,” “excellent,” “appealing,” “holy,” “glorious,”…

…“Covered.”

Character…

June 8, 2010 / Seán / 1 Comment

Isaiah 3

First comes the seed, then comes the harvest. Once a seed is planted, no amount of sun, or rain, or fertilizer can change the fruit it will ultimately bear. If you want a different crop, the seed itself must be replaced…

Thus it is with our thoughts. First comes the thought, then comes the character. When fostered, no amount of pretending, and no external circumstances can change the fruit it will ultimately bear. If you want a different character, the thought must be replaced…

“Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them. For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.” Isaiah 3:10

Walk in the Light…

June 8, 2010 / Seán / 2 Comments

Isaiah 2

Most Christians recognize at least some need for separation from the world… But to the point of loneliness??

If you’re walking in darkness, evaluate your location and your companions… That’s what I take from Isaiah 2. Which path are you on? The very last verse warns about association with those whose “breath is in [their] nostrils.” In other words, whose strength is in themselves… But why?

Because to walk alone is far better than to walk with sin, and share it’s end…

And you cannot walk in the light, and hold hands with darkness.

But here’s the really good news–

For those willing to walk alone “in the light of the Lord” (v.5) there’s a promise…

“If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship…”

No Compromise.

June 6, 2010 / Seán / 0 Comments

Isaiah 1

Judah is a mess… The Lord Himself cries over His chosen ones.

Brute beasts know their masters, but these people, a peculiar, royal generation, have lost face recognition. They were holy, now they are profane…

It wasn’t always that way though… Verse 21 says this harlot was once called faithful. This den of murder was once a throne of righteous justice. Their vaults and treasuries now filled with dross once contained real silver…

And how did it happen?

Compromise.

I just have one thought this morning… A thought proven true over and over again by history, and by far too many people I love.

Compromise costs.

If it takes nothing else, it will cost you your discernment…

And what more can you lose?

A Little Secret…

June 6, 2010 / Seán / 0 Comments

I love misty late-spring mornings.

Maybe it’s because God hides behind mist when He reveals His glory… Or maybe it’s because on such mornings, everything heavy and oppressive is driven away, and nature sings its sweetest melody. Or maybe it’s because the mist makes things grow…

Whatever the case, I’m really drawn. And never does such a morning pass without awakening in me an extra special desire to grow myself.

Welcome “100 days of Summer.”

Not the State Police’s vigorous seatbelt/DWI/speeding enforcement initiative, but just a tad bit like it. They set their summer goals and then get extra serious about their jobs during the busy season, and their efforts pay off in decreased accidents and crime. Now what if Christians set tangible goals for growth and service, and then got extra serious about doing their little part, and praying for the rest? Just for 100 days… Do you think it might pay off?

I’ve got a little secret. It would.

I know, because I (along with some of my nearest and dearest) did “100 days of Spring.”

So join us if you will… Pray about what God wants you to accomplish this summer, and put it on paper. Then work. Check your progress every day. Pray like you’ve never prayed before, and then share your story with someone…

_________________________

That was just the preface. I wanted to tell you what I learned this morning… 🙂

What is about to follow (tomorrow, and the next day, and the next) is a series of posts on my favorite Old Testament book. Since today is day 1, I read chapter 1. Tomorrow, I’ll read chapter 2. Perhaps you’ll read it too, and tell me what strikes you… Even if it is just three words. 🙂 I’ll try to post every day, unless I’m somewhere where neither iPad nor Blackberry have access to the outside world.

Ok, so here goes… (I love this!)

(Next Post)

One Little Digression

May 11, 2010 / Seán / 2 Comments

Pardon me if digress from my normative tenor momentarily…

There are plenty of blogs that serve as little more than a landing pad for 100 perfectly unrelated YouTube videos, and this is not one of them.

But the EMT in me wants to assert itself just this once to make one simple plea:

Please wear your seatbelt. I’m serious…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Frightened? I would have been too.

Wouldn’t you have been, if you had been in the vehicle when the tires started whining on dry pavement like a bottle rocket? Imagine looking out the window when it launched off of the bank sideways. Split seconds must have seemed like minutes…and the cycle of light and dark must have well reflected the fight between hopes and fears as the vehicle silently rolled in midair.

Or maybe your eyes would have been closed…

And maybe his eyes were still closed when the tree trunk started them spinning (still in midair) on 2 axes, not one. Maybe when all was still again the blood and broken glass convinced him to keep them that way.

Yes, I think I would have been frightened. Especially if I hadn’t yet seen my sixth birthday.

It took me a few minutes to get to him, (being outnumbered by victims at a scene by a factor of 2 is not ideal) but by the time the rest of our colleagues got there with the ambulances, he had taught me something beautiful about service, and about life…

It was in his face. Wide eyes told me the story. He was terribly afraid. And even in the bystander’s car with the heat all the way up, he was shaking like a little leaf.

“Hi buddy, my name is Sean. I work on the ambulance. Can I help you?”

“Mhm…”

“What’s your name? Does this hurt? Ok, hold really still for me. Good boy… I’m just going to hold your head like this… Is this your brother?”

“Yeah… We were, we were just going to the lake…”

But he wouldn’t stop shaking. Even after 5 minutes.

Finally–

“Is my mommy still in that car?”

Oh, I get it…

“Yes. But she should be out soon. They’re working on it right now.”

“But is it going to explode?”

I wish you could have seen his little face. Scratched and swollen as it was, to me it was the ultimate theater of Grace for one beautiful moment. The moment when I said “Oh no, definitely not. They’re taking care of her.”

His neck relaxed.

“Ohhh… good.”

That’s when I decided few privileges compare to healing hurts, and calming fears…

Thanks, my little friend.

I’m so glad you all made it home…

Miracles…

April 29, 2010 / Seán / 2 Comments

I have a question.

This one thanks to a dear friend who challenged me to fall asleep last night thinking about Jesus, and miracles…

Jesus spared Himself no pains while He was here, to relieve the sufferings of humanity. And He spares no pains today to relieve the sufferings of sinners. To me, miracles are one of the ways He says “I love you” most profoundly. They are proof of His power, proof of His authority, proof of His fidelity and infinity…

Gifts of Grace.

But have you ever stopped to ask yourself if miracles cost Him anything?

–If the gift of life He gave back to Jairus’ daughter, or the widow’s son, was in fact a measure of His own?

Eternal and Creative as He is after all, it seems like He could give without losing. But is that giving?

Maybe He always filled others by pouring out Himself.

And maybe… He still does.

You think?

Really Winning…

April 28, 2010 / Seán / 2 Comments

I’m weary of hearing cheap scandals promise triumph when all they have to back them is moral insanity, and shameless fraud…

Here’s the alternative: The real ways to win…

“If young [people] make their model an exalted one, having pure morals and firm principles, and if blended with this are affability and true Christian courtesy, there is a refined perfection to the character which will win its way anywhere, and a powerful influence will be wielded in favor of virtue, temperance, and righteousness. Such characters will be of the highest value to society, more precious than gold. Their influence is for time and for eternity.”*

Win its way anywhere?? Even infidels call that “really winning.”

*My Life Today, April 27

Thanks guys…

April 16, 2010 / Seán / 3 Comments

To some of the highest quality young people I ever hope to rub shoulders with,

Thank You.

I can’t say it was my idea to roll credits, anchor the meetings, or stream a game of freeze tag live… Nor could I have pulled it all off if I had thought of it.

But you did.

Love you guys…