Several months ago some friends and I were riding on the interstate and making our way home after having spent time together working. What a blessed day it was. It was a warm and beautiful day and the wind was blowing across my scalp. Hehe, ( i do find that funny). The sun was shining and traffic was light in all lanes. We had about a 30-40 minute drive ahead of us.
To pass the time I looked up to the sky to thank God for the day and traveling mercies, when I spotted something...in the clouds.
I shook my head to clear the cobwebs and rubbed my eyes to get the red out but, what I saw was real.
Cloud watching is nothing new to me and millions of others around the globe. As a child my friends and I would lay on the grass and decipher the truth about these celestial cities up above us.
One day while cloud watching I spied a dog, two people fighting, a lamb, a boat and numerous others that would take quite some time to remember. On this particular day, I saw the power of God.
WHAT!!!!!
Yes, the power of God.
What is the power of God? The power of God is:
creation
parting of the Red Sea
closing the Red Sea around the Pharaoh's army
defeating the Ethiopian army when outnumbered 2 to 1
Jesus dying on the cross for all of mankind
God raising Jesus from the dead
victory over death
The Rapture
This day while looking to the heavens I saw the power of God in its most simple and human inspired form.
What I saw, looked to be a fist connected to an arm from the shoulder. Not good enough. Think of a person flexing their bicep muscle, that would be a better description. At first I was shocked, but then I felt privileged. God sees us in all that we do and in those moments ,when we are childlike, he joins in with us and plays along.
SWEET!!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The Other Side
Life is not a bed of roses. To quote a famous historian, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are gonna get." This man truly had wisdom. Anyway.
I wish, as does everyone else, that life was more predictable and would go as we often want it to--smoothly. No hassles or worries or troubles. That is how God designed it (i.e. before Genesis 3:6-7), but mankind and sin changed everything.
This next posting is written from the point of someone who is a born-again believer in Jesus Christ (me) and can be applied to all of us. Why? Because we all have been in this postition before. However, the outcome may not be the same as mine. I had put this off for some time now and the time is at hand that I write it out.
The story you are about to read is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent (or to cover up the fact that I dont know her name and I gave a fake one).
This story takes place in a town much like yours. There are neighborhoods with fenced in houses and yards (some well kept and some not), multi-car garages, kids running around and playing games, neighbors talking and laughter can be heard as well. As with all other towns we to have our bad elements--crime. This typifies my town, a town called Hazleton in the state of Pennsylvania.
On this particular day I was walking from my house carrying a bag. Not just any bag---a backpak.
I had found some time in my day to goto the library and do research on a writing project I had just started. It was a warm 50 degree day in the latter days of December. Most unusual to say the least.
At this point my mind was on the classic video game "Frogger", and how best to navigate crossing the busy street without getting hit. Unfortunately the drivers behind the wheels of these cars did not seem to share my quest for a long life span. With every passing car it appeared as if the bumpers were shinier that normal and hungry to score points on the 'human object' foolishly trying to get to the other side. (Still i have trouble understanding why the chicken wanted to cross the road?)
As i stood there ,trying to time my crossing the road between cars or my leap to death, I notice a lady sitting on a bench staring blankly into the unknown. Carrie, I have come to call her, seemed to be lost in a hopeless existance. That look is all to familiar to me. I froze at her stare and no longer looked for the greener pasteurs of the other side of the street. For the briefest of moments we glanced at one another and her eyes called to me for help.
--brief intermission-- Many people have said the eyes are the window to the soul, it's true.
Time and the people around us stood still. Carrie and I were caught up in a vortex devoid of any existence but us. The call and surge within was too great to ignore. My response would determine an answer to her prayers or a continuance in her waiting for her prayers to be answered.
WHAT WOULD DARRYL DO?
Luke 10:30-32 echoes with great detail how i chose to deal with this encounter. I was not the good samaritan. There is no other way to say this but directly. After crossing the street and being out of eyeshot of her, I literally bowed my head and screamed. Is there a limit on shame and guilt and regret over not having the right thing? Depends on the situation. For me it was 'ungodly overload' because i chose to do the ungodly thing and go about my business. Deep within I could almost see her bow her head and ask why? Both to God and me. Needless to say, I was totally disgusted with myself the rest of the day. Do you blame me?
Since that day I have seen Carrie on two seperate occassions and there was no spiritual leading to go talk to her. Now the questions fill my mind. Was that her last chance at salvation? Was that my chance to share Jesus with her? Will she want to seek God anymore? Has she given up on ever finding hope?
There are more questions to ask but the surrealness of that moment and day will forever be with me, and I failed to do what the Lord requires of me.
'Carrie' is not part of an enemy camp, or the relative of a neighbor with whom I am feuding, or an undesirable. She is my neighbor, in the biblical sense of the word. Strong's concordance defines it this way. A noun a neighbor, i.e. fellow (as man, countryman, Christian or friend). As a believer in Christ I am to imbody all of these descriptions. However, on that day I failed to do one the most basic of all human traits acknowledge her.
In closing, I pray that one day I can offer an amendment to this blog post give an update on 'Carrie', in favor of the MOST HIGH.
I wish, as does everyone else, that life was more predictable and would go as we often want it to--smoothly. No hassles or worries or troubles. That is how God designed it (i.e. before Genesis 3:6-7), but mankind and sin changed everything.
This next posting is written from the point of someone who is a born-again believer in Jesus Christ (me) and can be applied to all of us. Why? Because we all have been in this postition before. However, the outcome may not be the same as mine. I had put this off for some time now and the time is at hand that I write it out.
The story you are about to read is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent (or to cover up the fact that I dont know her name and I gave a fake one).
This story takes place in a town much like yours. There are neighborhoods with fenced in houses and yards (some well kept and some not), multi-car garages, kids running around and playing games, neighbors talking and laughter can be heard as well. As with all other towns we to have our bad elements--crime. This typifies my town, a town called Hazleton in the state of Pennsylvania.
On this particular day I was walking from my house carrying a bag. Not just any bag---a backpak.
I had found some time in my day to goto the library and do research on a writing project I had just started. It was a warm 50 degree day in the latter days of December. Most unusual to say the least.
At this point my mind was on the classic video game "Frogger", and how best to navigate crossing the busy street without getting hit. Unfortunately the drivers behind the wheels of these cars did not seem to share my quest for a long life span. With every passing car it appeared as if the bumpers were shinier that normal and hungry to score points on the 'human object' foolishly trying to get to the other side. (Still i have trouble understanding why the chicken wanted to cross the road?)
As i stood there ,trying to time my crossing the road between cars or my leap to death, I notice a lady sitting on a bench staring blankly into the unknown. Carrie, I have come to call her, seemed to be lost in a hopeless existance. That look is all to familiar to me. I froze at her stare and no longer looked for the greener pasteurs of the other side of the street. For the briefest of moments we glanced at one another and her eyes called to me for help.
--brief intermission-- Many people have said the eyes are the window to the soul, it's true.
Time and the people around us stood still. Carrie and I were caught up in a vortex devoid of any existence but us. The call and surge within was too great to ignore. My response would determine an answer to her prayers or a continuance in her waiting for her prayers to be answered.
WHAT WOULD DARRYL DO?
Luke 10:30-32 echoes with great detail how i chose to deal with this encounter. I was not the good samaritan. There is no other way to say this but directly. After crossing the street and being out of eyeshot of her, I literally bowed my head and screamed. Is there a limit on shame and guilt and regret over not having the right thing? Depends on the situation. For me it was 'ungodly overload' because i chose to do the ungodly thing and go about my business. Deep within I could almost see her bow her head and ask why? Both to God and me. Needless to say, I was totally disgusted with myself the rest of the day. Do you blame me?
Since that day I have seen Carrie on two seperate occassions and there was no spiritual leading to go talk to her. Now the questions fill my mind. Was that her last chance at salvation? Was that my chance to share Jesus with her? Will she want to seek God anymore? Has she given up on ever finding hope?
There are more questions to ask but the surrealness of that moment and day will forever be with me, and I failed to do what the Lord requires of me.
'Carrie' is not part of an enemy camp, or the relative of a neighbor with whom I am feuding, or an undesirable. She is my neighbor, in the biblical sense of the word. Strong's concordance defines it this way. A noun a neighbor, i.e. fellow (as man, countryman, Christian or friend). As a believer in Christ I am to imbody all of these descriptions. However, on that day I failed to do one the most basic of all human traits acknowledge her.
In closing, I pray that one day I can offer an amendment to this blog post give an update on 'Carrie', in favor of the MOST HIGH.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Famous Quotes
From time to time I like to throw in somethings that have an impact on me as I come across them. This quote from someone, who we all have heard of, is one of them. Enjoy.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."
From "The Shadow of the Almighy", a book written by Elisabeth Elliot, wife of Jim Elliot.
Jim Elliot and four others were killed for the cause of Christ and the Kingdom of God while serving
as missionaries in Ecuador.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."
From "The Shadow of the Almighy", a book written by Elisabeth Elliot, wife of Jim Elliot.
Jim Elliot and four others were killed for the cause of Christ and the Kingdom of God while serving
as missionaries in Ecuador.
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