The first and last use of "Emergent"

This will be the first and last use of the word "Emergent" on this blog. (I just want to force myself to be creative in my use of terminology.)

It all goes back in the box...

I was recently reminded of a visit I made to Napoleon's tomb in Paris a few years ago. There was the huge coffin, the body of the former conqueror enclosed within seven cases of precious wood. My only thought was, "It all goes back in the box." It kind of brings perspective to life. No matter what, this life will end. What is the most important thing I need to do today? The wealth and success I can pile up will not matter. What I've invested in people will.

Changeable I am

Changeable I am
and Multiple I feel
When happy is tangible
I think I'm real
But then sadness descends
and I follow it down
The smile might remain
instead of a frown
Yes, the face may not change
But my names may not be
The same in my head
As what you can see
For Changeable I am
and Multiple I feel

The verge

Written as I anticipated my daughter's first day of school:

Tears hide just behind
these tired eyes of mine
For tender years gone by
soon to be missed
For foolishness of youth
now turned to mist
For love of God betimes
too often born of wist
Oh, tears, your time will come
You're always all too soon
loosed and dearly spent

I had a weird dream last night.

So, feel free to "flex" your dream interpretation skills on this one:

In my dream I was attending a conference and someone called the speaker out for using a quote and claiming it as his own. The speaker went on to say that something known or unknown is behind everything that is said and done. He supported his claim with the example that the first KrispyKreme store was owned by the Nazis. Then, in the dream, I saw a movie screen that showed people being forced to hard labor in a basement. The view pulled back and turned a corner and you could see a little girl picking out donuts in a small bakery shop. The end.

Contentment

I'm walking through a tough situation. For five days I've been praying for wisdom. I've been praying for answers. Funny that the best thing I've experienced in the last five days has not been a resolution to the situation. The best thing is that I have peace anyway. I am sleeping well at night. I am enjoying my family. I am content. I am satisfied. Even while knowing that I need answers. It's true - absolutely true - when God says in His word that "godliness with contentment is great wealth."

...and that's the problem.

"Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem."

Ouch.

What makes a day?

Is it in the things I do? Or is it in the conversations I've had? Is it in the way my needs have been met? Or is it in the ways that I've been poured out? Is it in relationships? Is it in rest? Phone calls made? Emails read and returned? Is it in recognizing the presence of the One Who Is? All of these make up the good day and bad. Why are there two different results from the same elements? It comes down to the direction of my attention. It's in the divine combination of remembering and forgetting. It's in remembering Another and forgetting myself.

400 years should do the trick

We just prayed with the team we're sending to Northern Ireland this morning. They are a part of an amazing cooperative effort between denominations in the traditionally divided Northern Ireland. It looks as though it will be a time that brings together Protestant and Catholic teenagers as well. The division only began around 1606. 400 years is about long enough. Lord, heal the broken hearts and the broken land.

Telling Secrets

In my reading of Frederick Buechner's "Telling Secrets", a crippling fear is revealed in me. It is the fear of loss. I know it's there. And I know it hurts my life and the lives around me. Buechner put it this way: If perfect love casts out fear, the fear casts out perfect love. Running in fear of some future tragedy steals the love and joy out of today. Cast fear aside and live love. That's the order of the day.