For Unto Us

~A poem based on Isaiah 9~

A great light shines bright

Though still in the darkness

We see

For brilliant is the glow

Showing the way before us

To increase in our joy

As we extend His light

Rejoice for great is what we now see

Can you perceive what the light reveals?

For unto us a child is born 

Unto us a Savior to the world

For unto us a Son is given

Unto us peace now be upon the earth

Break free, we now can break free

Oppression defeated

A new grace bestowed

Our yoke now lighter

So wonderful we can now behold

A Mighty God, an Everlasting Father
For now we have a Savior for our world

Merry Christmas!! Have a blessed 2017 New Year filled with God's fulfilling and loving favor!

An Overcoming Faith

I miss my dad. As I read through his writings, Revelation 21:7 is one that my Father has typed up in bold on one page. “He that overcomes shall inherit all things, him shall I call my son, he will call me my God.” As I read further I am reminded of what my Father stood for. He was a person who knew where he came from, what he was about and where he was going. Forever, my Father is a hero in my eyes. An overcomer. My Father fiercely believed in the promises of the Word of God. He knew the life that pours out through God’s word, he knew the love that carries us all as the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. My father knew that one step of faith on his behalf would allow a lifetime of seeing God’s faithfulness in all circumstances. He knew of the life of an overcomer. By faith, he overcame and succeeded in a world that would have loved to slap a label on his life, family and circumstances and placed it all neatly into a little box. He knew by God’s grace he had overcome, he had ventured near and far across the world, studied at a doctorate level, lived life fully knowing he was going to make an impact in this world serving others. Despite coming from a small, tiny, little known island in the middle of the Indian ocean. Everyone in this world will always be just a little too self involved, too worried about our own, too consumed in our routines, too in love with our own, too comfortable that we may overlook, underestimate, or ignore what may not really intersect into our spheres. Reading through what my Father writes, I hear once again his voice, his words, his heart. He knew he could live life easily just making money for self and family. Yet, my Father knew he would gain a deeper, greater joy from serving the Lord. Doing the difficult, the less esteemed work of ministering, teaching the Bible, preaching the Good News of the Gospel of peace. I will never forget how my father would say with faithful determination and a calm peace that there was truly no greater joy than in serving the Lord.  He would say this as I knew my Dad was suffering in pain as cancer spread and metastasized through his body as he preserved in Sri Lanka.

I read chapter 21 of the book of Revelation and verse 4 & 5 states, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” There is not a day that goes past that in some way memories of my Father are present. If I dwell on it too long tears would surely spill down my cheeks and the throbbing stabbing pains in my heart would probably start up again. Grief is so strange. It lingers, it waxes and wanes, it subsides but it never ever goes away. Yet, we have this pain because we were able to have such great joy in our lives as our Father’s daughters. We had such a great Father and I am ever so grateful as I grow and live in this world where this has become such a rarity. The most precious inheritance my Father left us with was our faith. Our Dad and Mom taught us to pray, to read the Bible, the value our faith, our hope, our belief in a saving grace. This faith in the unfailing love of Jesus, our hope in the saving grace of our Lord has been at the very center of our lives ever since. This is why I read verse 4 and 5 of Rev 21 and it gives me peace, hope and joy. Knowing that one day there will be no more tears, no more pain. Reading further in the New International Version translation it states, ‘to the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life’. At the center point of my Father’s life was his thirst for the Lord, to serve the Lord, to know the Lord more and to share the love of the Lord with others. This faith in Jesus is for those willing to put aside ourselves, for those who let our souls thirst after a living God (Psalms 42:1-2) and those who hold fast to our faith. Faith in a God who is loving, faith in a grace that saves us. ‘Those that are victorious, those who overcome shall inherit all things, and I will be their God and they will be my children’(Rev 21:7).

Journey to Surrender

The land was rugged and desolate, the desert winds continuously sweeping the sand across the faces of the two travelers. They struggled onwards knowing soon, hopefully soon, the journey would end. The girl fought through the waves of fatigue and pain that coursed through her pregnant body, nine months pregnant to be exact. Yet here she was riding on the back of a donkey headed to a little town miles across the desert with her betrothed husband. This was not about a recent voyage through the desert. The process of this journey began months ago when the Angel appeared to her that fateful day saying to her, ‘Most favored one; you will bear the Son of God,’ of all people why her, she must have thought.¹ Imagine the thoughts running through her mind as she probably asked herself, “What will my family, friends, and relatives say?” Her plans for the future vanished and changed before her eyes with the one word from the Angel of the Lord.

We take years and months to decide and prepare ourselves for whatever the Lord may want from our lives. Oftentimes we even want several confirmations for our question, “Is this really what you want me to do Lord?” Mary was not allowed to do a careful cost-benefit-analysis of this call. She had no idea how long and where this journey would take her yet she simply said, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.” ²

Withholding nothing she surrendered her will, her life, and her body, everything to God. 

Journeying quickly to Elizabeth’s house her pregnancy was confirmed in a most delightful way as Elizabeth exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ...Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” ³ What a wonder it must have been to first feel Jesus’ presence? In the midst of the fear and hardship, there was joy as the Holy Spirit inspired.

The thoughts, the fears, the realities Mary faced were put aside in that one decision to completely obey the Lord, in simple faith. Knowing the uncertainty of what lay ahead faith overruled fear. As she faced Joseph three months into her growingly obvious state he too had to make a decision to obey the Lord’s instructions. His character and faith were revealed as he allowed God’s perfect will to be accomplished in both their lives.

God has a call upon each of our lives; His will for us is more than anything we can imagine. Our plans can not compete with what God has in store. The journey is long and we may never know what lies ahead. The desert storms may rage around you and the pain of God’s plan birthing inside of you may bring you to your knees. With a child like faith we can conquer fear and surrender our lives to something greater.

Luke 1: 46 “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant…for the Great One has done great things for me-holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear him.”

Say Something

“Say something”...this phrase can often be heard reverberating through our heads. Opportunities sometimes come and go in a fleeting second. Although words fail and at times actions speak louder than words. Sometimes our lives our muffled and drowned out in the mundane routine and there arises a need for our voices to be heard. There must be something powerful in vocalizing the combination of simple characters, consonants and vowels. 

Crowds press forward together, eyes focused on one individual. Those not present have their ears perked up.  All listening anxiously anticipating words revolutionized streaming over the sounds waves. 

Hearts racing, their thoughts running a million miles an hour and in a second one phrase alter and marry two to a change in fate and fortuity.

In an opportune moment one emphatically takes a stance and with grandiose prolixity a judgment is ruled. 

Looking up he clings to the hope of hearing one single word, to treasure, to hold onto throughout the years.

In one single moment hurt builds hate and in another lives shatter, a consequence of a fragmented exchange. 

Remember the words. Remember what they said. 

Debate and dispute. Discuss and muse. The verbiage exudes and seeps into every crevice of our being. Edifying, dehumanizing, enlightening, instructing, comforting, destroying or preserving. 

When my father passed all I wanted was to hear his voice. That is something I will never forget on that day my mother told me my father had passed away. I remember crying saying and thinking I wish I could just hear him talk, say something, just one more time. 

There is power, life and death in our words. Who are we inspiring or are we just conspiring against ourselves and others with what we say? 

As this year winds down and yet another one rolls around. Let our words comfort, encourage, motivate and bring life. 

John 1:1-4 (MSG/NLT) The Word was first, the Word present to God. The Word was God, in readiness for God from day one...The Word gave life to everything...and his life brought light to everyone. 

Waiting for what...?

Can I get personal here for a moment? Hmmm…it’s the internet and I probably shouldn’t. I read this quote by Matt Chandler recently:

I know it seems really strange to some folks that some of us have remained single ALLL these years. They wonder what in the world is wrong with us…or whisper in other circles about how something is wrong with us. They may just chalk it up to eh…she/he is just too picky and thinks too much about themselves to settle for someone reasonable. Sometimes to be honest I wonder if something is wrong with me too. I wonder why I’ve been single for so long. I wonder why I gave up my 20’s to be so focused on getting one degree after another. I wonder if maybe I missed out on something…or missed out on meeting ‘the’ someone. Well…I don’t think so. To be perfectly honest there isn’t one day being single that I would give up. I have learned so much, grown so much and learned to believe so much more not just in myself but in my Christian faith. I’m glad I haven’t had to gain my confidence by my connection to some guy and like some girls have to have a continual string of guys because they can’t learn to live on their own. Or enjoy just being themselves by themselves. Anyways, I know 100% that whoever I’m ‘waiting’ for to marry (if I ever get the chance [to marry]) is going to be imperfect just like me. He will not complete me. He will probably at times irritate me. No matter, the daily decision to be content and enjoy my singleness is worth the realization that although I could fall in love with anyone. I would rather fall in love with someone who will challenge me to live for God even more.  It’s not an easy decision; it’s a daily decision.