March 23, 2013

If antique shops could talk



A new favorite is slowly meandering through enormous antique shops while sipping coffee and  chatting with a friend. The endless maze of items kept my attention for quite some time, and I wondered what stories I would hear if the items could tell of their history. 

Books with pages worn and yellowed with age, waiting to be re-discovered. 
Clocks that just want to chime again at the top of the hour. 
Worn trunks that have perhaps seen better days, but now carry the memories of the miles traveled over land and sea. 
Radios which may now seem quite outdated, yet used to be the center of attention as the family gathered about it each evening. 
Wagon wheels which used to bear the weight of heavy loads as they rolled along the winding dirt roads. 

Ah yes, I wonder what stories they would tell. Would their story be one of adventure and excitement, or did they simply observe the unfolding of daily life in a quiet cottage? 

It brings me to wonder, what will my story be fifty years from now? Although I will never know the exciting stories of those worn items from the antique shop, I'm realizing that right now I am in the middle of a grand story. God is calling each of us to a great and exciting adventure, if we will only say yes and follow Him with all of our hearts. Yes, the road may be rough and the mountains steep, but we have the greatest protector and guide of all.

So will you say yes to the adventure, or simply sit on a shelf and watch the days float by? 


February 27, 2013

My Lord, I Did Not Choose You






 
My Lord, I did not choose You,
For that could never be;
My heart would still refuse You,
Had You not chosen me.

You took the sin that stained me,
You cleansed me, made me new;
Of old You have ordained me,
That I should live in You.

Unless Your grace had called me
And taught my opening mind,
The world would have enthralled me,
To heavenly glories blind.

My heart knows none above You;
For Your rich grace I thirst;
I know that if I love You,
You must have loved me first.



My Lord, I Did Not Choose You
Hymn by Josiah Conder

February 21, 2013

The Quest for Truth




I have embarked on a quest.

I want to know God. I want to truly understand what is required of me as a Christian. I want to search God's Word and discover what it means to live a life that is totally committed to Him and His teachings. I don't want to settle for a life of less than radical obedience to the commands of God. I want to study in depth who God is so that I can understand more fully who Christ is and my ultimate dependance upon Him. I want to learn to pursue God like one pursues a treasure of unmeasurable worth. I want to live focused on Christ and what He has done for me. I want to boldly and unashamedly proclaim the truth of the Gospel.

This is my quest. And with the help of God, I am committed to not turning back.


"Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind. 
This is the first and greatest commandment.'"
Matthew 22:37-38