The Circle

praise and thanksgiving...
living for the Lord to
love Him first
above all
before all
Love as He Loves
the Ideal is
so far from my reality
but so close to my heart
so easy to be lost in daily living
caught up in circumstances
trials that challenge
faith to its edge
hope to its core
love to its end and
sometimes result in
anxious imaginations and
vain dreads that 

challenge progress by 
distracting me away
from the Source where my
eternal journey began
without realizing their detours of
self-centeredness
ego's enthronement
or futile striving

feeding my flesh's
unsavory appetites
until Mercy reveals the
projected course 

once again and
reawakens me back to
metanoia's resolve to

change my mind / heart

a repentance initiated by 

Grace's Mercy which 

points my heart back 

to the One who lifts me by 

the Spirit's wings
before Heaven's throne
there to worship in tears of
grateful sorrow
praise and thanksgiving
resolving once again to 

Love Him

first
above all
before all 

with all my heart and so
the circle of life continues
ever deeper
ever new

Reflection/Discussion:

-What is "Metanoia"?
-What is the 'circle'?
-What is your experience of getting "off track" and coming 'home' again?
-What are your 'anxious imaginations' and 'vain dreads'?
-How can we minimize 'falling away' from the Lord?
-What is your prayer life like?
-How can you become more disciplined in your walk with the Lord?
-How can you become more 'accountable' to others?

The Claim

yes or no
His claim demands an answer
He is or is not

Who He says He is
our response has meaningful
consequences for
now and forever
He was either a madman-
another in the
long line of lunatics 
making wild divinity assertions
who have
come and gone
throughout history or
He was who
He said He was -
The Son of God
in the Flesh...and
not just a good man
doing magical deeds
beyond explanation
no...More than just 

nice-but-a-little-off....
no... His teachings
relationships
interactions -
even miraculous deeds -

were always rooted in
Life-giving Reality
not  fantasy island
well then...was He
full of truth or deception?
He claimed to be The
Way...Truth...Life
did He lie about that?
was He proven to be a
deceiver about other things?
did He ever say one thing and
do another?
did He...ever...
promise one thing and
not deliver?
no...not once
then...there is the ultimate
assertion about the claim...
His Resurrection from the dead...
what we can say for sure is that
there were hundreds that saw Him
His disciples that spoke and ate with Him
then ultimately were tortured and
killed rather than deny Him
as well as the untold numbers
throughout history who
lived lives of self-sacrifice and holiness
who also testified with their blood...
so...if it was true then
it is so now that
He is Alive!
Risen from the dead to die no more -
proof that He is the Lord
the Christ
the Son of the Living God
we must either believe Him or not
and if we believe Him
accept His claim on our lives
to be His disciples
then we will know Him
as a lover experiences the beloved
even as we become His beloved
the Source and End of our lives
it is a personal decision
a giving over of our lives
our being is transformed
and no longer merely human
but is a sharing in His Devine Life
a communion not only with Love
but with those who also
become Divinized
there is no middle ground:
to believe a little and
not seek the More
is to not believe
to not be genuine
but lukewarm...false
so carefully reflect upon it
He asks
who do you say I am?
lunatic...liar or Lord?
deliberately choose...for
not to choose is
to choose
and if you believe His Claim
accept the Truth
follow the Way
live the Life
Be 'All In'!..

Reflections/Discussion:

-What are the arguments of lunatic, liar or Lord?
-What are the arguments against believing?
-What about all those saying they believe but not act like it?
-What keeps you back from accepting and following Jesus?
-If you accept His Claim, where do you go from here?
-What does being "all in" mean practically?

The Process

Your Love upholds me in unexpected -

even unperceived ways...
Desperate for your voice or touch
In a free-fall leading to destinations unknown
With only my fears and frustrations to comfort me,
A battle to surrender the death-grip
On my life and desires
Nurtured from long ago-
Identity's ideal both toiled and sought-
Is now contested by life's twists
And light's demise.
Clarity's illusion remembers itself
The more as tears fall within.
Silent cries for Mercy's relief,
Seeking the Lover of my soul,
Whose true union and calling
Passes through the cross.
Purity's gain lies in flaming embers
Rolling from opposing melodies and
Dancing in unison-but only in lilting revolutions.
True progress is a dream
Without compromise
Holding on with faithful weakness
Beyond resolution's might-
With only promises in sight-
Though not with any tenderness.
Trials, clothed in suffering,
Disciplines the heart
and molds the sojourner
into Light's image-though only by
Ego's power bleeding into air.
Surrender's affirmation is never-ending,
As sincere as it is impure.
Pride's effacement needs a Savior,
One who is tireless and adept
In the process of transformation
For the human heart
So entangled by self's enticing web.
Freedom from idolatry's prison-
Becoming a true child
By letting go of the me
In gift to You-
Through patient endurance-
Trusting by grace alone, and,
Never dying without a struggle,
We bear the imprint of Calgary
And a Glory to come
Letting it happen
In hope,
By faith,
With Love.