It's not over...

...until you give up. So don't give up.

Please Don't Leave Me

I know the song is a girl talking to her boyfriend, but for some reason during the chorus I always hear myself talking to God.

This is great stuff

Uncool

This is a great post about the Cool Factor that it seems many churches are pursuing these days. It's worth a read and some quiet reflection.

Blessed are the Uncool

It reminds me of the time I saw Bebo Norman in concert, and at the beginning of his set he said "if anything happens here, with the lights and lasers and so forth, that makes me or my performance look cool... that part was a mistake."

Matthew 5:40

Here's a beautiful story of a victim forgiving his attacker, seemingly in advance:

He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.

"He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says.

As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."

Read the rest here.

God as Parent

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about what God is like through the lens of (what little I know about) parenting.  This has become important to me as I've been pursuing my own transition into parenthood through adoption.

This article, written by a mother of a terminally ill child, gave me a lot to think about.  In what way is God's love like that of a parent who expects their child to die?  The author calls herself and others like her "dragon parents: fierce and loyal and loving as hell".  She goes on to declare,

I would walk through a tunnel of fire if it would save my son. I would take my chances on a stripped battlefield with a sling and a rock à la David and Goliath if it would make a difference. But it won’t. I can roar all I want about the unfairness of this ridiculous disease, but the facts remain. What I can do is protect my son from as much pain as possible, and then finally do the hardest thing of all, a thing most parents will thankfully never have to do: I will love him to the end of his life, and then I will let him go.

And that brings me round to the sacrifices God does make for us.  It's something I feel, primally, more than I can express.  I need to think about this further, and take some time to pray for the dragon parents out there.

Verse of the Day

"He has shown you, O man, what is good;
      And what does the LORD require of you
      But to do justly,
      To love mercy,
      And to walk humbly with your God? "

--Micah 6:8