buying and selling treasures

Matthew 13

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,

46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

What do I have that is worth selling? What is worth buying?

Kingdom of heaven is the pearl. It is hidden. It can be found. Then it is ‘covered up’. In a real story it would be so that no one else gets it. The point being that the guy wants to make sure he does get it. What pops into my mind is Mt. 6:1

1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

I imagine myself going through life, maybe even being like the merchant studying different philosophies of life, then I find IT. IT is so good that I hide it to make sure that I really get it.

I sell what I have (irresponsibility, arrogance, drama, pettiness, indulgence)… to whom? Not the point. The point is liquidation. They become dead to me. I no longer own them, nor do I need to tend to them. Now I have resources freed up: time, focus, energy, attention.

I go back to that hidden treasure and get it. With what currency? What I freed up by releasing. Time, focus, energy, attention. Will I spend what I have on the treasure of the Kingdom of heaven?

Wednesday – redemption.

Romans 5:18-19

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

Wednesday – redemption.

Humanity chose to defy God.

Humanity lives in a God defying world.

A God defying world is encased in death.

God in Christ is God’s gracious response to humanity’s defiance.

Defiance is overcome with sacrificial obedience

Righteousness overcomes sin.

Life overcomes death.

by the sweat of my thorn scratched brow

Creation: God is good, humanity is good, and work is good (ruling over a good creation). Then came the fall. That is what I am noticing today, not just because it is Tuesday in my 5 day devotional reflections scheme. It really is fallen Tuesday.

Genesis 3: 17-19

He told the Man:

"Because you listened to your wife

and ate from the tree

That I commanded you not to eat from,

'Don't eat from this tree,'

The very ground is cursed because of you;

getting food from the ground

Will be as painful as having babies is for your wife;

you'll be working in pain all your life long.

The ground will sprout thorns and weeds,

you'll get your food the hard way,

Planting and tilling and harvesting,

sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk,

Until you return to that ground yourself,

dead and buried;

you started out as dirt, you'll end up dirt."

Hmm. Guess that explains a good bit about what is not good in this life. I keep feeling like work should be invigorating and fun and fulfilling, and at times it is. BUT. Man, there are some long stretches of stress and chaos, and if not thorns, at least paper cuts (or carpal tunnel syndrome).

What do we do with the Biblical teaching on a fallen world? We realize that 'positive mental attitude' is not enough. Work is hard because things don't work the way they should. People are unstable, systems are unstable, things are unstable.

Though we must work, and work hard, and work hard at being cheerful at working hard... it isn't going to work. Effort is necessary to have a productive life, but we need more than that. We need a systemic overhaul. The whole cosmos needs a deep and thorough correction. Wrong must be removed and right must be reestablished thoroughly and reliably. Creator, image bearers, creation (in that order).

Today, when I feel overwhelmed by things not going right, I am to remember the big picture reason: creation vs. Creator, the only wise choice is Creator. Our ancestors chose poorly, and too often I do as well.

More faith and obedience in my Creator is my wisest choice this fine and terrible Tuesday.

Take Dominion

Monday: focus on creation, the biblical explanation of why existence includes good.

Genesis 1:28 says humanity is to take dominion:

And subdue it: subdue translates a verb meaning ``to tread or trample on'' and is used in Josh 18.1 with the sense of the land being ``conquered, overcome, overpowered.'' See also Num 32.22, 29; 2 Sam 8.11; 1 Chr 22.18. tev translates ``bring it [the earth] under control''; spcl says ``Fill the earth and govern it.'' Subdue and have dominion over are parallel expressions with reference to the plants and animals that God has put on the earth. This is not a command to go to war, but for the first people and their offspring to ``take control, be in charge, have direction over.'' Have dominion over . . . is translated by frcl ``Be masters over . . . ,'' and by tev ``I am putting you in charge of . . . .'' In some languages subdue is expressed idiomatically as ``make everything in the world come underneath your hands,'' and have dominion as ``you will be boss . . . .'' UBS handbook on translation

Monday starts of a fresh week of dominion taking. This week I will be seeking to "conquer, overcome, overpower" expense reports and budgets and other admin things in my 'non-admin role'. Lord help me to enjoy the opportunity to step up and bring things into order and completion. It is good to have the ability to work and work to do.

Colossians and the Story

Colossians 1:15-29 is a good example of the Story: Creation Fall Redemption Transformation Completion are all there:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,

22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,

26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.

27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

So why do I exist (and the world in which I exist)? Through and for Christ. What has happened? Alienation then reconciliation, through death, the formation of a community of hope laboring in a painful world toward being telos.

My existence, and the world in which I exist, have a source. Today, as I start the week of 'to-do' lists and appointments and opportunities for success and failure... I frame my awareness with Christ.

The goodness of existence and opportunity is personal

incomplete completion

I'm trying to get a schedule reestablished after the big move. Not easy. One of the things that did not get completed was my devotion on completeness. ironic.

Practically speaking "for the joy set before him" is not easy. The idea of enduring incompleteness in a world mixed with good and bad, enduring a soul that is declared righteours but struggling to live that out, and confidence in the greatness and goodness of the unseen God can be overwhelming. Energy levels, personalities, distractions can all drain the vision which is meant to give strength.

What recourse? Romans 12:1,2 keeps showing up:

¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual^{a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]} act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect (telos) will.

Resist physical and social distractions and be focused on God as revealed in Scripture with the hope which lies ahead.

Self justifying

People get defensive. We know we are vulnerable to some accusations, so we avoid those areas whenever possible. Then someone says something implying we are vulnerable in some other area. Almost out of a twisted transference of anxiety from our indefensible failure, temptation launches us into a vigorous defense of ourselves in the area of perceived accusation. It can really freak out people who get the defense without ever realizing they have accused.

Galatians 2:17-21 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! (18) For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. (19) For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. (20) I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (21) I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Why do we want to be justified? There is a sense of 'ought-ness' we all carry. Nature and nurture foster this. Yes, community gives us expectations, yet there is traction in those expectations partly because of the inner sense of who we should be. We should be righteous, but we aren't.

Righteous is better than wrongous, yeah? Of course. Righteous ultimately just means appropriately correct. We get all wound up about the word though. Same with "sinner". Missing the mark, as in an arrow failing to hit its target, just means: "no, that's not right." Sin vs. righteousness is the same dynamic but not in weapons management, rather in soul management. When I sin, I mishandle my soul (body, mind, will). Righteousness is properly handling the soul I have been created to be.

I was born flawed and I do not fly true. I am un-righteous arrow. The warning from Paul is twofold. 1. Don't use "Christian" terms to do the old trick of trying to draw the bull's-eye around where we strike. This happens when we adjust scripture, doctrine, missiology, gossip or whatever to make sure that what we just did was the right thing to do, regardless. 2. By the grace of God in Christ, work out your gifted salvation such that you become a more righteous, straight and reliable arrow.

I'll type it out for myself again.

1. Less energy trying to look good by lawyering definitions.
   
2. More energy in releasing who I have become so I can be transformed by Christ's wisdom and power
   

I need to treasure Christ, and his righteousness. Life can work. Jesus managed his soul quite well.

I need to not protect my unrighteousness. If it gets exposed, it will have a hard time surviving. So be it. Didn't like the unrighteousness anyway!

I need to crave actual righteousness. I want to add into my habits the habits of thinking and acting that Jesus employed so well. By his grace (and all that means) I want to enjoy the freedom of forgiveness so I can learn to live well.

Dark vs Light

It appeared that DARKNESS had overcome LIGHT.

Luke 23

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit! And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, Certainly this man was innocent! And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.

It appeared that DARKNESS had overcome LIGHT. How devastating. Should those who saw hope die look for it elsewhere? Or resign to the miserable evidence that life is futile and suffering, evil and death are inevitably victorious?

Luke 24

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead?

LIGHT overcame. Hope in Christ, the LIVING ONE was displayed.

Today? Darkness is real, but Light is greater. Identify and invest in LIGHT.

Johnny Cash and Tuesday mornings

In the 5 day story retelling, Tuesday corresponds to the fall. God made a good world, so what has happened? Johnny Cash knows. We couldn't resist, and now things hurt.

I remember listening to Johnny Cash as a kid, even at the expense of ridicule from my English neighbors' older kids: "Johnny Trash" they'd say. But I liked listening to the 8-track recordings lamenting guilt, alienation, absurdity. Folson Prison Blues, A Boy named Sue, One Piece at a Time, The Man in Black...

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black

Ecclesiastes 1:13-18 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.

I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. …

in much wisdom is much vexation,

and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

song by Tom Petty

Existence is from and for God

Psalms 100

1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

The Good wedding

Watched an odd movie last night: Rachel Getting Married. A girl gets out of rehab just in time for her sister's wedding. The story is filmed increasingly real time. Little editing, just footage of people trying to be happy and celebrate while bumping into all kinds of unsolvable problems and weirdness. They all more or less manage, but there is no separating of good and bad, it is all swirled so tightly together that it even shows up in a scene of a dishwasher loading contest.

Is there hope for the genuine removal of all that is wrong, or do we just need to cope? The wedding party presented in the Apocalypse is one without embarrassing toasts, drunken missteps and so on. It is a thoroughly joyous occasion because the perennial question has been dramatically resolved: How can God be both Great and Good in a world like this?

The answer is shown to be that the world is not like this, it is passing from like this to like that. That, an evil-judged world and a goodness restored and flourishing world, is the world that fully reveals the Greatness and Goodness of God. The daunting task now is for those who have tasted that God is Great and Good to live with that confidence even while wading through a world like this, not yet like that.

Revelation 19

^1-3 I heard a sound like massed choirs in Heaven singing, Hallelujah!
The salvation and glory and power are God's—
his judgments true, his judgments just.
He judged the great Whore
who corrupted the earth with her lust.
He avenged on her the blood of his servants.
Then, more singing:
Hallelujah!
The smoke from her burning billows up
to high Heaven forever and ever and ever.

⁴The Twenty-four Elders and the Four Animals fell to their knees and worshiped God on his Throne, praising,

Amen! Yes! Hallelujah!

⁵From the Throne came a shout, a command:

Praise our God, all you his servants,
All you who fear him, small and great!

^6-8Then I heard the sound of massed choirs, the sound of a mighty cataract, the sound of strong thunder:

Hallelujah!
The Master reigns,
our God, the Sovereign-Strong!
Let us celebrate, let us rejoice,
let us give him the glory!
The Marriage of the Lamb has come;
his Wife has made herself ready.
She was given a bridal gown
of bright and shining linen.
The linen is the righteousness of the saints.

⁹The Angel said to me, "Write this: 'Blessed are those invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.'" He added, "These are the true words of God!"

¹⁰I fell at his feet to worship him, but he wouldn't let me. "Don't do that," he said. "I'm a servant just like you, and like your brothers and sisters who hold to the witness of Jesus. The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

waiting for 'hesed

Lamentations 3 and the courage to press on for good over bad in me.

But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

^22-24God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.

^25-27God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young
to stick it out through the hard times.

^28-30When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The "worst" is never the worst.

^31-33Why? Because the Master won't ever
walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
His stockpiles of loyal love are immense

Loyal love is what one is to wait for when personal doubt weighs heavy. Prayer, silence (not probing for answers), humility about the fact that there is much worse possible. God can be severe, particularly when he seems absent. But wait for a return. Be loyal to him as the source of loyal love. That is where hope lies.

OK, that is what Jeremiah seems to be saying (more or less) as his city sags under the crushing hardship of being besieged. How about just being someone in a world that is neither great nor terrible? Is the same true? Is waiting for God's loyal love, waiting in restrained, prayerful vigilance; is that the best advice? Wait until... what? A feeling of God's loyal love? ('hesed)

Seems to be.

GOOD & evil

Lamentations 3:

^22-24God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He's all I've got left.

^25-27God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young
to stick it out through the hard times.

The reality of good and the reality of evil exist simultaneously, but not equally. The cynic is crushed by evil, wrong and hardship and has contempt for the claims of goodness. The delusional filters everything through wishful thinking and willfully optimistic distortion. The one who trusts in God, in ways that are affirmed in Scripture, know of evil and of good. They are alert to them both. They are optimistic, not because they avoid looking at suffering and hardship, rather, because they have seen the depth of goodness and bet on it.

The recurring rise of goodness out of conflict with wrong shows glimpse of God's deep goodness. Jeremiah laments the hardship of the siege of Jerusalem but framed with anguish is the central perspective: God's covenant mercy doesn't stop. It is the ultimate reality.

And now? What about in our time? The hints in the past where articulated emphatically in the crushing of the Messiah followed by his resurrection to life. Evil is real but good is greater. Now? We should look at life with a resolve: the pain and difficulties in and around us may be faced without capitulation to despair. Christ is victorious, center our lives in Christ and we can know the triumph of goodness, hinted at in our lives now, certain in the completion to come.

troubled tuesday - a good world gone wrong

Goodness can be such that we don't even bother to notice wrongness. At other times we notice things that aren't right, but there is such a confidence in goodness that the wrongness becomes a display for the power of good. But there are other times. Times when the spirit cannot muster goodness. Times when wrongness weighs heavy.

A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed? Proverbs 18:14 (The Message)

When one is crushed in spirit, there is at times a need that proceeds marshaling the forces of good, and optimism, and radiant cheerfulness. There may be a need to just acknowledge the problem. Scripture does that.

Lamentations 3:^19-21

I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there's one other thing I remember,
and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

There is a time for laughter, and a time for sorrow. There is a time to cheer up, and a time to just wait and notice: life can really hurt.

Monday - back to basics. Good is, because God is

My phone got soaked. I was filling in at football training and there was a downpour. When the game ended, my phone was ended as well. I'm using a knock-off Nokia from China right now. I can tell it isn't quite right; the way the back doesn't snap in when I inserted my SIM was one hint. More obvious is the double images on the screen. It will work, but it isn't what it should be.

I feel that way. The series of shifts over the last stretch of time (I'm not sure when it started but I'm afraid it is not over) have been modifications on top of modifications such that it is difficult to feel very solid and assured. There are too many double images; too many pieces that don't 'click'.

So what should I do? Stop and find good. So I do. I look up and see a leaf and choose to notice the way it stretches out with veins delivering goodness to the tips of the plant and bringing goodness back. It is a system of goodness. How and why? I believe that lesser things came from greater, not greater from lesser. Life, order, goodness is a lesser display of the ultimate goodness. The personal Being who gives existence to all else. It is something I say and think so often that it could just roll of my fingertips, but that does not help me. I need help. I need the core of me to take in goodness from what is out beyond me and intentionally acknowledge it. I cannot borrow copies of things thought or spoken previously. I need to choose to observe and process today. I do, and it gives me rest in goodness.

Hebrews 4

¹Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it...

⁴For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work."...

⁹There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. ¹¹Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

God created and rested. Creation reminds me of him and his completion. I must not allow my heart to harden. I must use what I can to remember him and his promises. When I do, I can faithfully enter into the rest I need.

shalom

eccesiastes poem

http://spurgeon.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/poem-ecclesiastes/

This life, filled with vanity.
This life, filled with divine gifts to enjoy.

The enjoyment of prosperity?
A vanity, a vapor.
God’s gift to enjoy.

The experience of all pleasure and laughter?
A vanity, a vapor.
God’s gift to enjoy.

To experience our fill of bread and wine?
A vanity, a vapor.
God’s gift to enjoy.

To taste all the delights of life?
A vanity, a vapor.
God’s gift to enjoy.

To possess superior wisdom?
A vanity, a vapor.
God’s gift to enjoy.

The fruit of labor and toil?
A vanity, a vapor.
God’s gift to enjoy

http://spurgeon.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/poem-ecclesiastes/

for the rest of the poem

thanks to JM for the link

Mac

just got my new computer.  a macbook pro.  i've wanted a computer that just works.  hopefully this will be it.

after opening it up i went to the web and chose which site to go to first.  i figured telosxelot would be a nice start.  

for the last couple of months everything has been defined by transition and flex.  now we are in a house that is more or less functioning and i'm more than ready to establish a routine.  part of that routine is to write.

here's praying for a good stretch in the upcoming year.  i pray for simple routines which ensure investing in the most important things but leaving room to respond to surprising things.

Translator's Handbook - Ecclesiastes

What then is the real message of Ecclesiastes? To decide this issue we must look to the text itself. Despite the lack of a tightly organized structure or progression of ideas, there is an amazing number of repeated expressions and refrains that characterize this book. Among the most important are:

— the word ''vanity'' (hevel) and the longer ''vanity'' refrain ''vanity of vanities'' (hevel hevalim); this key word occurs 38 times.

— the ''calls to enjoyment'' (2.24; 3.12, 22; 5.18; 8.15; 9.7-10): ''There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat, drink, and find enjoyment in his toil.''

— the thematic question (1.3; 3.9; 5.16): ''What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?'' along with other occurrences of the word ''gain'' (yithron) in 2.11, 13, 15; 3.19; 6.8, 11.

By examining these expressions, their use and occurrence in detail, we can hope to find a unified message.

The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion's treasure. (Isaiah 33:5-6)

The LORD = I AM – the uniquely self-existent source of all, especially of personhood

Is exalted = stands above all is in value and significance

For he dwells on high = I AM's existence is transcendent… a whole different range of perspective

He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness = the people of I AM will experience correction and 'ought-ness'

And he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge = he makes life what it should be

The fear of the LORD is Zion's treasure = the genuine priority of the Self Existent One is the most valuable thing the people have.

For me, I constantly have to come back to the reason why. Why is there something instead of nothing and why is the something at odds with itself? Why is there and expectation which exceeds experience? Why the gap? I return again and again to the conviction that it is so sensible and necessary that the source of all contingent and intertwined reality (me and the stuff I bump into) has its source in a uniquely Self-Existent One. However, that doesn't bring immediate peace. The awareness that YHWH {{{is}}} swirls the anguish of how poorly i am. I have loose ends, dead ends… to no end. Something is not what it is meant to be. I am not right with the I AM.

That is the hope of Jesus, Yeshua, YHWH saves, I AM helps. What is the treasure? Knowing that the gap between i am and the I AM is the essence of my current situation, and that it is not interminable and futile and toxically vaporous. There is reason to trust that wrong will be set right and things will be what they should be and understanding and choices will be life sharingly vibrant and soothing.

I AM is my terrifying clarity and joy.

The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion's treasure. (Isaiah 33:5-6)

poem of aging

Oh, how sweet the light of day,
And how wonderful to live in the sunshine!
Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted.
Take delight in each light-filled hour,
Remembering that there will also be many dark days
And that most of what comes your way is smoke.

You who are young, make the most of your youth.
Relish your youthful vigor.
Follow the impulses of your heart.
If something looks good to you, pursue it.
But know also that not just anything goes;
You have to answer to God for every last bit of it.

Live footloose and fancy-free—
You won't be young forever.
Youth lasts about as long as smoke.

Honor and enjoy your Creator while you're still young,
Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes,
Before your vision dims and the world blurs
And the winter years keep you close to the fire.

In old age, your body no longer serves you so well.
Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen.
The shades are pulled down on the world.
You can't come and go at will. Things grind to a halt.
The hum of the household fades away.
You are wakened now by bird-song.
Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past.
Even a stroll down the road has its terrors.
Your hair turns apple-blossom white,
Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body.
Yes, you're well on your way to eternal rest,
While your friends make plans for your funeral.

Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over.
Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends.
The body is put back in the same ground it came from.
The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it.

It's all smoke, nothing but smoke.
The Quester says that everything's smoke.

Ecclesiastes (The Message)