A Day's Work

Sorry I haven't written in a while, things have most certainly been busy and full to say the least. To illustrate take for instance this past week :Yesterday I was up for 20 hrs worked straight through besides lunch from 5am to 1 am, the day previous 18rs and I worked through this past weekend and monday(the holiday). A lot to do...for sure!

It is truly strange though because what I am doing I am loving and these 20 hr days honestly they don't bug me.

Yesterday I remember just being so captivated by the beauty of the silence of the morning. A sleeping world still under the veil of night still, ceasing from striving (ps 48:10.) and ending the day with the silence of the midnight hours. I remember worshiping with hands that were rough and bruised from the days labor but not being angry that life was not always roses. There was something just so profound about what lied around me yesterday, God was fully in it although it was merely just an ordinary day.

This rain that has been falling since Sunday has given me the chance to simply walk and look around. There is this beautiful captivating thing known as creation all around us. Berries in bloom, grass becoming green, the rain that is falling ,the hills these two doves that sit outside my window etc it's all so very beautiful.

And honestly I find myself struck by all who God is. As I sat at work alone this morning waiting on the systems to begin running that thought gave me joy and a smile uncontained, it simply does. It still does! God is so good, and so incredibly sovereign.

To His Sovereign Glory alone,
JG

Daylight has Begun

Old Saints of the past
Trapped in these stained glass windows
Vibrancy of life
Contained in simple leaded glass
Could it be? Such a thing?

Old hymns of freedom
Trapped in these beautiful words
Vibrancy of life
Contained in simple pen and ink
Could it be? Such a thing?

Come Alive and sing what they use to sing
Sing the songs we will sing in the eternal cities
Melodies of the slums of a world reborn

Can mere things contain revivals of the past
The unbreakable light waiting to break through this frame
Daylight has begun

I doubt such a thing, the breaking light of God’s means

Young eyes of hope
Trapped in this little soul
Vibrancy of life
Contained in simple words and speech
Could it be? Such a thing?

Can mere things contain revivals of the past
The unbreakable light waiting to break through this frame

Daylight has begun

To His Glory Alone,
JG

Questions on a Thursday Afternoon

What does discipleship look like biblically is it merely about ministry? I mean this is the mode that many disciplers take, is this what it really looks like? Is everything about ministry ? Why do I seem to shy away from this "mainstream" ministry do I not believe in Your purpose in it or am I merely like Luke and being too skeptical or lazy or called to something different?Are the countless conversations I have with people worthwhile to their spiritual condition? Am I letting a knowledge of who God is and especially God's sovereignty dictate this aspect of life too much and not doing anything? Do I have faith without deeds? What do deeds look like if God were to switch your direction all of a sudden and you don't know how to have deeds in this society? Is the church or campus ministries doing your deeds as you would have them? Are people so busy with ministry that they miss ministry on the way to it? Are most people too busy to let the Spirit do its thing? What is ministry for that matter? If God desires community and each part of the body teaching each other then why is discipleship the way that it is. Is discipleship every interaction between the older and younger or is that something different and should be treated differently?

JG

Dearest America

Dearest America,

What do I say
when I no longer feel a prophet
what do I say

To this:The returning of old and the declaring of new

I shall speak what You say and that is all I really can say
Say my name father and show me a word alive
I long to be in the school of my father

Perhaps even here there is a light left burning that can restore the flame I see in our most intimate of meeting
That can challenge your people to kindle their yearning and seek after the one who begins such a restoring

Oh america it is difficult to see you here but I believe you worth saving

Not quite knowing what to say

There are times where I will go back and read over journal entries from a long time ago. In the words of my friend it is a trip. It is in those times of quiet reflection on about seven years or so of my writings I get to see increasingly more as I take my sabbath and focus mainly on God's sovereignty finding myself just floored at the fact God has been there through it all. He has took my hand and walked me just like a baby at my slow pace. How crazyily awesome is that.

And I feel in a lot of ways that I don't have words to say because I feel no necessity to say them. My belief and my faith is my prayer which God hears. Words may hint at what God is doing but He is sovereign far more then words can contain.

To His glory alone,
JG

I love soup

This quarter is going to be challenging. In a more defined word it is different from the level of expected difference.

The classes I am taking seem to be very ambitous in their undertakings. My english class is analyzing almost every single issue whether societal or cultural pertaining to America. Each person in my design studio is entering into a competition for a downtown Seattle mixed used residential eight story building using innovative steel technology and will be visiting the city sometime in mid febuary. In another we are looking at lighting design, Heating and cooling systems, infrastructure etc. The other designing light frame (wood) buildings and sizing all the beams specifically as they should be to minimize construction costs. Ten weeks...yup! Jesus help me!

The funny thing though, this is what I love to do. I have been dying to design something in a dense urban context sense I began design school and finally have the chance to. I've been learning about culture and how to change America through it for about 9 months or so and finally get to deal with the issue head on in my english class. I finally get to know how big a beam should be so I can give more options to the design itself. I finally get to learn about lighting and how to create moods etc. and how to provide for massive building projects and all that goes into the maintenence of a building. Ambitious...a tad.

Also we get to have a design class blog...how sweet is that!

I will say again this quarter is going to be challenging...but good for sure. Today I have been at it for about 13 hrs and it is only the first week!

To His glory alone!
JG

A powerful Gospel

It hit me suddenly tonight: the gospel changes people. I've known this for a long while now but for some reason tonight it struck me anew. When it finally makes the journey from the head to the heart it does something remarkable it transforms piece by piece into eternity.

I was watching SNL tonight and I look at how I can't laugh at hardly any of the humor anymore.

Perhaps it is an understanding of the Spirit's grief and an understanding of truth that I have come more and more to. I don't know? All I know is I can longer laugh as I once did at the things I once did.

The gospel has changed me.

I have been taking a sabbath rest in SLO since the 30th of December or so and have had quite a bit of time alone here to spend time in prayer and planning etc: to reflect on my life this past quarter and to a surprising amount the college years so far.

The gospel has changed me.

I think I realized a few nights ago just how much so.

I feel in a lot of ways that I don't know who I am anymore. It is rather strange.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a powerful Gospel the only true catalast of hope I see.

To His Glory alone,
JG

Poverty of a selfish imagination

What do I write, when words fail me in so many respects?When the thoughts in my head keep spinning and the energy, let alone the fuel,makes it continue ever so?When an impoverished selfish imagination stirs things that make it difficult for You to pick up the settled dust: In the whirlwind of thoughts and emotion?

See, In many ways my call to this chair to write is easy, to write of the knowledge I have gained and to reflect upon Your work for no one in particular but myself. I risk very little in doing so . Yet somehow " in the grand scheme of things, this is just an average piece of junk and as far as my imagination may carry my words they in fact do nothing apart from You.

...

As much as I may admire the words of the many men who like me have strung 26 letters together into words and clever phrases they too have done nothing apart from You. ...truth says we are all the same... all mankind is leveled on one playing field.

Your sovereignty, Your oversight.

Over all things You are.

To Your glory alone,
JG

As it truly is

What if we viewed the world as it truly is?

Saw every rape, every dissonance caused by sin?

Saw through the eyes of our God?

Would it change us, our whole being?

...

Bleak and terribly in need: our World.

Shattered and so incredibly broken.

...

I am struck with these thoughts.


-JG