Cleaning Closets of the past

I am sitting here watching probably the most bizarre clouds I have seen in my lifetime. I feel God calling me to blog on such things but how it is going to tie into the idea I had going earlier about cleaning out my closet I have no idea.

I came back from Cali noticing one thing, my room was not liveable. This was not beacuse my parents had moved things into it but rather that I didn't care about function I cared about looks so much during the high school years that I kept all these things that were unecessary. For me being an architect noticing that the room of the childhood of my past was not the one I would want now, that was not good. I think I realized probably one thing above all else living in a dorm this year, you don't need much to live with except clothes, a bed, a roof, food etc. and in essence starting over your life pretty much you don't have much clutter there. Everything there is planned for a highly functional place,most importantly the only reason something would be there is if you brought it with you. I have gained an eternal mindset this year, all excess should probably be burned... i don't mean all excess because God wants to bless us but I am merely asking the question what is all of its purpose if it is excess?

This refitting of new thoughts into old places is not going to be easy but it is best. I remind you that the newer is often times better than the old and should be incorporated at all costs because it is better.

Back to the clouds anyway, this is the first sunset I have seen in Colorado, things are much different here than california the wind howls and blows gustily sunsets are no longer on smooth oceans but riged peaks. Things go up quick construction wise it is not like the SLO life. It rains for 15 minutes than stops for and hour than rains again for twenty then is done not the three weeks of solid rain I experienced over there. It thunders here, a lot. However, most importantly though the difference is this is the place of my childhood I need to get rid of a lot of this clutter in my room and in my life , things about my past that I don't like, and although I have moved on it is time to face them to deal with things, change things for the better, for the uncluttered life, for one of only necessity!

I miss dearly every single person I know in Cali and beyond, but a lot like my closet and moving in general things need to be organized and certain things need to be packed and laid at the bottom first in order to make sure the top does not topple over. That is my closet, and I think for the first time I feel good about being here, as Phil told me I need not worry, God is in control! These emotions and these tears I have been having lately they are because things are so good, but I need be ready at any moment to give it all away and rely soley on God, I'm not there yet.

I was reading last night Passion and Purity and one thing that stuck out above all else is we are God's we are not entitled to anything, least of all the grace bestowed upon us and the blessing, God gives to the undeserving, crowns the sinner by His grace and by His love! That's reason enough for me to give it all away. Reason enough for me to stay here seeing things I have never seen before that are bizarre, like those clouds tonight, but I'll tell you something they are most certaintly of God. There is reason enough for me to clean out the closet of my past and make this heart a temple fitting for a Holy Spirit!
JG

Phoenix

Miles above the lightning
There is candlelight here
I commune with You

A remembrance of things

Amidst all these people
Lights in organized fashion
So faint, yet so beautiful

A reminder of things

In peaceful skies
From foggy place
To clear sunset

A remainder of things

1000 miles away
Here I shall stay
Until the phoenix rises

A renewal of things

Time Enough to be Still part 3

Written at LAX

It is an odd place to be crying, the Las Angeles Airport, that is. I don’t think I could, actually I know I could not put into words all that has happened this year and how truly awesome it has been. So I should probably stop titling the blog the same thing part 1 etc. cause I’m never going to be able to put in adequate words what God has done...I scarce can take it all in.

I sit here with a smile on my face yet crying…not knowing if I have died as I said in my last blog, oh how blissful heaven be if this only a reflection. I can’t wait to be in my bed tonight and praise, cause God is far more worthy than we make Him out to be. God is Good! God is Awesome!

It’s like Elise said it’s as if God is putting everything into place that no one can screw it up. That is bliss that is my God!

As I continue to say everything is cleverly orchestrated, and wonderfully crafted and we God’s people are soaked in God’s presence!

I hope we do realize that. Out creator is a master planner a conductor of the cosmos!!!

God has told me today I do not need to withhold information secret any longer, perhaps because I am not a part anymore physically of the revival that is consuming this state I’m a part of a different thing for the while. God is in control and as Elise also said God is making this thing so foolproof that God will not not be glorified through it all. It’s ridiculous! Yet amazing!

I have stopped being all emotional for the while and I will wipe my tears away so I will sit in God’s presence watching the sunset!

Strange how something we have crafted here on earth, God still can speak through it, and He can find us anywhere we go. He endlessly pursues us to the corners of the Earth. Where we may go He will follow, actually more He will lead! I like that! I don’t like being in control, we are not meant to be. I think that is why as I look around I see so many miserable people around be; they know they are not meant to be in control, they don’t know what is though. I do! Let me tell you it is so Good! Whoever said that the Christian life was not one of blessing, oh how far they had gone from God, from relying upon his presence as the guiding light. I think blessing is another thing I need to define but that is an entire paper in itself and I figure when I get to it God’s timing it will be such! I will say it in one sentence though you are a blessing and everything around you is a blessing because it is all crafted, and it is crafted so incredibly!

I will make one other note before I do close my laptop; I have so much caffeine in me right now. On top of that the Holy Spirit. It’s like Kalen says after I come back reeking in God’s presence after Celebration each Sunday night, “Elise don’t let him have coffee anymore.” This is of course after sometimes I do not have caffeine in my system. So funny! Yah I am going to close this thing now, have a great evening all of you or if you read this in the morning good morning and have a great day. Pretty much just enjoy the fact that God is so Good and get on your knees, it’s so good to do!

Know you who read this are in your prayers, I do not know all who read it but I do keep you all in my prayers.

Night,
JGG

Time Enough to be Still part 2

It's really nice to sit for a while, everything is ready to go!

I had to say goodbye to my two best buds in SLO this morning and it was hard, but as always things don't work out the way I often think they do, which is one of the things I have finally been able to grasp these last couple days and perhaps is the last great lession I was supposed to learn. The best laid plans of man apart from God fail! God is so concerned with our heart condition that he is not going to let things go our way til he knows our hearts are aligned with his will. That takes a little shaping! That is what summer is going to be about... a little shaping in my heart!

I know though and will definatly cry on the plane ride home not because this time is sad , but becasuse I am so happy, I am so blessed, and am so grateful and my heart wells up in praise for all God has done this year. When the Moravians talked about not knowing if they had died and gone to heaven, it is something like that!

I am reminded that God keeps His promises... that is truly awesome!

God is good!

JGG

Time Enough to be Still part 1

Who is like our God? And who can compare to his endless love? The angels sing! The morning in its splendor speaks a lesser word than He! He is the great I am! Who was and is to come!

I have long sat in wonder at this Mighty King. And to say that I fully know of his matchlessness would be a lie!

I have long stood in awe of this King. Lifted my hands and praised him with all I can give at that present time!

I have long heard his unbearable but soft voice . I have answered and have seen because of it his matchlessness.

I have taken time to be still. And have found comfort in the unsettling thought!

And the words still echo, who is like our God? Who can compare?

I sit at the end of this year, and I want to throw a big party, not because of the end of school, but because there is a path that He has laid out that is the most amazing path! It is so amazing!

I can't seem to gather any signifigant thoughts because the simple is so profound in the deepest way!

And as I sit in my barren room there is life in a much deeper depth here...although there is a necessity for the difficult times ahead, God is faithful. God is strong! God is amazing! God is love! God is beauty! God is joy, peace and understanding! And I feel like crying because God is so good. And although I may have to say goodbye to this place I love, I am filled because of this place, God's chosen place!

And I find that I am so satisfied but it is not the time to remain complacent cause there is a deeper life past the deep. If only we could be pure enough to remain in the filled place.

And as I take time enough to be still tonight I am amazed, I am speechless, yet filled with so many thoughts so many words, that I want to speak because of God being God! but for now I will refrain I will enjoy the evening I will enjoy the transition time praising God for being matchless, endless, and more than the less!

Bravery

Wise men who sit and see
All life's mysteries, the grandiose mystery
Scattered thoughts put together
perhaps forming a greater mystery

Reasonings, and empty things
Thoughts and lies, prayers and honesty
a monumental bravery

And we seem so often scattered
but we are tied together as one
Like the mighty ocean's waves
moving us together in unity

Things we see and things we don't
The better do we understand
Blessings, could we ask for more

The Spirit moving, deeper ways understood
The sound resonating, a mystery
The lesser thing, scattered
lesser perception of the undertaking

And we seem so often scattered
but we are tied together as one
Like the mighty ocean's waves
moving us together in unity

Beauty, mystery, oh the unseen!

JGG

Meant to be read slowly...on words

I have tried several times to sit down and blog, all failed. I don't know what it is about the chaos about the end of the year that seems to make me like this. As of late though I can not seem to gather my thoughts. It must have to do something with the fact that we are all anticipating, moving on to a different thing, with the summer approaching. I have heard it said many times that while in college one is in a constant transition. We each long for what we use to have and inside each one of us is nervous about what is to come...but being packed up and ready for transition it begs the question does God have some great last lesson to teach me?

Anyways I think I should be able to offer some grand advice, but I find myself lacking a great deal at the end of this year. I find myself knowing that there is so much more to go. I understand fully that I am under a strong and mighty power. I understand also that there is great power that lies within me. I find myself exhausted though, and wondering how I am going to continue on with the plans God has for me.

Elise told me tonight that the night they presented what was going on in Asia she was crippled in the anticipation and the restlesness and couldn't move. Sitting there she couldn't figure out what that uncertainty was and why it lied within her. The uncertainty she felt was the one that was to come within me the one that cripples me and confuses me. As I am writing on a day that is not going to be a good one when history is played out God is asking me one question, as he has always asked "will you accept what I have for you?" and I think it would be so easy to just live a life of simplicity and one that doesn't require the sacrifice, but God says there is need to be neglecting mankind completly so that I might pursue one thing. And it sounds so clishe oftentimes but please know the sincerity with which my questioning mind is wrestling. God has shown me glimpses, they are imbedded deep within me, he has made my paths to lead to a point that is coming very soon. All this lack of clairty is the most clarity I've seen in a while. It is so confusing.

I know the wonders that God is going to do, but he asks us will we accept what he has for us, will we share in "blessing?"

(keep that in mind)

(new thought)

In the begining was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God, He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being.

I am going to say that the gospel is the Word. The story of salvation is written in the Word. Our response is what we do with the Word spoken to us. When the bible says walk in Him as Colossians 2 says we are to walk in Him, not walking in him. We are so prone to lean on ourselves that we forget we need not lean on ourselves

I ask the question how will I carry on.There was a Greek philosopher named Heraclitus who first used the term Logos( word in the greek) around 600 B.C. designating the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe. This word was well suited to John's purpose in John 1. I will not carry on that is the whole point, He will carry on within me. He is the constant amidst chaos He is The Word it doesn't matter about our changing words and their meanings he is the Meaning. The only stregth I have for the difficult journey ahead is in Him, I know full well exhausted old me is nothing apart from Christ, and I like it that way. I like leaning not on my understanding. I have done that far too much, its time to let go a little more til all of me is gone and christ is completly formed in me.

(one other thought)

Why do we not realize we are in a war?

And there will be casulties on both sides.

Not everyone is going to accept christ, I believe it is within God's power, but it is not within each man's power to accept. I expect everything from God, but I have no expectations of man.

That is a shame, but we must not let the fact we lost one consume us.

JG

Living Fire

Oh, for the flame of living fire
Which shone so bright in saints of old.
Which bade their souls to heaven aspire,
Calm in distress, in danger bold.

Where is that Spirit, Lord which dwelt
In Abram's breast and sealed him Thine
Which made Paul's heart with sorrow melt
And glow with energy divine?

That Spirit which from age to age
Proclaimed Thy love and taught Thy ways,
Brightened Isaiah's vivid page
And breathed in David's hallowed lays.

Oh, for the flame of living fire
Which shone so bright in saints of old.
Which bade their souls to heaven aspire,
Calm in distress, in danger bold.

JG

Hope of Glory

I sit here tonight at my desk, finally understanding a little more clearly the questions that have plagued my soul over the past couple days. Architecture done and put aside I can focus finally upon to answering these questions.

But enough about me I have a question for you?

What happened to those people that were willing to give their all, like Paul for instance? I was reading my journal tonight and I came across a funny verse in colossians" Now I rejoice in my suffering for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.( 1:24) I was struck and kinda awe struck at the fact that I had never really picked up this characteristic within Paul before that he was carrying out what was lacking in Christ's afflictions. I forgot somehow that Christ's job was to set us free, not to carry out the "great commision." That is our job!

I've been realizing as of late that as verse 29 says" for this purpose I labor striving according to His power, which mightily works within me" that we have greater works than Jesus because Jesus was not even trying because that was not his purpose. He did amazingly for not even trying. I think we try to gain perspective on our lives and understand purpose so much that we forget the simple fact that we have one purpose as christians just as Christ did. Christ came to die, so that we might live, and we might live abundantly, and spread the gospel!

We have His Spirit a mystery and a wonderful thing! He is the hope of glory as Paul says. We never call God that but I think that it is funny because Paul does, we can't be selective, we must present the whole gospel. I believe it to be because we don't like to think that we have a part to play. We do! We are called to live it out with joy and peace because it is the Spirit that guides us, the hope that lies within us. God will be glorified in the end but we have the hope of glory within us. We must realize we have a responsibility to carry the hope that lies within us to every person on this Earth. What happened to those people that did that? I think this past 70 years or so has done a far better job than all the other centuries by far except the first but we are still so far from the man who exemplified missionary work. Paul suffered and he wrote to the church in Colossae saying to be colaborers of christ what happened to those people that were willing to become uncomfortable for what lacked in Christ's affliction?

All that matters is Christ's glory, I want the hope that lies within me to become a reality!!! I know I am here at school for arch to build some character. Here I will stay till God tells me otherwise. Until then I remain giving my all towards not the hope but the reality that God will use the things in my past and present to influence what is to come. I am pretty excited about all that! I am also excited to see the continuance of blessing that God continues to shower on me it is so good now I don't know how I can handle the joy that is to continue on to maturity.

I love the fact that the revival that broke out in the moravian church in England was characterized by a joy that they said" they did not know if they had died and gone to heaven." I think I have a glimpse of that right now and let me tell you it is good. May the spirit fall and the hope of glory become a reality. It is our choice, and that is a scary thing, may we choose what is contrary to what is flesh!

JG

Sitting here

I am sitting here in the CAED lab waiting for my prints to come out and two and a half hours later they should take another thirty minutes or so which translates into another hour or so.

Anyways I will record my events of the day because I am bored out of my mind...

Chase, Josiah, and I in disciplship today were having a discussion about time and all that that entails and about making every moment matter. I don't think we let every moment matter quite too often. We spend thousands upon thousands of hours on arch homework but do we let people matter when we are doing that? sometimes we do, but all that matters is the souls of men the glory of God and the word of God, beyond that there are few things that do "matter." I think though as I think over my life and what I want to get out of it there are two things.

One I want to have helped change this generation

Two I want to be better than everyone else before me, in the terms of my faith, and my knowledge of who Christ is. I recognize I have some great competition and all you know Moses, Abraham, Enoch, all those people but that is what I want for my life.

Beyond that worship will spring naturally from that the fact that God chooses to use sinners.

It is interesting to see however that this life is a life that is a delicate balance, it cannot be progressed very quickly and things do take time especially character. Beyond that I am going to go now cause I think my prints are ready hopefully. Maybe I'll get to get to some things that need to get done tonight we'll see.

Post 81 Things are changing...

I've been experimenting a lot in photoshop as of late into selection of specific colors and enhancing those things. I think in a lot of ways that is what I need to be doing beyond my photoshop life. I spend so much time making this blog pretty. Those things are enjoyable but as of late I have been thinking about so many things that seem to tie into so many aspects of my life and I can't seem to get a grip on it all. I think it is as Elise talked to me a while ago about that we are not called to have it all understood as christians and with how much God is moving we are not going to unless we are so intune with God that we hear every move. But I think as most see through all this lack of understanding we need to be focusing more upon one thing, the divine light, which brings such a selection of color as those pictures I photoshopped. We need to gaze toward the one light. And once we do that we can start looking upon divine light and hopefully begining to seperate the colors and perhaps gain some understanding.

There is a life of divine understanding
A grasping, of much deeper things

There is a life of divine light
a beauty, a knowledge of things unseen

We often see tainted
yet pointed toward light
we see the reflections
things yet to come, oh so bright

There is a life divine
A depth, where few go

There is a life of divine journey
a calling, an adventure for those who believe and will go

One Question

What do you believe beyond a shadow of a doubt?

There is something deeper than apathy

I have been trying to figure out one of my friends for a long time, what exactley is wrong with him and with the gift of prophecy trying to understand what exactley I need to do to help him. This is come to no avail as of yet, and it quite honestly is begining to frustrate me that one of my best friends here because he can't understand himself is not making the moves into which he should be making to accomplish what he wants to accomplish. I think he understands it more than he knows and doesn't care he is falling in to something deepr than apathy.

I was in his room for about 15 minutes or so and I penned these words: I am going to try to understand them through the following minutes or so. I am going to duke this one out with God tonight. You are more than welcome to follow along through my duking or you can skip to the bottom I'll put something like begin to read here in all caps this is mainly just for me...

Here are my words:

Maybe it was silence
Maybe it was truth
the words you call me to say

upside down this world is
no longer true...its truth

I hate to be silent...but it was to be
That is hard...I feel the beckon

I see purpose
joyous in those things I do

but this one is harder
It forces me to think

It forces me to tune my thoughts
letting the blood come

upside down
you are upside down

This world is upside down

I can't say I have ever written a song upside down before...let alone something that doesn't make sense to me right side up. Normally my words can be interpretted as deeper than my own understanding at the present time but this is deeper and more different than I have wrote. I sit here reading it over and over and I can't understand it at all.

I find that either I am at fault or everyone else is. I think it would be easy to say everyone else is but much harder indeed to say that I am at fault. I believe I probably am somewhere but I can't see it.

Maybe I am selfish. Guillty. Maybe I am prideful. Guilty. Maybe I don't act in accordance with the higest will. Guilty. I don't know I am a sinner, I understand that fully. I have this desire to go to Asia, to do what, there are two different things I could be a great designer or I could be helping people. Should I switch over to construction managment. Then why have I had this desire to be an architect for so long. Why do my major and my desire to help not align as perfectly as I though they would at one point. Maybe its because everything isn't suppose to align as I deem it to be aligned. Maybe the architect upstairs wants a curve here or there to make it more beautiful. He doesn't want to be completely functionable as we see it. God wants to make things beautiful.

Perhaps I am all imagining this God thing, I mean everyone seems to be backsliding, not developing a passion for christ except me. Why do I seem to find such deepness where others don't. There is something much deeper than apathy going on here. What could it be? I have no idea. Why do people like him exist, and what if his purpose is just what I am doing here to strengthen the foundations? Wouldn't God be using people. But God never uses is a bad way. I have all these foundational truths within my head and I see what the principles of christ are and following them how they can help you but I see that if you do not have the holy spirit it doesn't seem to help and even when you do it doesn't completely.

That in lies my frustration I am not frustrated with the non-christians but the christians who no longer want anything deeper or if they do are unwilling to grab hold of it because of the deeper thing than apathy which I haven't quite put a name too. I am so frustrated with all of it. And all these questions plague my mind, and I understand what is coming but perhaps need to understand more before I take certain actions that would never jepordize but may make a dent in the whole beautiful picture but it's still so big the dent doesn't mattter.

Ug! ? ! ? I have no idea. Emo kids, they are very interesting people. They seem to not care. Why? I don't know they don't care enough to give or think about a proper answer. They avoid it with things that come from their emotions. So they let there emotions control them worse than girls often times. I would say I am a healty match of emo and intelectual. But the thing is I still have some balancing to do. The world appears upside down, it need to be either flipped in my direction or I need to do a flip, a 180.

I got to meet this kids friend this weekend it reminded me a lot of my best friend. Perhaps when two people that are pretty much the same...screw this...this isn't working.

Alright I'll go again. I prayer a very odd prayer the other day for him. I prayed that all his stuff would be put on me. I thought if we were supposed to carry our brothers burdens we should pray for that so I did. I have been a little downcast but it has been used for me. Maybe I am being selfish with all this blessing.

Yah that word has changed meanings so much this year. Especially with blessing being crappy circumstances. I am doing something wrong with all my crazy prayer life. I am taking away the blessings of others. I am going to look up that story.

Rocky territory I enter

To the Two

God has seen all the broken pieces
He has healed the broken
God has seen all the wrong motives
He has made our way
God has seen all the past mistakes
He has laid blessing
God has seen and made perfect
He has healed the broken

Now we accept that blessing
Now we accept it is not our own
Now we accept it is God alone not I
Now we accept that blessing

God has heard the cries in the early morning
He has answered
God has heard the faint whispers uttered
He has paved the way
God has heard desires lying in broken hearts
He has made beauty
God has heard
He has given us perfection

Now we accept that blessing
Now we accept it is not our own
Now we accept it is God alone not I
Now we accept that blessing

God has spoke in the silent place
to two He has whispered
God has spoke clear
to deaf ears
God has spoke through circumstance
to a life about to end
God has spoke to the two
and it was beautiful

Now we accept that blessing
we recognize, & we praise

JG

What is your deepest fear?

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
-Marianne Williamson

A new testament man looking upon an old testament king

I have often sat in wonder of so many men that have come before me, those people who have laid a foundation for Christ in their times. The Hymns they wrote and sang, the psalms, and the lives they lived make me sit back and stare into silent wonder and reverent awe.

One man in particular has made me think about the beautiful passing of time and the signifance of man. David was a simple shepard become king. It is interesting to think that probably no man had inspired more than he has. Think of any church service in our day, think upon the psalms. The only part of the old testament we normally choose to focus upon. The worship we sing inspired by the words of that man. I think David had something we don't have in our generation he was a man after God's own heart. He was someone who laid a foundation for Christ to come before Christ had come. He was intune with the spirit, and within his character was the seed that brought Jesus.

A girl named Amy once said I was a modern day David, I did not know the signifigance of that phrase back then when she uttered those words. That is probably the biggest compliment, besides being called a modern day Jesus. But as I study david's character more, who am I to be compared to a man as great as he.

The one thing I think David has that we don't is that he didn't care, he danced when the ark came back. When the Spirit of God returned he could not contain his joy. Are we delighted to enter into the presence of the most Holy? I fear too often we are not delighted, we forget that God desires us to be joyful to dance in his presence.

Psalm 16:8 says I have set the Lord always before me

Psalm 42:2 says My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

David had no idols before him, he was consumed only by Christ. That is why I believe Christ came from his lineage. I am going to take this thought further and say that when we lay ourselves at the feet of God and demand to be conquered, being taken over in our personality and having it being shaped as the potter shapes clay God will bless our seed, he will bless the fruit of our labor and will make us as signifigant as David, giving our lives more meaning than we could possibly know just as David . For The circling of the earth around the sun three thousand times, the time it has taken for every empire on earth to collapse, rulers principalities and authorities to die. David has had more power over men for good than a thousand religious doctors and bishops have had. Even in death he has more power than the living, that is something!

That makes me want to run toward Christ forsaking all those things in which I have clinged too. I hope it makes you want to too!!!

JG

Final Project Preliminary Work

JG

You are Love

This is the story of my life
Alone and always disappointed

I find myself needing
More than I could ever receive
If only I could, find the love I so desperately need

What would it take for me to smile again?
What would it take for joy to have a presence?

It is you who I need,
You are the one I have longed for for so long
You are the frustration, you are love

The one we put in a box
The one we have not experienced

I find myself needing
More that I could ever receive
If only I could, receive the love you so desperately showed

The one we put in a box
The one we have not experienced

What other need is there but you
For You are love
JG

The Lifting

Things are now in motion which cannot be undone...I love that phrase.Everything is coming into perfect harmonium. Everything is beautifully orchastrated, skillfully crafted and iminates the creator of everything. The most beautiful of all is the fact that this is only a reflection of things to come.

As good old Habbakuk says watch the nations and be amazed for God is going to do something in our day and age that is more wonderful than anything we have seen yet. I wait with a huge grin on my face...

Like the pheonix out of ashes gray
of new baby,of clean rebirth
of sin of the casket opened exposed to day

Like the inconvienent, unwanted thrown away
of the cross, nature so graphic
of sin and selfishness that gets in the way

May we spend the time to listen and give and answer
with gentleness and respect, for yes they too are of God
May we rest in peace, amazed by those answers
with knowledge of the bad, but exclaiming the good

Like the lifting of some dead thing
of forgetting the losing of ourGod,
of lightning and poring rain

Tis the time to exclaim
harmonium
the lifting of the dead things...

JG

A Declaration & Promise

Almighty Lord,
Now if I do those things I know I should do, and if I say what I know in my heart I should say, I will be in trouble with people and with groups- but there is no other way!
Not only will I be in trouble for taking my stand in faith and honesty, but I will certainly be in a situation where I will be seriously tempted by the devil!
I accept this with my eyes open! I know the facts and I know what may happen, but I accept it. I will not run. I will not hide. I will not crawl under a rug. I will dare to stand and fight because I am on your side-and I know that when I am weak , then I am strong.
JG