^{God, You Are Known}

^{God, you are heard in the breeze that moves the wind chimes to sing...}

^{You are sensed in the sunshine that warms my skin to a rosy glow...}

^{You are heard in the bird song whose notes filter in through my windows...}

^{You are felt in the touches shared between man and wife who enjoy pure ecstasy in their love.}

^{You are heard in the music written in the midst of heartache and the storms of life...}

^{You are in the rushing river that refreshes and flows on...and we are washed and forgiven.}

^{You are our protector and comforter in the midst of storms and hurricanes.}

^{You are in words, whispered and gentle, bringing hope to heavy souls.}

^{You are in morning mist, rising above majestic mountains, clearing to reveal a vivid blue sky day.}

^{You are known in prancing, dancing children who remind us to live, carefree and full of joy!}

^{God, you are known.}

^{God, I need to know you......}

The Shack. Have you heard about this book? I read it all in one week, now I'm going back through it and reading parts of it again: the passages that moved me the most, caused little goose bumps to cover me and the passages that threaten to change me on the inside. If you haven't yet, please read it!

The following is one of those passages.....

"Then what's with the pearly gates and gold stuff?

"That stuff, my brother," Jesus began, laying back on the dock and closing his eyes against the warmth and brightness of the day, "is a picture of me and the woman I'm in love with."

Mack looked at him to see if he was joking, but it was obvious he wasn't.

"It is a picture of my bride, the Church: individuals who together form a spiritual city with a living river flowing through the middle, and on both shored trees growing with fruit that will heal the hurt and sorrows of the nations. And this city is always open, and each gate into it is made of a single pearl..." He opened one eye and looked at Mack, "That would be me!" He saw Mack's question and explained, "Pearls, Mack. The only precious stone made by pain, suffering and - finally - death."

"I get it, You are the way in, but --" Mack paused, searching for the right words. "You're talking about the church as this woman you're in love with; I'm pretty sure I haven't met her." He turned away slightly. "She's not the place I go on Sundays," Mack said more to himself, unsure if that was safe to say out loud.

"Mack, that's because you're only seeing the institution, a man-made system. That's not what I came to build. What I see are people and their lives, a living breathing community of all those who love me, not buildings and programs."

Mack was a bit taken back to hear Jesus talking abut "church" this way, but then again, it didn't really surprise him. It was a relief. "So how do I become part of that church?" he asked, "This woman you seem to be so gaga over."

"It's simple, Mack. It's all about relationships and simply sharing life (with me). What we are doing right now- just doing this- and being open and available to others around us. My church is all about people and life is all about relationships. You can't build it. It's my job and I'm actually pretty good at it," Jesus said with a chuckle.

For Mack these words were like a breath of fresh air! Simple. Not a bunch of exhausting work and a long list of demands, and not the sitting in endless meetings staring at the backs of people's heads, people he really didn't even know. Just sharing life.

"But wait-" Mack had a jumble of questions starting to surface. Maybe he had misunderstood. This seemed too simple! Again he caught himself. Perhaps it was because humans are so utterly lost and independent that we take what is simple and make it complex? So he thought twice about messing with what he was beginning to understand. To begin asking his jumbled mess of questions at this moment felt like throwing a dirt clod into a little pool of clear water.

"Never mind," was all he said.

"Mack, you don't need to have it all figured out. Just be with me."

After a moment he decided to join Jesus, and he lay on his back next to him, shielding his eyes from the sun in order to watch the clouds sweeping away the early afternoon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This reminds me of the lyrics to a song by Brian and Jenn Johnson.

A Little Longer

What can I do for You?
What can I bring to You?
What kind of song would you like me to sing?

'Cause I'll dance a dance for You
Pour out my love to You
What can I do for You beautiful king?

'Cause I... can't thank You enough.
I can't thank You enough
What can I do for You?
What can I bring to You?
What kind of song would you like me to sing?

'Cause I'll dance a dance for You
Pour out my love to You
What can I do for You beautiful king?

'Cause I... can't thank You enough.
I can't thank You enough
All of the words that I find... and I can't thank You enough.
No matter I try... I can't thank You enough.
Then I hear You sing to me

"you... don't have to do a thing
Just simply be with me and let those things go
'Cause they can wait another minute

Wait... this moment is too sweet
Would you please stay here with Me
And love on Me a little longer"

I hear You say...
"You... don't have to do a thing
Just simply be with me and let those things go
'Cause they can wait another minute

Wait... this moment is too sweet
Would you please stay here with Me
And love on Me a little longer
I'd love to be with you a little longer
'Cause I'm in love with you

Sailing Between the Stars?

Okay, that's a new thought! Steven James' words, well, they are almost lyrics, have been imprinted deeply in my soul as I've been reading his book, 'Sailing Between the Stars - Musings on the Mysteries of Faith.' Steven shares, "I think God's love is meant to be encountered, received, embraced, even guzzled and gobbled by famished souls, but not necessarily understood".

Steven said, "Paul calls Jesus the mystery of God' (Colossians 2:2 NIV). Most of the time I tend to picture truth and mystery and lying on different ends of a continuum, but Jesus reveals that they're simple opposite facets of the same thing-- God's love made real in the world. Mystery and truth lie in the same direction and the same place--within the heart of a man born in a stable. He is truth wrapped in mystery; wonder wrapped in love. For a long time my life was adrift, but when I discovered where to lash my boast, I finally found a dock that would not float away, as well as a sail that would take me into the deepest waters of life".

Wow.....Steven's words wake up my soul and cause me to long for more... more relaxing into the Mystery that our Creator brings into our little world. More guzzling and gobbling because my soul is famished. More enjoying and embracing His love, His grace and His presence and not trying to understand it, just receiving.

I share one more thought from 'Sailing Between the Stars' -- "In the end, the question at the heart of Christianity is not 'Who do I want to be' but 'Whose do I want to become--my own or His?'

Steven wrote these words...

the carpenter picks up the saw
and walks toward me again.
I shudder and gasp, "why?
why is he torturing me like this?"
but then, after the blade
has done it's work, I realize that
in the hands of a master carpenter,
no piece of wood is safe
from becoming a masterpiece.

Whew....Steven, thank you for being who you are and for sharing your lyrical thoughts with me. Thank you Papa God for changing me deep within through these words. I want to be Your masterpiece.

You can explore the world of Steven here: http://www.stevenjames.net/ AND here is his blog: http://stvjames.blogspot.com/

PS: photo was taken in Charleston SC harbor while on a sunset sail in July 2008. A memory that still takes my breath away.