09/29/12

NOOMA Trees | 003


Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The kingdom of God is banal.

It is through the banality of goodness that we start to see the kingdom of God break through in this life. Tiny everyday choices sprout trees in the new Jerusalem.

We live in the 'now and not yet' of the kingdom. We live between the trees but more specifically we live between the cross and the coming.

It is finished, You defeated death but the battles aren't over yet.

on April 9th 1865 Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House Virginia ending the civil war in America. However news had not reached the entire country that the war was over. The battle of Fort Blakely occurred six hours after the surrender. In fact even though the war was over battles continued for over a month even in to June of 1865. This battles and the lives that were lost were part of the 'now and not yet' of the end of the civil war.

Even though the war was over now. The armies had not yet stopped fighting.

Even today, Jesus, You have defeated death. You took it's sting, but yet we still see pain and suffering in this world everywhere. The war is over but there are battles continuing.

Give us peace today. Give us Love today. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

As we forgive those who sin against us we plant a sprout, we continue the banality of goodness.

Today is my brother's wedding.

It's strange to think about. I've known my brother since he was 34 months old. Now he's 27 years old with a house a wife (in a few hours) and someday there will be children. It doesn't seem all that long ago he and I were fighting over toys in the basement of our parents house.

Abba this life is a blip on the radar.

This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time.

Jesus I pray that You would bless this marriage. That today as these two become one flesh in a covenant with You that You would give them a firm foundation and strong deep roots to help them run the marathon of marriage till death do them part. Jesus I pray that You be with them during their first fight, during the difficulties of dieing to themselves, help them serve and submit to one another. be with them through illnesses, through family troubles, through unknown futures, through risks, Jesus I thank You for marriage and I ask that You walk with them each day as the sun rises on their marriage. I ask that You bless them and shape them into the spouses You desire them to be for Your son Tyler and Your daughter Brittany.

09/27/12

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.
-1 Corinthians 10:23-24

Thank You Lord that I am free to do anything. "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it." (Psalm 24:1)

Thank You Abba for new wine and new wineskins. But because the old covenant law has been fulfilled does that mean I am allowed to do anything?

I believe the answer is both yes and no.

Yes I am allowed to do anything, but not everything is good.
Yes I am allowed to do anything, but not everything is beneficial.

Jesus You have bought and paid for me at a high price. Thus I am Yours. I want to live for You and You alone.

I no longer live my life for my own good but rather for the good of others.

So the new question isn't "am I allowed to do this?" but "Does this glorify God?"

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
-Philippians 2:3

The new question is, "am I doing this out of selfish ambition?"

The new covenant is the law of love. "Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged." (1 Corinthians 13)

Love does not demand its own way. Love is selfless. Love puts others before itself.

Yes I can do whatever I want to do everything is permissible. I ask that You Jesus would make my wants and desires loving You with everything I've got, and loving my brothers and sisters as myself.

Home - Phillip Phillips

09/24/12

a partnership for zambia


When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
-Mark 2:17

Last night as I sat in the E.R. with Cynthia and Metal head waiting for the test results I read her Deuteronomy 31:6

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

You will neither fail us nor abandon us. How do we keep going in this world FILLED with pain and brokenness? Because I trust Your word Jesus. Because it HAS to be true! I cling to Your promise. I have faith that You can, want, and will save us. Because I know You see and love my brothers and sisters struggling with chemical addictions living on the land. Because I know You see and love my brothers and sisters in Zambia dieing of HIV, malaria, and starvation.

You have to save us! You are our one and only hope! I believe You when You say to come and have rest. I trust in You Jesus.

I trust that when Cynthia breathes her last breath in this life that she will receive rest. Rest from abusive boyfriends, negligent parents, custody battles, alcohol, and physical pain. And not just for Cynthia but for all of the meek, for all of the hurting.

for all those who know they are sinners, for the sick, for those who NEED a savior.

You came to save those who are hopelessly in need of a savior. And I KNOW You WILL save us.

Come To Save Us - All Sons & Daughters

09/22/12

NOOMA Flame | 002


Love
רַעְיַת rayah - a companion, darling
אַהֲבָה ahabah - love
דּוֹד dod - beloved, love

That stuff's great and all but what about being single? The purpose of life isn't marriage. The only use of love isn't marriage.

The purpose of life is to glorify, and be satisfied in, God.

Sometimes I think my brothers and sisters in You put too much emphasis on marriage. I'll admit I struggle with it to. But there is something about every time I tell someone I'm single they always tell me:
"You'll find the right one"
"She's out there somewhere"
"Just have to wait for her to come along"
Why don't people ever say things like:
"it’s better to stay unmarried"
"An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work"
"If you do not have a wife, do not seek to get married"
these were the very words of Paul on the topic of marriage. Yet somewhere along the road of Christianity the perspective has changed. Obviously in more than this but I won't go into all the ways we've jacked up Christianity over the last 2,000 years.

The church seems to focus on the "nuclear family" and marriage. If you're single in the church then we can help "fix" that. Christian dating sites, Christian blind dates, Christian singles gathers at churches.

Why? Why can't marriage and single lives be held on equal plane?

I thought about this with you in January. But that sort of talk was more out of a heart of bitterness and pain. As I revisit the issue I find that we as followers of You should be content in all situations.

There isn't anything wrong with marriage.
And equally there isn't anything wrong with being single.

Love towards a spouse is a very beautiful thing. But Love towards You is complete.

09/18/12

It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.
-Philippians 1:15-18

Jesus we, Your wife, are such a mess. We split, we argue, we ignore, we gossip, we fail. How do we stay on the narrow path?

Which "church" do you go to?

I'm constantly asked that question. What does it matter?

Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”
Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”
-John 21

If I worship You the way my heart feels closest to You what is that to them? What does it matter what denomination I am. What does it matter what church I attend?

"As for you, follow me."

Then his disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest. But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side. Then he said to them,
“Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.”
John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn’t in our group.” But Jesus said,
“Don’t stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.”
-Luke 9

It isn't about who is the greatest. It isn't about which denomination is "right." It isn't about comparing and competition and becoming uniform. But You are a big God Abba! The message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice.


Farther Along - Josh Garrels

09/15/12

NOOMA Rain | 001


"But please, please-won't you-can't you give me something that will cure Mother?" Up till then he had been looking at the Lion's great feet and the huge claws on them; now, in his despair, he looked up at its face. What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion's eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory's own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself.
-The Magician's Nephew, Chapter 12

It is unimaginable how much Your heart breaks every second of every day across this world. Even when I lay my head down to rest there are brothers and sisters on the other side of the world awake and in pain. Even before I took my first breath on this planet Your children who stood before me hurt.

As I write this someone loses a mother, loses a son, and You feel their suffering sevenfold.

Love is a risk.

But it's worth it. Love is worth the risk. It's worth the pain, the storms, the rain.

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.
-Jesus

Though the rain comes, when the rains and floods come. In this life there will always be storms.

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
-Jesus

I will have many trials and sorrows. Rain is a guarantee in this life. But without rain there can be no growth. Without rain there is no harvest. It is in the valleys that the fruit grows not on the desolate mountain tops.

Dad knows the way home. Abba knows the way.

09/11/12

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
-Jesus

Do my actions define who I am?

Are people defined by their soil?

Is our salvation based on mere chance depending on the toss of the seed?

Footpath.
Rocky Soil.
Thorns.
Good Soil.

Abba sometimes I feel as if I have been scattered across all four of the terrains listed.

I feel as if I don't understand the Kingdom completely. I've denied You in seasons of problems, persecution and pain. I worry about life all too often and wealth is such a strong temptation for me.

The good soil is represented by a wonderful harvest. Our faith is confirmed by deeds.

What does it mean, Jesus, to "truly hear and understand God's word"?

I suppose it means that we DO something. Produce fruit. Produce a harvest. DO something.

No matter what soil I was first tossed to I will not relent. I will not cease seeking Your face Jesus. Yes Lord I have shown signs of all three of the bad soils but I know Your faithfulness is greater than my sin. I trust that You can still save me. And I trust that You will.

If we are unfaithful,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny who he is.
-2 Timothy 2:13

Your character is faithfulness and unconditional love. I cling to Your promise. I hope in Your salvation.

If you are not doing the task that is closest to you now, which God has engineered into your life, when the crisis comes, instead of being fit for battle, you will be revealed as being unfit. Crises always reveal a person's true character...If you have not been worshiping in everyday occasions, when you get involved in God's work, you will not only be useless yourself but also a hindrance to those around you. God's training ground, where the missionary weapons are found, is the hidden, personal worshiping life of the saint...Do You find yourself responding by saying, "Oh, I will do all that once I'm out on the mission field"? Talking in this way is like trying to produce the weapons of war while in the trenches of the battlefield-you will be killed while trying to do it.
-Oswald Chambers

Crises always reveals a person's true character.
teach me unconditional love and faithfulness towards You as You give and take away.

God's training ground is the hidden personal worshiping life of the saint.
Help me live for You and You alone. Would I act and do the things I do if I was always forgotten on earth?

Abba, the farmer, toss me onto some good soil.

My Love Goes Free - Jon Foreman

09/09/12

Now that I've listened to the entire teaching I see that Jim's point is more focused
on when the author of Hebrews uses the word "the law" Jim is saying that within the
context of this letter "the law" simply means one specific section of God's Law.
So I wanted to see if the author indeed meant one specific law.

The actual Greek work the author uses is the word νόμος so I wanted to see if this word was used in any other contexts throughout the new testament.

νόμος is used 34 times in the new testament.

Matthew
01) Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
02) For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time.
03) The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.

Luke
04) Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in.

John
05) For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.
06) For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath?
07) "Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.

Romans
08) Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it.
09) Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.
10&11) For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)
12) God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.
13) Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living?
14&15) Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”
16) But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.
17) So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.
18) And because you belong to him, the law of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the law of sin that leads to death.

1 Corinthians
19) Am I expressing merely a human opinion, or does the law say the same thing?
20) Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says.
21) For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.

Galatians
22) This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”
23) This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.
24) Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.
25&26) Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.
27) Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.
28) For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
29) gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

1 Timothy
30) We know that the law is good when used correctly.
31) For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders.

Hebrews
32) For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
33) The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.
34) The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.

It seems like every time the word νόμος is used it refers to the entire law of Moses. There isn't away to tell if the author meant one specific law or the entire old wineskins. Jim talks about America's law system and how if we swear a new president in to office it doesn't neglect the rest of the laws of America. He also talks about changing a speed limit. I have no idea how those sorts of examples have any comparison to the νόμος. Your ways are higher than our ways.

Because America's law system is like that does not mean Your system is anything like that. It seems like a very weak argument. I feel as if Jim is grasping at straws. It's awesome that he has a passion for truth but He hasn't fully experienced Your grace.

Jesus when you told the parable of the prodigal father Did the son keep any of his father's laws? Did the son do anything pleasing and honoring to the father? He simply came broken and sinful in need of a savior, a doctor. And thus the Father ran to him though grace and unconditional love.

Jesus when you forgave the thief on the cross Did he keep any of the law of Moses? Did he do anything obedient to You? He simply came desperate and hopeless in need of a savior, a love without strings attached.

Jesus when you forgave the disgusting whore Did she earn Your forgiveness did she first make herself ceremonially clean? She crawled to You she pursued through the embarrassment, through the shame, through the sin and she clung to her savior. Through that faith she was set free from her past.

Your love isn't fair it isn't just. You can't just let sinners and sluts into the Holiest of Holies! We must have to do something! We must make ourselves clean or follow some sort of requirements or restrictions right?

Jesus You paid it all. Your love has no conditions no requirements no limits. Jim needs to stop and simply rest in your presence and feel worthless feel useless feel Your grace. We can't do anything and it isn't fair it isn't just. But praise be to You that Jim isn't the judge. He isn't the one who determines what is fair or what it takes to be with You.

Your grace is so difficult to comprehend. When I stop to think of the sins of the Murderer Saul turned apostle Paul or the adulterer, murderer, thief, petty, failure David and I see Your love for them my heart turns violently inside of my chest and I realize that it is through You and You alone that I am clean, loveable, acceptable, nothing else, nothing more.

..Wow, what the heck Abba? What can I say? What can I do?

09/05/12

Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
-Jesus

This past weekend Jake and I talked about the Old Covenant vs New Covenant, Old testament vs new testament. He gave me this CD teaching by Jim Staley on the book of Hebrews.

The cover has the scripture

If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it.
-Hebrews 8:7

Jim talks from the perspective that this must mean God made a mistake if I take it at face value... But that isn't necessarily true. He talks about throwing the baby out with the bath water all the time but I feel like that's exactly what Jim is doing.

The tabernacle had purpose for a season but then it's time passed. Did God make a mistake there? No.
Manna appeared 6 out of 7 mornings a week for a season then it's time passed. Did God make a mistake there? No.
The temple was built as the only place to worship You Abba for a season then it's time passed. Did God make a mistake there? No.

The Old Covenant has it's purpose for a season then it was fulfilled. Did God make a mistake there? No.

All the mistakes have been with me. I need a new testament because I can't be in Your presence on my own merit.

But the law isn't done away with. The law isn't abolished, but rather it is fulfilled it's purpose has been completed.

not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.
-Jesus

Jim focuses on becoming Jewish and joining the Jewish people. He talks about the importance of being a descendant of Abraham but You don't care who's descendant I am. You only care about my heart.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.
-John The Baptizer

Being a descendant of Abraham means nothing.

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.
-Paul

It isn't about being Jewish it's about clinging to Jesus, Clinging to You! and having faith that through You and You alone I am clean.

I haven't listened to all of Jim's teaching yet but it really seems like he's grasping at straws. Every verse he must pull it and stretch it to get out of it what he wants. I'm sure he could argue the same for those who believe Jesus fulfilled the old covenant. He speaks a lot of truth but I don't think it's as complicated as he'd like it to be.

People seem to think they must use a secret "key" to "unlock" the secrets in the scriptures and it takes a really wise noble scholar to figure out what it takes. But that isn't at all what You taught Jesus.

Your yoke is simple, Your burden is light. If fishermen, hookers, lepers, crippled, blind, thieves handing on a cross, uneducated people can get it. Then maybe it simply takes child-like faith and trust in You Jesus. Maybe it isn't about staring at a book for hours, or talking about the book for hours, or going to seminary, or reading articles and hearing countless teachings. Maybe it's about living it. Maybe it's about Loving God and Loving people. And that's it. Maybe it's about letting everyone in instead of keeping everyone out. Maybe it's for the sick not those who think they are righteous.

The Law shows me how much I need a savior. The law teaching me my dependance on You Jesus. The law has been fulfilled.

Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.
-Jesus

Jesus You are the new cloth. And You rip away from the old covenant. You are the new wine and the old wineskins just can't contain You.

09/04/12

It's been one month since I've been back in America from Zambia.

Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed. As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out.

"Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!"

"Brother," the second monk replied, "I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her."

What is the purpose of the law?

Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?
-Jesus

I've seen literally the poorest of the poor in Kesempa. What of those brothers and sisters who cannot help but break the laws of the old covenant?

They cannot practice the Passover meal they don't have the resources. They cannot eat kosher foods they don't have the privilege of choice. They cannot wear the appropriate clothes it is all donated. They have leprosy, making them ceremonially unclean.

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago...So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law...Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
-Romans 3

I praise You Jesus for saving us. Thank You for making us right through faith in You and not by obeying the law. The law is only truly fulfilled when we simply have faith in You.

But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.” But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
-Galatians 3

Abba I cling to Your promise of Your unfailing faithfulness. I cannot obey the laws of the old covenant. I cannot make myself holy. My salvation, my righteousness, my holiness, my relationship with You depends entirely on You, Your love and Your faithfulness.

Jesus I trust in Your blood. I trust in Your sacrifice. I trust that Your faithfulness stretches beyond the Jews, beyond the law. beyond to the tiniest villages in Kesempa to the abandoned brothers and sisters in the Leper Village. I trust that You can save me. You and You alone.

Thank You for Your freedom. Thank You for Your sacrifice. Thank You for grace and mercy. Without You, my rock, I am dead. We are all doomed without the great redeemer's love.

Help me love as the second monk loves and not do evil as the first.