Nonsensical Ramblings of Mark

I've been looking so long at these pictures of you That I almost believe that they're real I've been living so long with my pictures of you That I almost believe that the pictures are All I can feel - Pictures of You, The Cure I know this song does not have to do with what I am going to write about, but when I heard these lyrics for the 20th, maybe 50th time I got to thinking about my pictures of God. To me a picture is a bit of captured reality that, less rather than more, allows me to recall the place, people, feelings...all of the everything associated with the time that I remember when it was taken. I get so sure about what I recall and the longer I stare at the pictures, the farther I get from the actual event, I remember less specifics but I am sure of so much more; sure of much more than I should be. And what of the pictures of God that I have? For sure he has plainly revealed himself to me in the Bible, but what of the spaces that the Bible doesn't occup...

Disappointed a few people When friendship reared it's ugly head? Disappointed a few people? Well? Isn't that what friends are for? - PIL, Disappointed I'm brilliantly flawed aren't I?  An imperfection here, a rough edge there. A glance that betrays my heart's true state. A slight yesterday, an oversight last week when a missed opportunity for a conversation or connection was embraced rather than the person I should have had it with. I have and will disappoint more than a few people during the course of my life here. And that is why I need friends. Real friends. Friends that call to my mind those flaws and imperfections that I need to subject to the control of the Spirit. Friends that see my all-too-often half-hearted attempts at repentance and pray for me. Friends that forgive more than they demand payment from me. Yes, friendship with me has an ugliness and beauty that is all its own. My flaws are in full dress bearing their banner in my parade. Overlook ...

I serve a humble God. It seems kind of strange that a God could be humble especially when so many people misunderstand Him and label Him as either an egoist in the highest order or even rather insecure. But as I read the Bible, and seek to really understand it, I find that God is rather humble and, in imitation of Him, I need to be humble as well. Christianity has, at its core, the humiliation of its God. This is a truth that is trotted out at Christmas and Easter (especially), but it needn't be relegated to those holidays on the church calendar. If I carefully read the Scriptures I see this from Genesis 1 straight through Revelation as it is something that sets my God, the true God, apart from any other. He is patient, meek (power under control) and gentle of heart and in Him I find rest - not a hint cruelty or pride.  I also find in Him the desire to discipline me and orient at least a some of His activities towards my well-being. That He would even pay attention to me is s...

I was uploading a bunch of pictures to Flickr today and came across some pictures of miscellaneous stuff in our garage that we have sold on Craigslist. It all went - not a single thing was left and I received my asking price on all but one of the items. That I got my asking price on just about everything is completely strange because, as far as I know, I have not paid the asking price on any item off of Craigslist. At any rate, this is just another example to me of the golden age of information and connectivity that we are living in. After picking up a nice used bike for my oldest son I recalled a story to my boys about a used bike that my dad purchased for me. We were on our way back from visiting my relatives down in Wayland, NY when we just happened to drive by a house with a decent enough used bike for sale. My dad got it for me, we loaded it in the station wagon, and we were on our way again. It was a decent enough bike (just the good side past a piece of junk) and I rode it for...

I am reading a book called Apologetics to the Glory of God by Dr. John Frame and, as I read it, I am becoming more aware of the Creator-creature distinction that is at the core of my definition as a man. To say that there is a great gulf that stands between me and God is a misuse of the language. God is absolutely, wholly Other, and, thankfully, he draws near to me through the incarnation of His Son, Jesus. Yet, this gulf brings me peace. There is another that bothers me. The separation that bothers me is the one I choose. My sin hinders my relationship with Him as I assign myself another purpose that is in opposition to the one that I have been given. I call myself sovereign and king rather than giving Him that title. He is not One to take rivals lightly and, thanks be to God, He seeks to drive my sin far from me for the sake of His Name and for my great good. I thought last night about who we would be if we lived forever in our fallen state and it shook me. What if we ate of the ...

I have blogged about these emotions that often beset us as parents before and have often wondered if my Father feels the same things I do. Yet I wonder anew thinking about my God's heart and whether it bursts.  We parents know the feeling all to well in reference to our children. Last night both of our sons did things that filled their parents' hearts to overflowing. We saw abilities and character in them that we knew were there, but needed to see with our own eyes to confirm our suspicions. The only "wish" I had was that we could have shared the separate experiences together. Our boys made their parents' heart burst and they had no idea they were doing it - they were just being boys. What happened last night compels me to wonder if, when I hit the nail on the head and act in a way that brings honor and glory to Him, if my Dad's heart bursts. Does it fill with the same emotions I had last night when my son produced the game ball that said, "MVP" ...

The strangest thing happened to me yesterday. It was so strange that I can't recall it ever happening to me before but it was so real. I was working on transplanting some pachysandra from the back yard to the front and I had been working on it for a while. Well, I am not sure why, but I was quickly losing the energy and the will to do it. I had been working on it for a couple of hours while helping my oldest son with his writing and I was dragging. I was inside waiting to evaluate some prose that he had written when I noticed my youngest son was looking for something to do so I invited him to play catch with me. We played for a bit and both he and I were excited that we found a nice, big catcher's mitt that he was having some success with and that he will be using in the game that he will be catching in soon. Well, after we were done running around and playing catch I got my second wind and some untapped enthusiasm to work on the transplanting a bit more. It stood to figure...