My Heart Will Be Also

"No not store up for yourselves

treasures on earth,

where moth and rust destroy,

and where thieves break in and steal."

Matthew 6:19

How do I make this life go on,

when it was never meant forever?

I will leave a time behind.

To return where it's as if nothing passed.

What will the change make of me -

what will I make of it?

How do I carry new customs across the border?

The comfort and knowledge of God

defeats all questions.

"But store up for yourselves

treasures in HEAVEN,

where moth and rust do not destroy,

and where thieves do not

break in and steal.

For where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:20,21

Stone

"For He will command His angels 

concerning you,

to guard you in all your ways;

They will lift you up

in their hands

so that you will not strike your foot

against a stone."

Psalm 91:11,12

God is steady

beyond our comprehension.

His laws are for our good,

I truly believe that.

His laws are the same today,

tomorrow, forever.

His laws are a stone, and

when I go against them,

I've kicked that stone.

I've let my humanly actions

take over, in all their fragility.

They've come face to face

with the stone, which was there

yesterday, last week, forever.

Pain after the kick is no sign

of unlovingness, 

it's a sign of consistency,

and the possibility to grow

to be more consistent. 

Freely

"Freely you have received, freely give."

"Gratuitamente han recibio este poder;

ejérzanlo, pues, gratuitamente."

Mateo 10:8

What a free morning I've had.

Walked free, breathed free, worshiped free.

Took in the sounds, the sun, the flowers, all free.

Wrapped in the grace of God, freely,

because He knew I needed it.

And oh, how I needed it.

Now I pray that I might freely give the joy

which I have freely received this morning.

Praise God for His free gifts, that we might not be

so proud as to believe we did anything to deserve them.

Immersion

It's the key phrase for this trip.

This second skin, my new life... 

because it's more than just a trip.

And I truly believe that.

(We'll have to see how coming 'back' feels.)

But for the few moments of everyday

when I'm not immersed in Spanish,

I realize that I'm immersed in english.

I can communicate obscure ideas.

I know idioms and allegories and puns.

More than understanding every verb tense,

and I have more than a working vocabulary.

It amazes me.

They say the last thing a fish will discover is water.

But I jumped out of the tank and it's more obvious than ever.

"Your Name is Your Nature"

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image of anything...

You shall not bow down to them nor serve them...

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain."

Exodus 20:4,5,7

For the first time in seven weeks I went to a mass in english.

I've loved many things about mass in spanish;
the familiar gospel,
the ten stringed-instrument band,
giving "paz,"
women in leadership,
incense,
just taking it all in, and
the little angles at the altar.

But I felt the need to seek out a service where
I can be a little more interactive.

It was almost the opposite of everything I expected.
Almost 90 minutes long, in stark contrast to our 45 minutes in the USA.
And the great echo of our long, narrow chapel made even english sound
foreign.
However, despite the waves of frustration, and my dipping blood sugar,
I felt as though I became very close to the backs-of-heads I was worshiping with.

And as little as I care for long-winded homilies,
the man had some good words.
Thanks to God for perking my ears.

Is God who we make Him to be?
Or is He as He tells us, in His Word?

We make God fit into our comprehension,

our lifestyles... and by this, we empty His name.

This priest said we are so apt to making false idols,

because we empty God's name.

"And your name is your nature."

Our problems with making false idols stems from our

problem with corrupting the Lord's name.

This turned my vantage point completely upside down.

I've only been advised on when to not say the Lord's name.

I've never been advised to preserve the Lord's name by

maintaining His nature.

This is incredibly refreshing for me and I know God allowed

me to be late for the first service so that I may hear this, and

also for the time He used to do some healing in our house.

I feel like I've got a new paradigm to grow from, 

I feel excited and encouraged to continue in this light.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light for my path."

Psalm 119:105