talaso's Xanga

a manifesto for my heart

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 22:00:53 GMT

my life is God's. not mine. my prayer should always be: Lord, be glorified. no matter what i do, where i go, who i meet, how much i make, what my plans are -- Lord, be glorified. and he will be. he can take care of his own glory.

in giving my life to God, i am committing myself to continuously seek him, know him, follow him. as i do this, he will reveal himself, walk beside me, grasp my (right) hand (isa. 41) and lead me. what i do not know today, he may choose to reveal tomorrow. what i am unsure about today, he may make clear next year.

i do not need to know everything now. i only need to know God.

he is the source of all knowledge and wisdom. like a fountain, his guidance is continuous; his manna is sufficient for every day.

trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths

a franciscan benediction

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 22:54:12 GMT

May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears
to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
so that you may reach out your hand
to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in the world,
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done
to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:25:37 GMT

if you look at the account of the woman who poured perfume on Jesus' feet, you hear the grumbling of his disciples. the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. she must not have heard (or listened) to Jesus' calling to 'sell all and give to the poor'. instead, she foolishly and extravagantly poured her money onto Jesus' head: nothing more than an ephemeral liquid soaking into a muddy puddle on the floor.

but you also hear the response of Jesus. unexpected, as usual. 'she has done a beautiful thing to me'.

it seems there are two parts to Jesus' message. our call to follow him means not only giving our all out of compassion for the poor, but also giving our all out of our great love for Christ.

it seems that following Christ is more than a feat of social justice; it is an outpouring of affection for a controversial figure.

as shane barnard sings: Lord, my serving you replaced my knowing you.

a few thoughts on passion

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 01:16:21 GMT

the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. when a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. when he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

then Jesus said to his disciples, "if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

deny himself.

"we'd like to stay close enough to the fire to keep warm but are reluctant to dive in." (brennan manning, the signature of Jesus)

website?

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 09:14:43 GMT

i'm a little confused...

are people seeing just a blank white page when they view my website and then assuming i haven't done anything? it is on a blank white page and it takes a couple of seconds to load, cuz it's all in flash. give it a few seconds, and something should appear.

let me know if it still doesn't work!

(i really just need to put a loader in. ...if i ever have time...)

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 23:14:18 GMT

how beautiful it is that the one who sees my heart and truly knows its selfishness is the one who has promised to transform it.

on another note...

check out my website!

light vs perfection

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:51:01 GMT

walking in the light -- walking in the truth -- does not mean walking in perfection. in fact, it is almost the opposite. when you walk in the light, everyone can see the way you walk. and that includes your mistakes, your stumbles, your weaknesses. in the same manner, when you walk in the truth, you are no longer walking a lie -- no longer living the pretense that you have it all together. suddenly the words of Jesus to nicodemus about light and darkness make so much more sense:

"...men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. but whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (john 3:19-21)

when you come into the light, everyone can see plainly that you, alone, are not capable of perfection -- that you, alone, stumble and fall just like everyone else. but this also allows others to see that it is God who justifies and sanctifies you, who purifies you and makes you holy.

you don't come into the light because you have it all together. you don't come into the light only after you have it all together. you come into the light as you are. there are, no doubt, many who call themselves christians who yet walk in the darkness of denial, the pretense of self-proclaimed (or self-imposed) perfection.

WE ARE NOT PERFECT. stop pretending.

as john says, "if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 john 1) and so we are open about our fallenness and acknowledge our imperfections. and we confess our sins... and God is FAITHFUL and just and will FORGIVE us.

and, accepting God's forgiveness, we can go and forgive and accept others.

furthermore, john continues, God is light... in him there is no darkness at all. so you cannot expect to stay hidden and draw near to God. drawing near inevitably means being exposed. all you are will be exposed for what it is. but here is the beautiful part: go ahead and jump into the light. allow your dirt to be exposed. because this is the way to have fellowship with God. and what is more, he will purify you!

it's been a while...

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 22:44:30 GMT

and it will probably be a while till i write again. but i'm in the mood, so i figured i'd take advantage of it.

just some quotes:

"when we are first aware of our own brokenness, our eyes are opened to see our own faces in the faces of the oppressed and to see our own hands in the hands of the oppressors. then we shall all be truly free."
-- shane claiborne (from the irresistible revolution)

"the person who loves their dream of community (even if their intentions are ever so earnest) will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community."
-- dietrich bonhoeffer

"it's interesting how, when we see people as only their political affiliation, race, class, gender, orientation, whatever, we are not seeing people... maybe we need to start looking each other in the eye instead of just looking at the bumper stickers on the back of our cars."
-- shana scudder (from a random editorial)

"...good health is not to be had for the asking. good health is earned. in the long run you must pay either the grocer or the drugstore."
-- D.C. Jarvis, MD

just a modgepodge. now for bed.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Thu, 18 May 2006 23:19:26 GMT
some humorous wisdom from thoreau:

"it is hard to have a southern overseer; it is worse to have a northern one; but worst of all when you are the slave-driver of yourself. talk of a divinity in man! look at the teamster on the highway, wending to market by day or night; does any divinity stir within him? ... how godlike, how immortal, is he? see how he cowers and sneaks, how vaguely all the day he fears, not being immortal nor divine, but the slave and prisoner of his own opinion of himself, a fame won by his own deeds. public opinion is a weak tyrant compared with our own private opinion." Walden, 4

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Wed, 19 Apr 2006 22:45:31 GMT
i put some of my videos online for anyone interested.

work and progress