faith

'Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”'

~

we are cathedrals

http://www.tenthavenuenorth.com/blog/2014/10/21/do-you-party-like-a-cathedral

Too good not to share.

~

Christy Nockels, You Revive Me

departure

i am getting on a train.

trains possess a queer attraction for those entertaining the idea of escaping. from what, sometimes they don't even know. but the notion of leaving everything and everyone for an unknown destination is quite the thrill.

i don't know where i'm heading, but it really doesn't matter. all that matters is that i step on unfamiliar terrain, and that i journey alone.

and so i am getting on a train, alone and clueless.

~

explosions in the sky, your hand in mine

just a dream

today i slept and dreamt of you,

i saw your face and heard your tune,

everything was silent and we were still,

the sweetness of your presence, how unreal.

you pulled me aside, you had something to say,

and i was shy, but you went on anyway,

'i know all about the war in your head.

and all the pretty words that's been left unsaid'.

oh joy, such joy, that leapt in my heart,

that our chasm be gone, no distance apart,

but deep inside with an aching heart,

i awoke with sorrow, and am back at the start.

why O God, why reproach me,

have i not all this while fulfilled my duty,

dream after dream i take as a blessing,

but alas, despair comes in the morning.

~

fellowship

1 John 1:6-10 

6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

~

This blew my mind right out of my head. I used to think that walking in the light simply meant being righteous or living an upright or moral lifestyle, and I could not be any more wrong.

I especially love the way The Message bible puts it; that to walk in the light is to 'experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin'. It is crucial that we let others in to our lives and do not protect our image, but be honest about the facts of our lives.

I'm a filthy Christian. A modern-day Jesus would probably not want to do anything with me (or so I think), and to be honest, I've done a pretty good job of covering my tracks. But your sin will, I cannot emphasize this any more, will catch up with you. That's why it's sooo important to confess not only to Him, but also to someone you trust and can share your burden with. And it doesn't stop there, you share his/her burden too. But then again, don't expect people to automatically reach out to you. Cause if everyone in the Church did that, we won't be getting anywhere would we? Instead, you reach out. 

As the famous saying goes, no man is an island. We were made to fellowship. Heck we were initially made to fellowship with Him.

This youth is a family. Each and everyone of us are responsible for each other. If I were to try to get through my life and hardships on my own, I'm gonna fail so badly. When we realize how broken we truly are, that no man nor leader nor pastor is perfect, then can we bring all our little fragments and piece them together into something beautiful. We grow together. Granted we can't be spending 24/7 together (cause we'll get sick of each other inevitably), but we grow together.

Yo let me say this once more to get it in your head (and mine). WE GROW TOGETHER.

~

Tenth Avenue North, No Man is an Island