The Rainbow Covenant

Brrrrrrr..... 52 degrees in my room this morning. In Corvallis this week, we saw a few inches of snow and temperatures dipping into the teens. Cold, but I thank God for all the seasons, and isn't it these cold times that make those warm evenings outside so blessed? When I lived in California I certainly didn't appreciate sunshine a much as I do now, but I digress.

Anyone else in Corvallis see the rainbow this week? I caught a glimpse of it as I was at work, and I must admit I had a bit of a moment.

"Some" might see a rainbow, and appreciate it as a simple optical phenomenon that exhibits the full color spectrum in the sky.

Well, today I would like to write about rainbows, Love's promises, and to basically say that "Some's" analysis of the rainbow is just plain lazy.

What does it mean?

It all starts in that old story of Noah. Remember the one? Of course you do! Dude goes "crazy" after he hears God and spends a hundred years building a boat in the middle of the desert. O yes, and then the world floods because God is so dismayed by man, and Noah and his family are the only ones saved, because he found favor in God's eyes, and was obedient.

So, there is then one hundred and fifty days of yachting, a dove, an olive branch, and a "Land-ho!" on Mt. Ararat.

But then, God starts talking to Noah again...

"This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I'm putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will flood waters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I've set up between me and everything living on the Earth." - Genesis 9:12-17 (The Message)

Do you get it?

Now here is what hit me this week in my moment with the rainbow.

Dan: "Father... How?"

How can you make such a promise? I'm not arguing, but have you seen this old world? Neighbor killing neighbor. Children orphaned by AIDS and mortars every day. Rising oil prices, falling property values, and Justin Bieber. It's out of control!

Why not start over again?

Because, now there is a hope.

Jesus died once and for all for me, and for you, and for this whole world. He came as an intercessor stating, "Yes! Absolute annihilation is what this world deserves yet again, but my Father can't stand the thought of losing you, so he sent me to bare the weight of the flood on the cross. I will pay bail, so you don't have to."

"Never again will the flood waters destroy all life."

This week, will you join me in remembering Jesus. If it's raining on your head, or in your heart, please repeat with me:

"Thank you Jesus. Never again must the waters destroy my life."

And when you find yourself asking "Where is the love of God when the waves turn the minutes into hours?" Then don't forget what we talked about last week.

Where is the Youtube? I thought about one video all week, and I debated whether to share it or not. I didn't want to and actually searched high and low for a better alternative. Well, as you can see I posted the now infamous "double rainbow guy." If you don't know who "double rainbow guy" is, then this is your warning, it's absolutely over the top. A guy sees a double rainbow in the Yosemite valley and flips out.

I'll let you decide for yourself if he's sober.

But, to be honest, I think his reaction is much more appropriate then "Some's."

Enjoy it... IT'S SO INTENSE!

A Threshed Heart

Welcome back!

We'll be changing gears and tackling the problem, or dare I say the blessing of pain. This week I was caught off guard by a verse in one of my favorite songs: "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot. I've heard this song probably a hundred times, but never has a line in it stood out so vividly.

"Does anyone know where the love of god goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"

Where does the love of God go?

I have asked this countless times. Especially during the last couple of years. I know I'm young, and I know I'm still very naive, but my heart has gone through what I call "the hurt."

I'm no longer ashamed to admit, depression and I are well acquainted.

So as my manifold hangups, scars, inadequacies, and wounds are still sensitive to the touch, and as my eyes still well with tears from some of my very recent memories, I'm going to begin to answer that very appropriate question:

"Where DOES the love of god go when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"

Let's start by hearing God's side of the story.

“Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? Who will mourn for you? Who will stop to ask how you are? You have rejected me,” declares the Lord. You keep on backsliding, So I will lay hands on you and destroy you; I can no longer show compassion. I will winnow them… I will bring bereavement and destruction on my people for they have not changed their ways. – Jeremiah 15: 5-7

This all from the same Loving God of the last two posts? Yes sir, yes mam. 

Let’s take a moment to study the word “winnow” or “thresh”. Here comes the Youtube! Picture yourself the wheat. Your God handles the mallet of your pain, and your savior is the sheet, making sure to not let the slightest usable kernel of grain go to waste.

Notice the purposefulness of the mallet handler. He isn't blindly swinging away. He is not just destroying the wheat, but he is going for something.

 

I know what that wheat feels like! I'm sure you do too! 

As I think back on my darkest times, on "the hurt," I can see how God was working me out, and separating the chaff of my pride, guilt, ignorance, and greed from the grain of who he wants me to be. The real me. Consider C.S. Lewis' stance on the "problem" of pain.

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

Lastly, let me point out a couple pictures of the resolution of the previous verse in Jeremiah, this one also from Jeremiah a few chapters later.

"I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch" (Jesus) a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness." - Jeremiah 23, 5-6

So, is 100% of your righteousness resting in The Lord, and not on your own humility, works, or knowledge?

Unfortunately for my poor heart, I am far from there, but the Lord has told me not to worry. 

I have plenty of pain left to go through.

Yet, I am not afraid. Yes, I will hate it, and probably doubt his love like I always unfortunately tend to, but Love has promised to always go before me, never give me more then I can handle with him, that he will always take me back, and that he will never let me go. Even when I do.

And I know that "when" is not a question of if, but when, so I will rely on grace alone.

And rather then run away from my pains, I will open myself up to letting Love get whatever out of me he wants.

So, where does the love go?

We all need different answers don't we? So, I'll wait for you to ask Love for yourself.

Thanks for reading!

~ Daniel

Curious about the Gordon Lightfoot song? Check it out!

To Move While Supporting

"In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old." Isaiah 63:9

Maybe saying I was going to post every Sunday morning was overly optimistic. I was outside of Internet-land most of today, so I'll keep the one week commitment, and focus on getting it done by Monday evening..

As I was brainstorming different ideas this week, this one was not my initial first choice. I want this blog to be diverse in its content, and this video bares several parallels to the video last week.

That being said, I obviously got over my hang ups.

1,032 races. 68 Marathons (26.2 mile run). 6 Ironman's (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 miles run all done without a break). All done by a father who chose to carry his son rather then watch him rot away in an institution. If you're a cynic (like me) please don't devalue this as the father's effort to get famous.

In the spring of 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Far from being a long-distance runner, Dick agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair and they finished all 5 miles, coming in next to last. That night, Rick told his father, "Dad, when I'm running, it feels like I'm not handicapped." - teamhoyt.com

While keeping an eye out for his fingerprints this week (still a very inorganic effort), I caught a saying that I am all too familiar with. It struck me as just plain backwards, and I hope you can see the connection with the attached video.

"God only helps those who help themselves."

False.

Consider the verse above that states that it is by "his love and mercy he redeemed them." What a relief to know that God has never stepped in and saved someone because he was  impressed with them or their effort.

May I suggest that God helps the helpless, carries the destitute, and redeems the rejected?

I can offer myself as proof.

A Glimpse at Grace

Before reading on, watch the video first!

I think this video gave me the idea for this blog because it is so rich with love filled undertones and themes. The main tenant of this blog will be that "God is love" - 1 John 4:8. In fact, I expect to use the words "Love" and "God" quite interchangeably through this entire blog.

I will update this Blog (YTD) Sunday Mornings for 52 weeks, and keep YTD short and to the point. (Less than 300 words)

That being said, time to focus.

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." - Deuteronomy 31:8

As I watched the video for the first time, I couldn't help but feeling wrapped up in these words. Stuck almost, but the kinda stuck you get when you're bundled up tight in a warm blanket on a cold day. I think that no matter how hard I ever seem to try (I've tried hard) I can't get away from Love for long.

Focus for a second on the word never in the verse above. Compared to grace and love, here is a word that we can wrap our minds around. We "get" never don't we? How many times have we seen and felt never? I'll see her never again. I'll never be the same. I'll never get another chance... 

God will never leave.

Thanks to "American Idol" we get a glimpse into the type of devoted love that God is.

Ponder for a second. Who are you in the video? 

If you have time, watch it one more time.

Let me wrap up with this, and this is what makes God a truly amazing lover.

"But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him." - Romans 5:8 (The Message)

God chose us not when we were the attractive, playful, girl that all the other boys wanted, but when we were already seemingly broken beyond repair.

Good thing there are such things as miracles...

I believe that they're happening around me a lot more then I take the time to notice.

I'm going to start choosing to notice.

Won't you join me on my journey?