Redemption

Heading not his illocution
We have earned our execution
Guilty ‘fore the Father
Ev’ry son and daughter
But the Son, in God’s solution
Bore the curse of sin’s pollution
Breaking through the pother
Found the slave and bought her
Now the veil is torn asunder
Nevermore can Satan plunder
“Righteous,” now the heading
Freed is she from fretting
Heaven’s call in holy thunder
Fills her soul with fear and wonder
Bride adorned for wedding
Perfect love, the setting

The Journey

“Further up and further in”
Thus our wand’ring feet must go
Answer “Yes” or answer “No”
Let the journey now begin
Enter now this holy bond
Heaven’s Son lifts up your face
Faultless ‘fore the throne of grace
Father calls and we respond
Whether by our sprint or schlep
We must mount the heights today
There is help along the way
Do not lose your heart or step
Trust the holy Trinity
Evermore in him abide
He will never leave your side
God has won the victory

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A Prayer of Thanks

Thank you for your grace in sending
Clouds and rain to cool the day.
Thank you for your love unending,
God who listens when we pray.
Thank you that your love is founded
Not in what this man can bring;
In your life my own is grounded.
Of the cross and grave I sing.
Thank you for a hope unfailing,
For a future sealed and sure.
When my soul this world is ailing,
By your Word I will endure.
Let me always seek your glory,
Yours the Name that reigns alone.
Use my life to tell your story
Till I stand before your throne.

Idolatry and Redemption

The bride has pledged devotion to
A love more perfect than she knows
A groom more faithful, strong, and true
Who saw her flaws and still her chose
He cleansed and cured her sores and scars
He bade her break her bond with death
He set her free from prison bars
Imbibed was she with saving breath
His love surpassed what she had known
When she was bound to broken ways
His bond to her was set in stone
He vowed to love her all her days
Yet she was found in bed with those
Who left her broken in the dirt
She threw away her true repose
To grasp at harlotry and hurt
Perfection was too low for her
Her heart, too weak to recognize
His name, his life, he did confer
To make her pure before his eyes
She well deserved to lose her place
He had the right to cast her out
But she was met instead with grace
His faithfulness removed all doubt
His love was found not in her flesh
Nor in her goodness, grace, or worth
He, by his nature, did refresh
And in his holiness did girth
And she, though not made perfect yet
Experienced a change of heart
And though her past she won’t forget
She walks in light of this new start

The Devoted Doctor and the Perfect Physician

Not long ago, while driving around Austin, TX with a few friends, I noticed that the car in front of us had an Imperial insignia and a Triforce attached to the bumper. I pointed these out to the guys and was immediately called a nerd. When I joked that I had never been called that before, one friend simply responded, “That’s doubtful.” We all laughed because we all knew the truth: I’m a huge nerd. There’s no denying that fact. Furthermore, I always enjoy looking for spiritual parallels in the geekiest of stories. That definitely makes my day. Continue reading

Meditation on Isaiah 55

Your word, once sent, will not return
Without accomplishing its task
Its working is not our concern
But to be ready when you ask
Acknowledging our role in this
Is knowing not your detailed will
Your movement here our eyes might miss
But you, we know, are moving still
With thoughts far higher than our own
In ways unsearchable to men
You are the God unknown yet known
Triumphant o’er the curse of sin
You give the food and drink we need
Though we are poor and cannot pay
We, from futility, are freed
For you, O God, have made a way
So let us, humbled, seek your face
Forsaking all unrighteousness
And pardon us with perfect grace
To worship you in holiness

Thoughts from Psalm 8 and John 2

How can it be
That he would see
From heaven’s highest throne
A broken man
With fallen plan
And call him for his own?

The earth and sky
Before his eye
Submit to his command,
Yet by his grace
This human race
Is set above the land.

This God above
Is rich in love
And stoops to care for men.
He came in night
To shine his light
And save our souls from sin.

Oh mystery
Of sov’reignty
Who knows our mortal state:
The Lord of life
Embracing strife
To change the sinner’s fate.