(xaris and shalom)

It seems that the psalms speak of God with great regularity as a refuge.  Today it was Psalm 142:5 I cry to you, O Yahweh I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." That verse -- especially looking at it in both ESV and NLT -- brings a lot of things to mind. You're my Hiding Place Safe in Your embrace I'm protected from the storm that rages And when the waters rise And I run to hide It's in You I find my hiding place... [Steven Curtis Chapman] There are sooo many false things advertised as a safe hiding place.  Home.  Scholarships.  College.  Friends.  Money.  Power.  Status.  Country.  Having a boyfriend (or girlfriend).  Having a husband (or wife).  A job.  Even church. A lot of these things are good things -- truly good, blessings from God.  But they are not EVER to be our refuge.  They all have storms of their own, they are all part of a fallen world.  Even all God's blessings to us are NOT our inheritance -- not even on this earth!!

Faithfulness.  The Bible talks a lot about that.  In Zechariah 3, the Lord says to Joshua, "If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here" (Zech 3:7). Revelation 13 is about war, again, and it sounds rather grim.  In fact, it sounds downright frightening.  Not the news that I want to hear at all.  "Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them" (Rev 13:7a).  And to conquer them?  What then?  Is David*Crowder's triumphant song "We Win!" nothing more than a happy song? But Revelation doesn't end there.  Authority is  given to the beast -- over "everyone whose name has NOT been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain" (Rev 13:8).  Not authority over those whose names ARE written in His book of life.  However, the prophetic foretelling of ca

[I'm still typing older journals!] Today the Old Testament passage was Zechariah 1.  I remember about a month ago when we came to this passage in Sunday school and how thoroughly it confused us. The details confused us, that is.  Who is the man?  Is there more than one man?  Who are the ones "whom Yahweh has sent to patrol the earth"?  What?!? Then the New Testament section for today is almost as crazy -- Revelation 12.  A woman standing on the moon, a dragon trying to eat her baby son -- what is going on? Psalm 140 pulls me back to see the big picture, especially in passages such as these where I do not understand the details. In Zechariah 1, God pronounces judgment upon those who have excessively hurt His people, and He promises His love to His people.  "Thus says Yahweh of hosts:  I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion... Yahweh will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem."  (Zech 1:13, 17) In Revelation 12, there is war as the accuser is

Immanuel.  The time approaches when we celebrate God being with us -- but it is not a new concept.  It's all over the Bible. In Zephaniah -- after all the horrible disasters promised, God begins to promise that there will be a remnant.  But it gets better... The King of Israel, Yahweh, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil... Yahweh your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you buy his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.  [Zephaniah 3:15b, 17] In Haggai --  Be strong, all you people of the land, declares Yahweh. Work, for I am with you, declares Yahweh of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you  when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst.  Fear not. [Haggai 2:4b-5] In the psalms -- Psalm 139 is about how incredibly God is with us -- all around, all within... And in the New Testament we see God intimately involved with His people.  In Revelation 11, God breathes

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14 I'm looking up Holding out Pressing forward Without a doubt Longing for the things unseen Longing for the things I believe My true country We hope and wait For the glorious day All tears will vanish Wiped away On the saints this day already shines On the saints this day already shines It already shines (chorus) We'll be singing hallelujah We'll be singing hallelujah At the top of our lungs halle-le-lujah To Your glory, hallelujah Hallelujah, hallelujah We'll be singing hallelujah We'll be singing hallelujah With all of our breath halle-le-lujah To Your glory, hallelujah Hallelujah, hallelujah And I know that it's coming But I can't see it now And I've touched it in moments But I can't hold it yet And it glows in the darkness And it calls us away To our true destination To that glorious day... [ Hallelujah , Newsboys] Longing for the day w

I'm not exactly sure what I want this blog to be for. Well, wait.  I know what I want it to be for (that's what the title of the blog is about).  I'm just not sure how to best accomplish that purpose.   The telo s (Greek for end, purpose) The title of this blog -- Dangerous Crusader -- is taken from Derek Webb 's song Nobody Loves Me . i can always tell a liar and i always know a thief i know them like my family because brother i’m the chief i’m a dangerous crusader because i need to tell the truth so i’m turning over tables in my own living room then i might nail indictments up on every door in town because it’s not right or safe to let my conscience down so i don’t care if... chorus nobody loves me, nobody loves me nobody loves me but you the truth is never sexy so it’s not an easy sell you can dress her like the culture but she’ll shock ‘em just as well because she don’t need an apology for being who she is and she don’t need your help making enemies so i don’t care