Practice Resurrection

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant (Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12)

13 See, my servant will act wisely;

he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—

his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man

and his form marred beyond human likeness—

15 so will he sprinkle many nations,

and kings will shut their mouths because of him.

For what they were not told, they will see,

and what they have not heard, they will understand.

1 Who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,

and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

Like one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities

and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by God,

smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

And who can speak of his descendants?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

and with the rich in his death,

though he had done no violence,

nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul,

he will see the light of life and be satisfied;

by knowledge of him my righteous servant will justify many,

and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,

and he will divide the spoils with the strong,

because he poured out his life unto death,

and was numbered with the transgressors.

For he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

Looking Out - Brandi Carlile

I went out looking for the answers
And never left my town
I'm no good at understanding
But I'm good at standing ground

And when I asked a corner preacher
I couldn't hear him for my youth
Some people get religion
Some people get the truth

I never get the truth
I never get the truth

I know the darkness pulls on you
But it's just a point of view
When you're outside looking in
You belong to someone

And when you feel like giving in
Or the coming of the end
Like your heart could break in two
Someone loves you

I laid this suitcase on my chest
So I could feel somebody's weight
And I laid you to rest
Just to feel the give and take

I got a new interpretation
And it's a better point of view
While you were looking for a landslide
I was looking out for you
Someone's looking out for you

I know the darkness pulls on you
But it's just a point of view
When you're outside looking in
You belong to someone

And when you feel like giving in
Or the coming of the end
Like your heart could break in two
Someone loves you

I am afraid of crossing lines
I am afraid of flying blind
Afraid of inquiring minds
Afraid of being left behind

I close my eyes, I think of you
I take a step, I think of you
I catch my breath, I think of you
I cannot rest, I think of you

My one and only wrecking ball
And you're crashing through my walls
When you're outside looking in
You belong to someone

And when you feel like giving in
Or the coming of the end
Like your heart could break in two
Someone loves you



~ Happy Easter, Indeed. ~

(photos taken by me via my iphone)

One Less Thing

One Thing More

By Matthew Perryman Jones & Neilson Hubbard

What really matters
When it's all been said
And don't know what we've done
Climbing the ladder
With a tighter fist
Looking out for number one
I will not let you drag me down

Maybe it's all not enough
I think we're feeling the weight of a broken love
We're stuck on a stage of parading lust
It seems it's always only one thing more
It's always only one thing more

What's in the mirror
Are there tired eyes
Lookin' back for something new
Is it any clearer
Does the loneliness of ambition bother you
I will not let you drag me down

Nobody calls you by your name
Your hand's on the mouth of fear
All that you build will fall in flame
I will not let you drag me down
Seems it's always only one thing more
It's always only one thing more
Maybe it's all not enough
Maybe it's all too much
Maybe it's never enough
Seems it's always only one thing more
It's always only one thing more

Merry Christmas

The Word Became Flesh
John 1:1-18

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, [1] and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, [2] and his own people [3] did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, [4] who is at the Father's side, [5] he has made him known.

Winter

"Before it Breaks" - Brandi Carlile

Around here it's the hardest time of year.
And waking up, the days are even gone.
Will the collar on my coat,
Lord help me kill off the cold?
Will the raindrops sting my eyes or keep them closed?

but I'm feeling no pain
only the lonely
and my quietest friend
Have I the moonlight?
Have I let you in?
Say it ain't so,
say I'm happy again.

Say it's over.
Say I'm dreaming.
Say I'm better than you left me.

Say you're sorry.

I can take it.

Say you'll wait.
Say you won't.
Say you love me.
Say you don't.
I can make my own mistakes.
Let it bend before it breaks.

I'm alright, don't I always seem to be?
aren't I swinging on the stars?
Don't I wear em' on my sleeves?
But when you're looking for a crossroads,
it happens every day.
And whichever way you turn,
I'm gonna turn the other way.

And say it's over.
Say I'm dreaming.
Say I'm better than you left me.
Say you're sorry.
I can take it.
Say you'll wait.
Say you won't.
Say you love me.
Say you don't.
I can make my own mistakes.
Learn to let it bend before it breaks.

photos from Oconomowoc, WI

2 Songs for November

I'm going to see some friends from out of state
The very trip that you were supposed to take a while ago
But it fell through
Like all of you
Like all of you

Thought I'd make the drive but a free plane ride is in
the air
And just like that my fear of it disappeared
Like all of you
Like all of you

And I look high and low for yesterday
High and low for you and I
High and low

Once I can see straight I might move somewhere cold
Seattle or the bay area, to see your ghost
What's left of you
What's left of you

And I look high and low for yesterday
High and low for you and I
High and low

Found a letter from a man I might have met, addressed
to you
And I'll steal the words he ended with:
I miss you
And I do
Miss you
And I do

High and low for yesterday
High and low for you and I
High and low

- Greg Laswell - "High and Low"

---------------------------------------------

Take your time coming home.
Hear the wheels as they roll.
Let your lungs fill up with smoke.
Forgive everyone.

She is here and now she is gone
We had plans, we can't help but make love.

It's a beautiful thing when we you love somebody,
And I love somebody.
Yeah I love somebody.

Take your time coming home.
Hear the wheels as they roll.
Let your lungs fill with smoke.
Forgive everyone.
I don't think I'd been misled,
it was a rocknroll band,
I'm still standing,
Take your time coming home.

See, of everyone who called,
Very few said "We believe in you."
The overwhelming choice said
I'm just a boy inside a voice
and if that's true, if that's true, if that's true,
then what the fuck have I been doing the last six years?
How did I end up here?
How did I find love and conquer all my fears?
See, I made it out.
Out from under the sun.
And the truth is that I feel better because I've forgiven everyone.

Now I'm not scared
of a song
or the states,
or the stages.
I'm not scared.
I've got friends,
took my call,
came courageous.
Now I feel like I am home.

One more thing, I keep having this dream
where I'm standing on a mountain
Looking out, on the street
I can hear kids in low-income housing singing
"We're through with causing a scene"
I don't know what it means
But I too, I'm through with causing a scene.

She is here and now I think she's ready to go.
For every love that's lost I heard a new one comes.

So come on with me, sing along with me,
Let the wind catch your feet.
If you love somebody,
you'd better let them know.

Take your time coming home.

- fun. - "Take Your Time Coming Home"

Time to be funny again.

Some Funny Signs and Pictures I've seen.
You might recognize a few from around town.

Spring Break '06 in Photos

Grand Canyon Nat'l Park, AZ

Ok, so those Spring Break pictures are taking forever to sort through. I have most of them up on facebook, so I'm just going to give you the link to my albums and you can view them there since I can't waste anymore time on these. However, I'll post at least one from each album here to give an idea of their awesomeness. Here's the link, enjoy: http://belmont.facebook.com/photos.php?id=34100427&l=6ed61

Bryce Canyon Nat'l Park, UT

typical driving pattern in Utah

Coral Pink Sand Dunes, UT

Grand Staircase-Escalante Nat'l Monument Slot Canyons, UT

Santa Fe, NM

Zion Nat'l Park, UT
Justin took this one outside the Vermillion Cliffs Nat'l Monument in AZ

RUF Winter Conference '06

Fall Creek Falls -- Photo Journal
a familiar place made new with a dusting of the white stuff

The Bridge of Doooom (or at least that's what Julie thought)

Sharee doing her best Bigfoot impression

views from my cabin

our cabins

stairs with ice, no problem...just don't take her back to the bridge

The expedition team

oooo...

ahhhh...

stella & ruby or is it ruby & stella?

hey its MTSU on the bridge of doooom

the upper cascades

THE Fall Creek Falls

fun times, fun times.

Shelby Bottoms Park - Day Hike

I love this greenway park in the marshy tree-lined lows along the banks of the Cumberland in East Nashville, especially on a day like this in winter. A lot of people are bored by photos of landscape, but I typically prefer them and would seriously love some feedback on these shots.

a bit of fun and a thanks for reading down this far