Prodigal

"Being a Christian doesn't mean you sin less; it means you take your sin to the foot of the cross faster."


Living on my own,
thinking for myself
Castles in sand,
temporary wealth
Walls are falling down,
storms are closing in
Tears have filled my eyes,
here I am again

And I've held out as long as I can
Now I'm letting go
and holding out my hand
Daddy, here I am again,
will you take me back tonight?
I went and made the world my friend,
and it left me high and dry
I dragged Your name back through the mud
That You first found me in
Not worthy to be called Your son
Is this to be my end?
Daddy, here I am
Here I am again

Curse this morning sun,
that drags me in to one more day
Of reaping what I've sown,
of living with my shame
Welcome to my world,
and the life that I have made
Where one day you're a prince,
the next day your a slave

And I've held out as long as I can
Now I'm letting go
and holding out my hand
Daddy, here I am again,
will you take me back tonight
I went and made the world my friend,
and it left me high and dry
I dragged Your name back through the mud
That You first found me in
Not worthy to be called Your son
Is this to be my end?
Daddy, here I am
Here I am again

I think they're singing...

"Yesterday's challenges are lost in today's joys...and tomorrow's dream becomes today's courage." -Max Lucado

"But you are strong, strong in Christ and you need to trust that He is bigger than all of it."-Laura Jo

Picture (left to right): Sammie Jo, Mary, Laura Jo

I am blessed by friends

"When I find myself fading, I close my eyes and realize my friends are my energy." -Anonymous

"Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself--and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to--letting a person be what he really is." -James Douglas Morrison

"Friends are those people who know the words to the song in your heart and sing them back to you when you have forgotten the words." -Anonymous




"Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow.
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead.
Walk beside me and just be my friend." -Albert Camus

"I have learned that to be with those I like is enough." -Walt Whitman

It's times like these...

Last night (Thursday), Amanda 3, Mary and I went over to Karen's house around 7. I got back to campus (note that I had an 8am exam on Friday) five minutes before midnight. But I realized just how happy I am here. How happy these people make me. How happy I am because I am myself around them.

A little birthday cake, a little bit of good, hard-core rounds of Mafia, a little playing with Jonah (the long-haired, Doxin, cocker-spaniel mix), a little eating cookies that weren't completely cooked, a little Taboo, a little organic milk, a little creepy ornaments, a little secretarial work, a little decorating the Christmas tree, and a lot of laughing and talking.

It's times like these when I realize that I love this place, I love these people and I love this life.

The Lighthouse Law

• Love God more than you fear hell.
• Once a week, let a child take you on a walk.
• Make major decisions in a cemetery.
• When no one is watching, live as if someone is.
• Succeed at home first.
• Don't spend tomorrow's money today.
• Pray twice as much as you fret.
• Listen twice as much as you speak.
• Only harbor a grudge when God does.
• Never outgrow your love of sunsets
• Treat people like angels; you will meet some and help make some.
• 'Tis wiser to err on the side of generosity than on the side of scrutiny.
• God has forgiven you; you'd be wise to do the same.
• When you can't trace God's hand, trust His heart.
• Toot your own horn and the notes will be flat.
• Don't feel guilty for God's goodness.
• The book of life is lived in chapters, so know your page number.
• Never let the important be the victim of the trivial.
• Live your liturgy.

"To sum it all up: Approach life like a voyage on a schooner. Enjoy the view. Explore the vessel. Make friends with the Captain. Fish a little. And then get off when you get home... It [is] good to be reminded again that this journey is a brief one. That Jesus knows how I feel and that he'd scramble off a mountain and walk through a storm to convince me of that."

"Salvation is God's sudden, calming presence during the stormy seas of our lives. We hear His voice; we take the step. We, like Paul, are aware of two things: We are great sinners and we need a great Savior. We, like Peter, are aware of two facts: We are going down and God is standing up. So we scramble out. We leave behind [our sinking ship] of self-righteousness and stand on the solid path of God's grace. And, surprisingly, we are able to walk on water. Death is disarmed. Failures are forgivable. Life has real purpose. And God is not only within sight, He is within reach. . .For a season of surprising strength, we stand upon His promises. It doesn't make sense that we are able to do this. We don't claim to be worthy of such an incredible gift. . .Most of us, though, face the wind of doubt. . .And downward we plunge. Heavied by mortality's mortar, we sink. Gulping and thrashing, we fall into a dark, wet world. We open our eyes and see only blackness. We try to breathe, and no air comes. We kick and fight out way back to the surface. . .And we hope that the same Christ who called us out of the boat will call us out of the sea. . .[There is] one God who'll walk through hell or high water to extend a helping hand to a child who cries for help." -Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm

And it got me thinking...

"Yesterday's challenges are lost in today's joys." -In the Eye of the Storm, by Max Lucado

"Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen." -2 Corinthians 4: 16-18

"Life's mishaps and horrors are only a page out of a grand book. We must be slow about drawing conclusions. We must reserve judgment on life's storms until we know the whole story... For it was the Carpenter who said it best: 'Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.' He should know. He is the Author of our story. And He has already written the final chapter." -In the Eye of the Storm, by Max Lucado