suffering is real. i am aware of the reality that the day is coming when i will follow my child in the ambulance to the hospital or hold the hand of nic when the doctor comes in with the news. it is a humbling reality that suffering is inevitable, for all of us. i'll be a wreck during those moments and even more keenly aware of the reality that i all too often cling to the idols i have created, approval, comfort, control, power.
God in the flesh came, suffered, died, and rose again, to offer hope to a broken world. to a broken me. to restore shalom.
let no one caught in sin remain inside the lie of inward shame, but fix our eyes upon the cross and run to Him who showed great love and bled for us. beneath the weight of all our sin you bowed to none but heaven's will. no scheme of hell, no scoffer's crown, no burden great can hold you down. in strength you reign forever, let your Church proclaim:
Christ is risen from the dead
trampling over death by death,
come awake, come awake
come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
we are one with Him through faith
come awake, come awake
come and rise up from the grave
O death, where is your sting? O hell, where is your victory? O Church, come stand in the light, the glory of God has defeated the night. Our God is not dead, He's alive! He's alive!
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
-Revelation 21:1-4
Clinging to hope.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
the current kline kin: kleo and neo
a trip down motorcycle lane.
my hubster rides a motorcycle. i had a realization my freshman year of college that motorcycles weren't only for old men with long white beards. that was huge for me. i also learned not all are destined to learn to ride. it is a gift to ride a bike well and smartly. anyway, onto memory lane.
this motorcycle (pictured below), we'll call it (or her rather), nora, nora the nighthawk. this was his first motorcycle. my freshman and sophomore year of college she became our get-a-way to star gazing, from the top of the world to the scenic over-look. she took us through the quietness of the night to real conversations.
this picture cracks me up.
in fact, one hot spring day we had the brilliant idea to teach me how to ride nora. that didn't go so well. i hurt the bike, the helmet, and got some pretty nasty scratches on both of us. hence the realization that not all should be in the drivers seat.
after nora, came along tristan, tristan the triumph tiger. full of spunk.
in addition to tristan, came along delilah, delilah the ducati. at this point i wasn't around much. but i heard she was fast and that her name fit her well. i do remember a story though. delilah was purchased in FL and had to be ridden back to kansas. along the ride the hubster had a lot of time to think. now, at this point in time, our relationship was non-existent (in verbal terms, emotionally still lingering). he told me once we got engaged, that on the ride back from FL was when he decided he wanted to date again, knowing this time it would lead to marriage. awww...
delilah and tristan were a lot for one person to handle, so it was soon back to just tristan. and after 4 years, 27,350 miles, and taking my love through 45 states, we sadly said goodbye to tristan.
but, before she left, on march 13, 2011 we were kindly introduced to kleopatra, kleo the kawasaki KLR.
we now have kleo and neo as our beloveds.
last night kleo took us to the plaza for some relaxing reading. it was a great night. Lord willing, next year she will take us to Alaska. more to come on that, in about a year.
my hubster rides a motorcycle. i had a realization my freshman year of college that motorcycles weren't only for old men with long white beards. that was huge for me. i also learned not all are destined to learn to ride. it is a gift to ride a bike well and smartly. anyway, onto memory lane.
this motorcycle (pictured below), we'll call it (or her rather), nora, nora the nighthawk. this was his first motorcycle. my freshman and sophomore year of college she became our get-a-way to star gazing, from the top of the world to the scenic over-look. she took us through the quietness of the night to real conversations.
this picture cracks me up.
in fact, one hot spring day we had the brilliant idea to teach me how to ride nora. that didn't go so well. i hurt the bike, the helmet, and got some pretty nasty scratches on both of us. hence the realization that not all should be in the drivers seat.
after nora, came along tristan, tristan the triumph tiger. full of spunk.
in addition to tristan, came along delilah, delilah the ducati. at this point i wasn't around much. but i heard she was fast and that her name fit her well. i do remember a story though. delilah was purchased in FL and had to be ridden back to kansas. along the ride the hubster had a lot of time to think. now, at this point in time, our relationship was non-existent (in verbal terms, emotionally still lingering). he told me once we got engaged, that on the ride back from FL was when he decided he wanted to date again, knowing this time it would lead to marriage. awww...
delilah and tristan were a lot for one person to handle, so it was soon back to just tristan. and after 4 years, 27,350 miles, and taking my love through 45 states, we sadly said goodbye to tristan.
but, before she left, on march 13, 2011 we were kindly introduced to kleopatra, kleo the kawasaki KLR.
we now have kleo and neo as our beloveds.
last night kleo took us to the plaza for some relaxing reading. it was a great night. Lord willing, next year she will take us to Alaska. more to come on that, in about a year.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
the gut wrenching pain of death
community. in my oh so limited knowledge and understanding of such things, community is what one needs in order to be challenged, to grieve, and to somehow live the daily life without those you used to have. we were created to live in community.
a verse has come to mind over the last few weeks, a verse a dear friend posted on Ash Wednesday. Genesis 3:19b "...for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." dust symbolizes our mortality, sin, and the purification God makes for us.
how deep the Father's love for us,
how vast beyond all measure
that he should give his only Son
to make a wretch his treasure.
how great the pain of searing loss,
the Father turns his face away
as woulds which mar the Chosen One,
bring many sons to glory.
behold the Man upon a cross,
my sin upon his shoulders.
ashamed, I hear my mocking voice,
call out among the scoffers.
it was my sin that held Him there
until it was accomplished.
his dying breath has bought me life
I know that it is finished.
Stuart Townsend
but he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. -2 Corinthians 5:21
resting in hope and looking forward to the days of restoration.
i can't imagine losing a parent, much less both parents, though i am so keenly aware these days of how i need to start emotionally preparing for those days without them or others i share life with here on earth. i can't imagine trying so hard to hang onto memories, not wanting to lose a single one, all the while knowing how they haunt you.
a family close to us lost their mother to cancer and their father recently to an unexpected passing. they have no earthly parents. reality sits deep. what will the holidays look like? will their grand-kids really not know them? and how do you even begin to process through reality amongst all the logistics, funeral, sorting through memories stored at home, estate sale, finances, etc.?
family, in all its definitions, is a precious gift. thank you, Lord.
a verse has come to mind over the last few weeks, a verse a dear friend posted on Ash Wednesday. Genesis 3:19b "...for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." dust symbolizes our mortality, sin, and the purification God makes for us.
how deep the Father's love for us,
how vast beyond all measure
that he should give his only Son
to make a wretch his treasure.
how great the pain of searing loss,
the Father turns his face away
as woulds which mar the Chosen One,
bring many sons to glory.
behold the Man upon a cross,
my sin upon his shoulders.
ashamed, I hear my mocking voice,
call out among the scoffers.
it was my sin that held Him there
until it was accomplished.
his dying breath has bought me life
I know that it is finished.
Stuart Townsend
but he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. -2 Corinthians 5:21
resting in hope and looking forward to the days of restoration.
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