Are we to live as slaves to sin?
Or are we to stand up and fight like men?
To revolt against evil's hold
To be the one who breaks the mould
Generations of lust and greed
Are only symptoms of our greater need
For we fill our lives with worthless things
To fill that void instead of seeking the King
Turning our backs to love itself
Often times putting Jesus on the shelf
To pick him up when we so desire
We turn to him only when we wish to feel the fire
When we are cold and feel alone
We often forget the grace that we are shown
Satan sees opportunity and launches his attacks
He gives us false glimpses of what we truly lack
But why give in and lose this battle
Instead take heart and jump in the saddle
For every moment of every day
We can choose to live or decay
Because love was given on that cross
We can live eternally with our great boss
Are we to live as slaves to sin?
Or are we to stand up and fight like men?
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
From Notebook to Blog
I want to share two writings of mine with y'all. I keep about 98% of my writings to myself but sometimes I just get the urge to share some. Tonight, there were two. This first one I wrote while at Young Life's Rockbridge.
A battle is on
Here in this valley
As the heat and humidity bake
But the breeze of night cools
The crickets sing a song of peace
But peace is yet to be won here
For Love is pulling at hearts
But evil calls for the minds
Invisible to the naked eye
But visible in spirit
These beautiful grounds
On which joy is found
Is in the midst of war
For by faith we fight
By Love we live
Love and life is at stake
The lake and the trees see it all
But close your heart and miss everything
For this war is old
But this battle here is new
Some will prevail
Others will stumble
But this beautiful place
Will always be sacred
For here a battle is on
And the reward is eternal life
This next one was written a few days after I got home from that same trip. It was written with great memories and a joyous heart. It is for my Capernaum friends who showed me how to truly live life to the full.
Oh how memories keep me strong
A smile put on my face
Joy bounces in my heart
As thoughts wonder
Wonder to that week
Where Love was around us
Where simplicity reigned
Oh the laughter that was heard
The smiles that were seen
The patience of friends
The will to press on
Oh the safety of that place
No stares or ignorance
Just Love to be shared
My friends were who they are
Who they were made to be
Oh the courage they showed
As they lived life to the full
A special place
A special time
My soul longs to be back
But these memories will keep me strong
A battle is on
Here in this valley
As the heat and humidity bake
But the breeze of night cools
The crickets sing a song of peace
But peace is yet to be won here
For Love is pulling at hearts
But evil calls for the minds
Invisible to the naked eye
But visible in spirit
These beautiful grounds
On which joy is found
Is in the midst of war
For by faith we fight
By Love we live
Love and life is at stake
The lake and the trees see it all
But close your heart and miss everything
For this war is old
But this battle here is new
Some will prevail
Others will stumble
But this beautiful place
Will always be sacred
For here a battle is on
And the reward is eternal life
This next one was written a few days after I got home from that same trip. It was written with great memories and a joyous heart. It is for my Capernaum friends who showed me how to truly live life to the full.
Oh how memories keep me strong
A smile put on my face
Joy bounces in my heart
As thoughts wonder
Wonder to that week
Where Love was around us
Where simplicity reigned
Oh the laughter that was heard
The smiles that were seen
The patience of friends
The will to press on
Oh the safety of that place
No stares or ignorance
Just Love to be shared
My friends were who they are
Who they were made to be
Oh the courage they showed
As they lived life to the full
A special place
A special time
My soul longs to be back
But these memories will keep me strong
Monday, August 15, 2011
This is Life Lived
Waddle on over
Or wheel yourself up
Smile always there
Joke ready to be delivered
High pitch scream of joy
Laughter that pierces the air
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
No matter the task
He always can
Its the courage of a lion
But he is a lamb
Step out onto water
And he trusts in Him
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
Unique he is
Veggies eaten first
Broccoli dipped in honey mustard
Always a cup to spill
Room for one more pickle
But he would give the last
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
Strap on that harness
Don't tell him he can't
Step out on the wire
And trust the course
Tired and exhausted but undeterred
Until ground is reached with a smile
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
He may be done
Or yet still in line
But yelling encouragements
Whether friends or strangers
He waits to watch
Until they complete the task
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
The simplicity of his joy
A slide 25 times in a row
The last the same as the first
Flirting with the life guards
As he rides the lift
Don't dare ask him to take a rest
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
Sits in cabin time
Eager to share
Just a little bit about his Lord
Bible always opened
Won't sleep without a read
Every verse given much thought
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
He knows his disability
But trusts in God's design
Peace he has with it all
For he knows he is still loved
Wheel chair or not
He is still a light
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
Spend all week with him
Or pass by briefly
You will leave the same
A changed person
Because of my friend
And the life he lives
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
Or wheel yourself up
Smile always there
Joke ready to be delivered
High pitch scream of joy
Laughter that pierces the air
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
No matter the task
He always can
Its the courage of a lion
But he is a lamb
Step out onto water
And he trusts in Him
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
Unique he is
Veggies eaten first
Broccoli dipped in honey mustard
Always a cup to spill
Room for one more pickle
But he would give the last
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
Strap on that harness
Don't tell him he can't
Step out on the wire
And trust the course
Tired and exhausted but undeterred
Until ground is reached with a smile
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
He may be done
Or yet still in line
But yelling encouragements
Whether friends or strangers
He waits to watch
Until they complete the task
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
The simplicity of his joy
A slide 25 times in a row
The last the same as the first
Flirting with the life guards
As he rides the lift
Don't dare ask him to take a rest
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
Sits in cabin time
Eager to share
Just a little bit about his Lord
Bible always opened
Won't sleep without a read
Every verse given much thought
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
He knows his disability
But trusts in God's design
Peace he has with it all
For he knows he is still loved
Wheel chair or not
He is still a light
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
Spend all week with him
Or pass by briefly
You will leave the same
A changed person
Because of my friend
And the life he lives
This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend
Friday, August 12, 2011
A Little Thought
Galatians 1:10 reads "Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men I would not be a servant of Christ."
I read this while I was at YL camp as a leader. And I could hear God saying "Hey Opher, read that carefully. Paul brings up a good point. So, I want you to really think about why you are here at Rockbridge this week."
Oh, God knows how to call us out all right. But Paul is right with what he writes. Am I a YL leader so people will think I am a good person, or do I do YL Capernaum so people will think I have a "great heart"? (whatever that means) I feel I do most things for God but there are moments where I want that approval of men. I feel that we all have those moments. But Paul is saying here that the moment we start searching for the approval else where that we are not being the servant that Christ asks us to be. And yeah, its nice to know people are appreciative of what we are doing and it helps to keep us going. But we should not do things just to receive compliments or to be viewed in a certain light.
Just a thought I wanted to share.
Love y'all
Opher
I read this while I was at YL camp as a leader. And I could hear God saying "Hey Opher, read that carefully. Paul brings up a good point. So, I want you to really think about why you are here at Rockbridge this week."
Oh, God knows how to call us out all right. But Paul is right with what he writes. Am I a YL leader so people will think I am a good person, or do I do YL Capernaum so people will think I have a "great heart"? (whatever that means) I feel I do most things for God but there are moments where I want that approval of men. I feel that we all have those moments. But Paul is saying here that the moment we start searching for the approval else where that we are not being the servant that Christ asks us to be. And yeah, its nice to know people are appreciative of what we are doing and it helps to keep us going. But we should not do things just to receive compliments or to be viewed in a certain light.
Just a thought I wanted to share.
Love y'all
Opher
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Capernaum Ropes Course
I just got back from my second YL Capernaum trip of the summer and yet again it was simply amazing. I was constantly fighting back tears as I watched and hung out with all my new friends. I have shared in a previous post about my first Capernaum experience so for this post I wanted to focus on one story from the week. I could go on and on but I will hold back but feel free to ask me more about it. I will gladly share.
But I wanted to share how my friend Alex did the ropes course. Now, Alex cannot walk very well, his legs don't allow him to have great balance or stamina. He uses a walker for short walks and is in a wheel chair for longer distances. At camp he stayed in his chair because we were always on the move. So when he got to the ropes course the intern suggested that we put him in a special seat that would allow him to be pulled through a couple obstacles. Alex would have nothing of that. So I vouched for him and the intern agreed to allow us to try to get him through the whole course on his own. Now Alex will try anything and he will never take the easy way out and I loved that about him. So we got him up on the course and I went right in front of him staying within a few feet of him. And he beasted the course. Now, I don't like ropes courses, but keeping my eye on Alex kept my thoughts off of the fact that we were 40 feet up. Alex was scared but never vocalized it but instead focused on every step. He fell, a lot, but he always got back up, sometimes with assistance and sometimes without. About halfway through the course he was exhausted and so was I from the support I had to provide. The summer staff in the trees were great, always helping and doing everything they could to get him through. He kept fighting. On the last obstacle he had a lot of difficulty and I was struggling to get him through it. I couldn't keep my balance and I was tired as well. but we got him through it and to the end where he took the giant swing down.
Alex never gave up, never complained, and he exerted every last bit of energy. And he did it all with a smile. He did this with everything at camp. But the ropes course is a special memory for me. Not only did I witness Alex do something that some people doubted he could do, I witness kids with severe physical disabilities hoisted up and pulled through. And I could only think of the story where four friends carry their friend who was paralyzed on a mat to a roof then hoist him down in front of Jesus. They did everything they could to see there friend get to Jesus, and on this ropes course we did everything we could to get our friends through. And our friends trusted us with their lives, they trusted that we would keep them safe just as the paralyzed man did in his friends. And I can only assume that the friends lives' were never the same after they saw what Jesus did to there friend and I know I will never be the same after seeing Jesus through my Friend Alex on that ropes course.
"Be comfortable being uncomfortable"
Love Y'all
Opher
But I wanted to share how my friend Alex did the ropes course. Now, Alex cannot walk very well, his legs don't allow him to have great balance or stamina. He uses a walker for short walks and is in a wheel chair for longer distances. At camp he stayed in his chair because we were always on the move. So when he got to the ropes course the intern suggested that we put him in a special seat that would allow him to be pulled through a couple obstacles. Alex would have nothing of that. So I vouched for him and the intern agreed to allow us to try to get him through the whole course on his own. Now Alex will try anything and he will never take the easy way out and I loved that about him. So we got him up on the course and I went right in front of him staying within a few feet of him. And he beasted the course. Now, I don't like ropes courses, but keeping my eye on Alex kept my thoughts off of the fact that we were 40 feet up. Alex was scared but never vocalized it but instead focused on every step. He fell, a lot, but he always got back up, sometimes with assistance and sometimes without. About halfway through the course he was exhausted and so was I from the support I had to provide. The summer staff in the trees were great, always helping and doing everything they could to get him through. He kept fighting. On the last obstacle he had a lot of difficulty and I was struggling to get him through it. I couldn't keep my balance and I was tired as well. but we got him through it and to the end where he took the giant swing down.
Alex never gave up, never complained, and he exerted every last bit of energy. And he did it all with a smile. He did this with everything at camp. But the ropes course is a special memory for me. Not only did I witness Alex do something that some people doubted he could do, I witness kids with severe physical disabilities hoisted up and pulled through. And I could only think of the story where four friends carry their friend who was paralyzed on a mat to a roof then hoist him down in front of Jesus. They did everything they could to see there friend get to Jesus, and on this ropes course we did everything we could to get our friends through. And our friends trusted us with their lives, they trusted that we would keep them safe just as the paralyzed man did in his friends. And I can only assume that the friends lives' were never the same after they saw what Jesus did to there friend and I know I will never be the same after seeing Jesus through my Friend Alex on that ropes course.
"Be comfortable being uncomfortable"
Love Y'all
Opher
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