Author: A Lyricist of the Lord

This is my first post in a while so hello and welcome back or welcome for the first time to my blog. The content and style of this post are a bit different from the usual content that I like to present here but I pray that God would use my lacking words to encourage us all to seek salvation for the lives of the lost.

Praise be to you God, Lord of Hosts. You are sovereign above the heavens and the earth. You carry all creation in your mighty hand, Holy and perfect in all of your ways. God I pray that I would never forget the moment when I encountered the fullness of your tender love and shattering grace. You called my rebellious heart by name, through the deafness of my ears. You condemned my flesh to death and proclaimed your victory over my life.

You are my justifier, my Lord, and my greatest possession. As the waves of my wretchedness crashed against my fragile pride and vain heart, the light of your salvation and the shining radiance of Christ illuminated the path to life. Lord may these words be not my own but may I be but a humble mouthpiece to be used by your Holy Spirit. May I die so that you may be exalted, may your glorious name be magnified. Jesus, I love you, have your way in my life and may the delight we have in you exceed all things.
In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

Tonight was an opportunity graciously given to us by God to proclaim the truth of his Word and to share the love that we have in Christ. I am overwhelmed with joy and encouraged to know that God is doing incredible things through the Church here on our campus. God in his sovereignty has planted seeds in the hearts of those who still do not yet know his name. Let us contend for these seeds, that the lives of those who are lost would be regenerated and thus able to receive the fullness of the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ.

This post is less aimed at reviewing the events of today’s meeting to stand for life. I was not even there physically to be able to observe anything pertaining to it. I am certain many people within our Body here in Berkeley can give more elaborate descriptions of the latter discussions during tonight’s events so please feel free consult them. Additionally, I do not wish to create more discourse about political contentions that pervade our fragmented world. God may you have all justice and mercy. Therefore, I want to briefly address the matters in which many were involved and instead focus on how God moved my heart during the brief but striking comments made concerning SR 19/20-032. I hope that the we as the Church can praise God for his gracious outpouring of hearts to see salvation happen in our campus communities. Let us be stirred up to love, humility, and wisdom in all that we do for the name of Jesus.

I now briefly turn my attention to the part of the night where I was absent.

With wariness I say this:

I do not believe that this moment of standing together in representation of our Lord Jesus Christ was about us. In our world it is so easy for our hearts to be dismayed and troubled knowing that we are under attack. We are quick to feel victimized but persecution is promised for those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus. Cast your eyes away from these thoughts brothers and sisters. Beloved, I pray that we would all hold fast to the Word of God, its Truth, to know that we need not defend our reputations, but instead the integrity of the Gospel.

It is in moments like these where our hearts seek to justify ourselves, to explain, elaborate, and persuade. There are moments for that but remember that we can justify no one. God is our justifier, our refuge, and strength.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1 Peter 4:12-24

Now on to what God has put on my heart.

Candidly, I was only able to be present in the chambers of the ASUC Senate for less than ten minutes. Within that time, all I heard were the cries and pleas of two Palestinian students. However, ten minutes was more than enough time for my heart to ache and grow heavy with the weight of their dread. Each word they spoke was sharp and charged with a conviction founded in desperation. Each utterance echoed throughout the chamber as they emanated rage, c o n f u s i o n, fear, and broken/ness.
In a matter of seconds, the evil and the consequences of a world broken by sin became all too apparent.

Church, my heart could not help but splinter as a single thought continuously made its course in my mind.

Lord, they need you. Oh how desperately does this world need your love and grace... For they cannot escape their darkness.

Although the situation before these individuals and communities seem dire, I pray that we would not cast our gaze upon the turmoil and the agonies of the world without remembering the hope we have in Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you

1 Peter 1:3-4

Lord, I pray that we, your servants, would have compassion on those lost in the darkness. Let our hearts not grow mild to the saving power of your mighty Gospel. May our gentleness and love be found in your Holy Spirit so that we would not stand idle or unresponsive to your will.

These senators, staff members, students, and communities who do not know you are dead in their sins. Lord they are blind and cannot see you, they hear words but do not comprehend your majesty and holiness. Their hearts work in vain to satisfy and justify themselves before the eyes of man. The extent of your grace is like a seed that finds rocky soil in their hearts. Lord, may you till that soil into fertile ground. God have mercy on them. May your Church work diligently and lovingly to contend for these souls. These are men and women created in your image Lord. Yet, currently as they are, they are hopeless, they are drowning in the midst of the suffocating darkness, choking on the weight of their tribulations.

Lord, give us strength to minister to them with love that is patient and kind. Let the light of Christ pierce through the shadows enveloping their souls. May our own hearts be heavy with conviction from the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel and to remember the beauty of your resurrection. May we seek your glory, Christ, so that we can preach through praise of your Holy name.

My heart yearns for these people to come to know Christ. Only through Christ can they receive true peace, security, and hope. Church, let us not relent. We must continue to contend for these souls, let us intercede for them to repent and to declare Christ as Lord of their lives. For Christ did not relent when we were foreigners to his kingdom.

And if anyone who is directly involved in this dilemma is reading this post for whatever reason, I want to share the greatest gift I could possible offer to you. It is not any policy, promise, nor community that can grant you everlasting security or peace. You were born into this world as a sinner who is hostile to a Holy and Perfect God. A God who must punish sin with his justice and wrath. However, our debt against him was settled by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God. God sent his son down to the earth in his loving kindness as a part of his grand plan to save us, men and women made in his own image. Christ lived a perfect life as a man who walked upon the earth, the only man who did not sin against God. Therefore, when he was crucified in place of us, he became the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins. Through his death and resurrection, we are offered an opportunity to have a new life that we are able to live for the sake of God who saved us. This is a promise offered to you if you choose to repent of your sins and declare Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior. Salvation, eternal life with God, and full satisfaction through Christ. I implore you, turn away from the things of this world that cannot save you and instead turn toward the face of Christ who loves you and yearns for you. It’s not an easy or light commitment to make, but it has radically transformed my life in a manner I cannot describe in words alone. Jesus Christ is the greatest gift I have received in my life and I extend this gift to you in love. May Christ be exalted in all.

Lastly, I encourage y’all to read Zephaniah as it paints a beautiful image of God’s grand narrative for salvation through Christ. However, I isolate these verses in particular as I believe they shine light upon the hope that we can cling to for the sake of the lost. I pray the essence of these verses would be a prayer on our hearts for those we saw tonight in that chamber and elsewhere to receive.

⁹ “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples
    to a pure speech,
that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord
    and serve him with one accord.
¹⁰ From beyond the rivers of Cush
    my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
    shall bring my offering.

¹¹ “On that day you shall not be put to shame
    because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
    your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
    in my holy mountain.
¹² But I will leave in your midst
    a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
¹³     those who are left in Israel;
they shall do no injustice
    and speak no lies,
nor shall there be found in their mouth
    a deceitful tongue.
For they shall graze and lie down,
    and none shall make them afraid.”

Zephaniah 3:9-13

A drop of grace warrants a mountain of gratitude,

Still, as I give my all to return to the Lord what he has so graciously given to me,

Yet, I find that it is I who bring him a drop of gratitude as he once again bestows unto me a mountain of grace.
But that’s exactly how it should be as we are continuously encouraged and strengthened to multiply that drop of gratitude into a two.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God

Ephesians 2:8

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1John 4:8

DISCLAIMER: This post is definitely more on the wild, abstract side of things, so try to follow along if you can. Apologies in advance if it is utterly confusing, but admittedly it is somewhat meant to be read in such a way. Please enjoy.

I think it is really easy for me to conceive of the idea of love. It comes in so many forms and performs a vital function in literally every aspect of my life.
I love the fact that I have an opportunity to learn dead languages and study literature of antiquity.
I love people so much sometimes to the point where my heart aches and groans in their sorrows and celebrates in their triumphs and joy.
I love the Lord, but. I just. I can’t tell if I am loving him well.

But,

I am grateful that God is a father who loves his child dearly.
I am grateful that Christ is a lover who passionately yearns for our heart.
I am grateful that the Spirit is a helper and friend who comforts my soul.

Through these manifestations of God’s everlasting love for me, I am given guidance, a smile, and a heart that strives to love the Lord my God with everything I have to offer.

Here are some images that resonated with me and I hope they can encourage you as we all seek to better comprehend and immerse ourselves in the depths of his love.

The Summer Haze

The Father loves in this way:

As the haze of the blazing sun fills the sky seasoned with a pinch of blue and white wisp, the young child knows summer has arrived.
The gentle, warm breeze caresses his cheeks, and the prospects of a lazy summer day become brighter in his eyes.
His eager heart and widening smile gleam against the reflection of his damp face against the sliding glass door of the kitchen.
A crack, a thump, thump, thump, and a slurp follow from behind him and the child turns his head to find an isosceles of red, juicy goodness skirted by a pale green rind in front of his eyes.
His father carefully hands him a piece of the summer melon which he had already eaten two slices and chuckled as the child was overcome with bliss.
As the red fluid drooled from the side of his small mouth, the father wiped away the mess with a cloth, laughter filling the kitchen with every wipe.
The child’s glucose-filled glee continued as the father opened the roaring top compartment of the fridge and pulled out a box of popsicles.

A crinkle, a tear, and a lip-smacking pop followed.
The child’s orange stained lips radiated with joy and delight, nothing able to steal away the goodness of this momen…

A shatter, suspension, splat.

Beads of tears swell at the peripheries.
The mouth quivers and lips pucker.
But before a sound leaves his trembling nostrils,

A crinkle, a tear, and an endearing smile follow.
The father holds another to add now a red streak of color to his sugar painted lips and rustles his hand through the hair of the child.
He whispers, “It’s okay, there are plenty more”.
The child is stunned, overcome with gratitude, then turns its eyes to his new scarlet prize.
But before any lip-smacking pop, or a slurp, or a bite,
The child sets the popsicle on top of an old melon rind and collects the fallen chunks and pools of the orange along with its stick.
In shame and in naive hope that he could somehow put it back together again.
The father accepts the mess into his hands and proceeds to throw it away, saying once again, “Don’t worry dear child, it’s okay.”

The child relieved turns his attention back to his new juicy treat,
as the father delights observing his son.
While behind his back, he pulls out another popsicle in preparation for another fall.

The Tapestries of the Bazaar

Christ our lover loves in this way:

Just as in the densely packed streets of a town’s finest market, where merchants sell their most precious wares, where buyers seek the most valuable products,
a man with a heart to give comes with greater longing.

He wanders and peruses through the bazaar, finding little interest in the riches of the market,
None in the precious oils and fragrances imported from the corners of the world,
none in the well-spun linens, silks, or ropes,
none in the richly fattened cows, pigs, and sheep roaming around the venue,
none even in the jeweled, perfumed, veiled, enticing gazes of young maidens attempting to meet the eyes of the man.

His heart is empty, feeling defeated he relents in his pursuit, turning his face away from the market in hopes of returning home.
But as a gust of wind suddenly fills the empty chambers of an abandoned palace,
a simply dressed woman could not escape the notice of his glance as a gale of longing once again filled his yearning heart.
Her figure flickered into view behind a row of fluttering tapestries, each with a majestic image woven into its fabric.

She then vanished as if a phantom, a mirage, an unattainable wish.
The desire in the man’s heart grew, his yearning swelled, and his posture grew more frantic.

He rushes into the rows of tapestries, casting aside each one with his arms, hoping to reveal the presence of the woman cowering behind,
each extension of his arm was thrust with hope, fleeting anxiety, and determination,
met equally with disappointment, sighs, but an unbreakable will to continue the search.

She materializes back into view, holding back a smile, but with eyes of concern as if she had been caught in some wrongdoing.
The words seemingly escaping her gasping mouth,
I’m flattered but I cannot.

She runs again from his sight behind the cover of tapestries,
fleeing in fear of being brought before his gaze again.
I cannot, I truly, surely, verily I cannot.
Who am I that a man such as he should pursue me?

A tear drops from her cheek and wets the patterned texture of an adjacent tapestry,
a tear shed with regrettable delight, the fickle thought of something foolish, and an ember in her heart left singed.
The clamor and the clanging of the busy bazaar fills the air once again as all resumed as it should be.
The shouts of men bartering, the silly snickering of young men flirting with maidens, the bleeting of sheep, the mooing of cows, the snorting of pigs.
All was well again, as it should be.
The last row of tapestries appeared before the woman’s eyes and she breathed a sigh of relief, extinguishing the last remnants of any desire to be something more than she should be.
Until he appeared again.

You are everything to me.
Before my eyes the fixation of this heart,

The man’s eyes burned with a longing gaze.
His chest was heavy and lacking in breath,
his panting concealed only by his overwhelming sense of relief and joy.

The woman panicked, and she tried to flee again, dodging under the cover of a tapestry depicting a lion resting in the shallow grasses of what she thought to be the savanna.
Escaping beneath a scene of nobles feasting under some golden splendor of the sun and their wealth.
Cutting across the image of a garden kissed by moonlight.
Her own panting concealed only by the fear of being discovered.

A stillness followed.
The sound of an elongated gulp escaped her throat as she squeezed her eyes shut.
A rustle and an unspoken voice then present themselves attached to the embrace of his arms.

Why do you hide from me?
I am more courageous than any lion, blowing aside grasses with the thundering boom of my voice.
I possess a kingdom far surpassing the wealth and prestige of these men, where men feast eternally.
I am more gentle and tender than the caress of the moonlight upon the petals of the delicate lilies.
Do you not desire me as I desire you?

Yes I do.
Your gaze, your voice, your presence weakens my knees that I cannot stand.
But, I cannot. How could I ever b…

Because I love you, as a bridegroom eagerly awaits the arrival of his beloved,
I will chase you through every tapestry and silence all of your fears.
Any image you see with your eyes I will render lesser than I.

Then words,

“I have loved you first.”
“May the passion of my pursuit prove to you the extent of my love,
may my words not be empty, but take my hand and allow me to show you a life you never thought you deserved to live,
May every breathe be heard by my ears, every heartbeat felt by my hand,
may you not fear lest you reject this heart of mine,
I love you above all, so love me as you wish, my heart will ever be affectionately yours.”

She was unsure, hesitant, and still afraid, but the man extended his hand out to her and clasped his teeth, begging her to partake in a love story epitomized by a life of freedom, tender intimacy, and joy beyond belief.

She interwove her fingers between his and smiled as his embrace grew onto her.
This is love.

Counselor of the Lost

The Spirit loves us in this way:

Life

<Choices>
Stress, s t re s s, sTResS!
Where do I go, what do I say, how do I act?
Why don’t you try sitting still and just listen?

NO STOP IT, I can’t, it’s a waste, I just need a plan, I just need to know where to start…
Have you forgotten that it has already begun? Life does not pause itself for you alone.
Aren’t you supposed to be HELPING ME?!?!?!
Ughhh I’m so screwed, I can’t breathe, why is everything so dark? I CAN’T SEE……………………………

Do you need me?
Absolutely not.
I just, I need a break. I need some time away from everything.
NO NO NO WhaAAT am I SAyiNG?
See what did I say, you totally need m…
I need to keep working, if I stop now what was the point? I can’t quit. I can’t stop, I need this so bad. This is all on me.

Are you sure this is what you want?
Yes of course I know what I’m doing, why do you treat me like a child?
Because you’re precious to Him.
I’m too old for that now, I have to prove I was worth it.
No you do not. Sit still and relax.
Okay fine I’ll try it your way, for now, until things go wrong again.
*Repeat 10 times*
You know I don’t really understand what good this is doing me, why can’t I just do as I think is bes….
Shhh.
Okay okay I get it, we’ll do it your way.

Wow things are going well lately. I feel refreshed and able to do anything!
Great let’s get a little more into the flow of things shall we?
Yeah let’s do it! Wow thank you God for giving me the vision and knowledge to be able to comprehend this information. It’s astonishing how amazing you are.
You bet we’re the best. Appreciate it my guy. You look tired though, come and get some rest so you can get back at it tomorrow.
Alright fine sounds good, can’t wait to see how else the Lord blesses me today!
Good for you haha, I’ll have my eyes peeled for you in case you miss a detail or something.
Thanks man I appreciate it.
Shhh, get some rest.

She was so precious to me.
Me too.
How could she be gone so soon, she was so young…
I’m sorry. It might not seem like it but I understand.
But why, WHY, WHY WOULD HE TAKE HER? She did nothing wrong… Why? WHYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!
You can cry, you can mourn, but don’t dwell.
Why DO you ALWAYS try to micromanage me? Get OUT of my head, you are such a nuisance. OUT I SAY OUT!
Because I love you, I know what is best for you even if you are blind.
NO you just want to control me! LEAVE ME ALONE I DON’T NEED YOU.

who am i kidding. i need you so badly, i cant even make simple decisions without you. im so lonely. i never have anyone but you. please dont leave me. im sorry. please please dont leave me, i feel so afraid and lonely without you. i cant even ask for more of you, i havent given you enough yet. you wouldn’t want to do this for me for nothing, i get it. ill pay you back soon i promise. i just need to get myself together first. maybe if i um just…

Shhh, I’m still here buddy, I haven’t ever left. You will always be covered by my presence.

i am unworthy. im actually just the worst, youre better off with someone else. i have to fix myself first.

Why don’t we work on you together?
no please we cant. im too dirty, too broken.
I can heal you, I can comfort you, I can transform you.

I don’t know what that even looks like, but I guess we can try. Please I can’t do it alone though, help me.
I always have been.

So I have been wondering what sort of content I wanted to produce and share on this blog for a bit now and I think that I have come to a conclusion on what I seek to accomplish.
First, this blog is merely a grounds for me to express my thoughts as clearly but creatively as possible. This blog is a space for me to voice my findings as well as to revive my love for word-crafting.
Secondly, I would love to share some of the reflections and thought processes that run through my mind using a variety of literary methods.
DISCLAIMER: I have a tendency to ask myself questions that shake the core of my spirit.
Luckily they have a habit of producing beautifully crafted answers from the Lord that restore, reconfirm, restrengthen, and reestablish me.
With that said, let us begin:

I am covetous, I am possessive, and I am greedy for gain.

Yet, as awful as this sounds, I believe that this is a positive commonality that we all share collectively as members of humanity.
But this should especially be true for those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ.
We are called by God to yearn… to passionately desire… and to crave his presence with all of our hearts.
As John Piper said in a sermon podcast I listened to a year ago, the issue we face as Christians is less the fact that we desire too much, but rather more the fact that the desire of our hearts is lacking.

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

Philippians 3:7-8

I earnestly believe that the Word writes that we were created with the faculty to desire richly and the capacity to satiate the void in our hearts with the overwhelmingly sufficient love of Christ.
However, we often fail to desire this much. It is an arduous struggle for us to see past the material possessions of this world, past the recognition we crave, past the relationships we preciously hold.
We accuse ourselves of being too quickly and easily seized by the snare of desiring things when the reality is that we fail to ensnare ourselves in the greatest desire of all, to know and to love our Lord.

College, friendships, family, my lovely girlfriend, my talents and hobbies, my hopes and dreams, my life itself. All wonderful things that God has blessed me with in this lifetime. Still, all of these things are rubbish, trash, chaff blown away in the wind compared to the worth of catching a glimpse of Christ’s beautiful face.

For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Psalm 84:10

On this note I want to share with you some thoughts I had coming out of last Sunday’s sermon on the Holy Spirit, part of our new sermon series that we will be running through during the summer.
The portion that I was particularly focused on was the notion that the FRUIT of the Holy Spirit can be conceived of as a mark of spiritual maturity.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5:22-24

This is fantastic and a great way for us to keep tabs on how we are progressing in our walk with the Lord. Contrarily, for me, this signaled a moment of concern:

Is my walk with the Lord fixated more upon the obtainment of greater spiritual maturity than the enjoyment of the Lord himself?

This is a question that immediately made its impression in my mind and still yet remains resonating in my heart. I realized that I love the grace of God and his blessings, that I love the endowments of the Holy Spirit and his guiding hand. Yet, I realized that I did not love them less than I loved Christ himself, nor less than I loved the Spirit for who he is.

In fact, I was frustrated, aghast, and heartbroken that my desire to grow more spiritual mature had overcome the greater desire to love God with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind.

But God is faithful and more confident than I that I will find restoration and that the Spirit will lead me once again in my endeavor to walk upon the narrow path with Christ.
I have tremendous hope and joy knowing that he will sweep my tattered feet off my current, dusty ground and lay them down upon the solid ground of his courts once again.

“Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city.”

Psalm 31:21

Blessed be the Lord,
my shield against the countless flames of whistling arrows,
my blade which strikes with lethality,
As our walls crumble and crash we wallow,
we mourn,
we lose heart,
But like the dawn rising over the hilltops,
covering the sky in its golden raiment,
He first glances,
He w h i s p e r s,
He (embraces),
He consoles,
and with trembling might He roars

Our lives liken to city walls surrounded by the voracity of countless enemies. If we compare ourselves to the walls of Jerusalem which were the constant prey of neighboring nations, then we must conclude that we are not too far from the position of the Israelite.
The enemies of the Israel had many names:

• The Moabites
• The Ammonites
• The Philistines
• The Egyptians
• The Arameans

to name a few. We can continue to tell ourselves that we still face enemies with clear names and that we contend for the name of Christ. Yet, they also faced a set of inner enemies as well, things that we encounter more profoundly with every passing day:

• Anxiety
• Fear
• Slavery
• Vanity
• Oppression

Our enemies are many and we are in need of deliverance. But by the grace of God, we can have hope. In the midst of insurmountable odds, Zion stood tall against the timbers, the bronze, and the stones of its assailants. In obedience and under the banner of YHWH, the nation of Israel was able to proclaim the majesty, the glory, and the indomitable power of the Lord.

In the same way, we are not called to simply read the Truth and marvel at power of these repeated miracles alone. YES, let us lift our praises to the Lord, He who guards our hearts when our eyes are blind to the enemies threatening our peace and joy.
However, let us remember that we are called to follow suit, lest we forget and return to our misery and despair. Praise be to the Lord of hosts, He who shakes the ground and thunders in the heavens.

Let us have faith,
Let us admit that our walls are cracking and quaking in fear,
Let us not abandon hope of securing our walls,
Let us not forget the power of the Lord God Almighty to carry us through our battles,
You Lord have gone before us so that we can proclaim victory over
our fear, our AnXieTY, our slavery, our ~~~vanity~~~, and our [oppression].

You ARE love, you are security, you are our Master, you are our !boast!, and you are our f r e e d o m

Lastly, if we all liken to Jerusalem, then let us become a unified city.
As we shudder and open our eyes to find the aftermath of the Lord’s triumph, let us remember that because we are all Jerusalem, we must share this victory and joy with one another.
For there is blessing beyond measure for those who pray for the prosperity and peace of the Lord’s beloved.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you!”

Psalm 122:6

Sometimes my heart is stricken with grief or teeming with joy, desperately looking to relieve itself through speech. 

However, if that cannot be so, let it be by written word that I find my respite.

Just as the autumn foliage turns its shade, my fickle heart often turns its face away from what it seeks most. The path is winding and winding, but the house at the top of the ridge emanates its glorious worth.

Let me reach that summit with you Lord, one word at a time.