As we grow older
The world becomes stranger, the pattern more complicated
Of dead and living. Not the intense moment
Isolated, with no before and after,
But a lifetime burning in every moment
And not the lifetime of one man only
But of old stones that cannot be deciphered.
T. S. Eliot: "East Coker"
They say....
"The grave is cold."
I know this is true. I have been sent down to abide in it. I have felt its chill winds wrap my bones.
They say...
"There is life after death."
I know that is true because I have felt, faintly, far off, and long away, the warmth of that refiner's fire. And I was returned to this life by some power beyond my ken. Before death I was a man of doubts and denials. I was proud of my "tough minded" philosophy. Then I dropped down into the dark and, through grace and grace alone, was returned to light.
And now, every day, in the cashier's line at the store, or stalled in traffic, or simply walking to corner in the skyfall of sunlight, I see the inscape of His power in all things, in all faces, as if the vision of the elder prophets was given to me in the most mundane moments.
"Here I stand. I can do no other"
Posted by gerardvanderleun at January 4, 2015 8:34 AM
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also." John 14:18-19
It is the great comfort of my heart, knowing, seeing, feeling the Love of God, bathing each day in the River of Grace that flows from His heart to ours. And knowing that the river flows through death and onto new lands, green fields and blue skies where we will walk under the sun of His Love. Yes, it is the great comfort of my heart, this Blessed Hope...
Posted by: Kurt Miller at January 4, 2015 11:37 AMGerard, it is true. Those of us who have been to the edge of the abyss, teetering along its edge, and have returned to speak of it, we know what was, what is and what will be.
No one else can tell of it save those that have smelled the sulfur breath of Satan or felt the darkness so heavy that it weighed on their shoulders as a cloak of dead things.
I crawled on a narrow path; faint almost unheard sounds of children laughing and music playing on one side, the moans and tortured wailing of the lost on the other side — at once beckoning and yet warning me away from the Place of Darkness.
To stay on the path and turn toward the light was my trial, ten days until the Light claimed me.
Perfectly rendered ... truly perfect.
Posted by: DeAnn at January 4, 2015 12:13 PMHow amazing, I have traveled the same winding road to the Lord. I was very ill with depression and am convinced that The Lord saved me from my final downward spiral. He chose the local church on the hill. A Fundamental Christian route was a path I would never have taken on my own. Their songs of praise don't even come close to the pomp of a high mass in the Catholic church. However, these songs do allow me to join in the worship of Our Lord with a choir that is as large as the church. I am thankful every day to be able to sing songs such as this one, to my savior.
Posted by: Joanne at January 4, 2015 1:11 PMWe sing this in our Anglican Church. The richness of the rite, the ancient mystery of the communion sacrament, the joy of singing together; it's all good.
Posted by: Joan of Argghh! at January 4, 2015 2:10 PMYou and John C. Wright ought to talk.
Posted by: Jewel at January 4, 2015 6:54 PMGrace, yes.
My teenage daughter came home one day and asked why we did not attend church as a family. Having been raised in a Christian home in the 50's, having my mind blown in the 60's, and having developed my own crafted (nativeAm./Buddhist/Hindu/new-age Christian) philosophy, I was shocked when I suggested we owe it to her to check out local churches. We got as far as the little Baptist church on the hill in a small Ca. mountain community and, wham! For the next three weeks I sat there with tears in my eyes...I was home. It wasn't near death, but it was all grace.
True Grace that alone redeems a soul. And not the manufactured works of sinful man and woman to get to that eternity which cannot be reached except through True Grace. Unmerited favor ... the unearned gift. Yes!
Posted by: PithyMe at January 4, 2015 9:59 PMPeople of Faith have a logical idea of what Life is all about.
Doesn't matter which denomination or spiritual discipline, long as there is a belief in one true God.
People of Faith are more positive and generally have a strong set of morals and a functional social dynamic.
The kind of people you want to live next to, do business with, introduce to your family, entrust with your life if need be.
People of Faith have a good "come-from".
In my late fifties, brought up hard lefty/Quaker, then drugs, cults, drink. Atheism and anger. More of the same, now the advanced program. 2011, a distant church bell becomes noticeable, a terrifying flashback from 1968 shakes me to my core. I feel something pull me back from the abyss, from the demon opiates that almost stopped me cold, literally and figuratively. I walk through a door on the anniversary of that terrible day ten years earlier. A welcoming handshake, tears. Saved. Grace.
Posted by: Will at January 5, 2015 9:43 AMAmen.
Posted by: Fat Man at January 5, 2015 9:50 PMWill: Gotcha. Been there. 28 years, me.
One day at a time.
The bad days I have now are better than the good days I used to have.
Gerard, can't thank you enough for posting the Hillsong United video.
Been trying to learn it, with some success so far, and am hoping to play it in a small church here in SW VA. A great song. Hugely inspirational.
Some of the best musicianship heard nowadays can be found in contemporary Christian music. Hillsong is testament to that. I'm still getting chills.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuX9oTGBCw8
Don't mean to threadjack, but in keeping with the theme, I saw this stunner and thought of you/us and wanted to share it. As brinster said, some of the best is coming from above.
Posted by: Will at January 7, 2015 12:54 PM
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