Up the Sunbeam

 -- "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet." William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2) "Stories are able to help us to become more whole, to become Named. And Naming is one of the impulses behind all art; to give a name to the cosmos we see despite all the chaos." Madeleine L'Engle , Walking On Water   What does it mean to be Named?  Have you ever thought about what your Name is?  I don't necessarily mean the one your parents gave you, but the Name that is you? I've been thinking about it a lot. God loves names.  He has always set great importance on names, from teaching us how to revere His Name, to the curious way He has of changing a name to reflect His transformation of the person who wears it.  We are told that at the Name of Jesus Christ, one day, every knee will bow to His authority--that's a powerful Name!  God graciously reveals His personality and c

-- "Waiting impatiently for entrance, the boy glanced up at the arch. Words were chiseled in the old, moss covered stones:    WELCOME ALL WHO HUNT.  . . . And so the boy escaped from the perilous Enchanted City because he was a hunter at heart and hunters always find more than they know. " Tales of the Kingdom by David & Karen Mains I wish I'd written that last line. "he was a hunter at heart and hunters always find more than they know. " It rings a beautiful, crystal clear bell in my heart.  Like a tuning fork sounding the note you should tune to, a note you recognize, this resonates with the ring of truth.  So where have I heard that before . . .   Ah yes, I remember, it was my Jesus who said, "For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11:10 NIV Was Jesus saying that every door we knock on will be opened?  I think that would be answered with a resounding "NO!"  

-- Brick by painstaking brick . . . that is how a brick building is built.  With great care and precision, following the exact design of the architect, the mason lays each brick, one at a time, to form the interlocking strength of the wall. Character is built like that.      Experience by experience,      trial by trial,      triumph by triumph,      challenge met by challenge met! Our strength of character is built one brick at a time, under the skilled handiwork of an Artist Builder.  He is both Architect and Bricklayer, Designer and Laborer, Owner . . . and Resident . . . and Cornerstone of the character edifice He builds in us.  He is a Master Craftsman who takes great joy in creating lasting beauty out of mere bricks and mortar, the stuff of this earth-y life.  His is a labor of love, and He has chosen us to be His life's work, His monument, His glory. I write of the God in Whose image we exist . . .               the God who wore our skin . . .               the

-- I find myself feeling rusty at the keyboard, out of practice, unsure if I still know how . . . wondering many things I don't want to give words to for fear of sounding pathetic.  But the truth I am wrestling with will not let me leave it at that!  I am made for more than self-doubt and fear of failure--both are born of pride and neither is at home in the heart of anyone who is both image-bearer and daughter of the one true God. Esther and Isaiah are on my mind as I write.  Esther, an ordinary Jewish girl suddenly found herself in the palace of a foreign king, about to be his new queen.  She believed Mordecai when he told her she was made "for such a time as this." (Esther 4:14 NIV) She risked everything to save her people, and DID.  Isaiah the prophet found himself face to face with the pre-incarnate Christ, and said "Here am I, send me." (Isaiah 6:8 NIV)   The mind-blower is that Isaiah didn't even know what the mission was when he committed himself