Thanks for a good run, bud.

But there are poems

Toil, monotony, and change

From GraceDC, full blog here

Sin wears things down until they die. Recently my mother discovered some pictures from my 20th high school reunion. As we flipped through the photos, I was startled by the appearance of my aging friends. “Look at him,” I said. “He looks, well, older.” 

“What do you think you look like?” my mother replied.

Sin also produces “toil,” that continual labor against thorns and thistles. In Genesis 3 the Lord tells Adam, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” With those words he pronounces both the struggle (sweat) and monotony of life (till you return).

Struggle plus monotony equals toil, and “Monday Morning” has come to denote much of this feeling of toil. Words like “drudgery” and “daily grind” come to mind—“same ole’, same ole’”: We sit in the same traffic, drink from the same mug, pass the same scenery, listen to same the songs. We glance at the people beside us and see it in their faces, too. All of us have felt something of the experience Bill Murray so well depicts in Groundhog Day and Lost in Translation. There is little new... 

 

The Bible teaches that the final renovation of all things will be the completion of a work that is already in progress, a work that was initiated by Jesus’ resurrection. As one theologian put it, Jesus’ resurrection sent a “shockwave” of new life into the world. Sunday morning has extended its daylight into Monday morning, and beyond. Although we are not immune from toil, the resurrection of Jesus causes us to toil differently. We now toil with expectation, because the same power which exploded death is living in you.

When Scripture seems silent, Suffering

A helpful resource for understanding the promise that God has given us "all things pertaining to life and godliness."

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence..." (2 Peter 1:3)

When Scripture seems silent, Edward T Welch

Scripture is crammed with the words of God that know and guide us. The dilemma is this. If we poll Bible readers about the great themes in Scripture, the first answer most would give is that we are sinners who find forgiveness of sins in Jesus. This, certainly, is the grand theme, but if this is our only way to access Scripture, our care of others will consist of waiting to politely identify sin. Instead, we want to handle Scripture in such a way that it reaches farther and deeper than any mere human form of help.

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Ten things to do during suffering, Edward T Welch

1. Don’t be surprised by suffering (1 Pet. 4:12). The Son suffered, so do those who follow the Son. You will not be spared the sufferings that the world experiences, but you will participate in them, both for the world’s benefit and your own.
2. Live by faith, see the unseen (Heb. 2:2). Normal eyesight is not enough. Your eyes will tell you that God is far away and silent. The truth is that he is close—invisible—but close. He has a unique affection for fellow sufferers. So get help to build up your spiritual vision. Search Scripture. Enlist others to help, to pray, to remind you of the Truth. Ask the God of comfort to comfort you.
3. Suffering will reveal what is really in your heart. It will test you (Jam. 1:2). Where do you turn when tested? Do you turn toward Jesus or turn inward?
4. God is God, you are not (Job 38-42). This is important. Humility and submission before the King can quiet some of your questions.
5. Confess sin. There is nothing new here; it is a regular feature of daily life. Yet it always helps you to see the cross of Jesus more clearly. It is the quickest way to see the persistent and lavish love of God (Heb. 12).
6. Keep an eye out in Scripture for the Suffering Servant. He has entered into your suffering, and you can enter into his. (Isaiah 39-53, John 10-21)
7. Speak honestly and often to the Lord. This is critical. Just speak, groan, have someone read you a psalm and say a weak, “Amen.”
8. Expect to get to know God better while in this wilderness. That is how he usually works with his people (Phil. 3:10-11).
9. Talk to those who have suffered, read their books, listen to them. You are not alone. Insist on being moved with compassion as you hear other stories of suffering.
10. Look ahead. We need spiritual vision for what is happening now and for where the universe is heading. We are on a pilgrimage that ends at the temple of God (Ps. 84).

Resources for a wondering soul

Some cool things to consider enjoying during Lent:

• A helpful article from The Gospel Coalition, Why bother with Lent?
• Matt Perman's new book on gospel-centered productivity, Whats Best Next - How the gospel transforms the way you get things done
• Page CXVI's new album, Lent to Maundy Thursday. Album's only $7 on iTunes, and their group's artistry is definitely worth supporting.
  My favorite track on the album "I love the Lord" below.

Words.

Some of my favorite verses beautifully depicted. Courtesy of Faithlife Women

See

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

1 John 3:1-2, ESV

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From "What does it mean to be human?," a talk given by Ravi Zacharias (Part 1, Part 2)

The Canadian writer Douglas Coupland has a book called Life after God. He's a Gen X-er, and he wanted to abandon God and decided he would. But at the end he said, "I have come to the conclusion that I need God. I don't know how but I need him." 

At one point he tells a story of him walking through a botanical garden and he heard some voices. He saw a group of blind women who were out for the day in a botanical garden. All of a sudden one of the them said, "Am I hearing somebody here?" 

He said, "Yes, ma'am, but it's alright I'm just walking by."
She says "Sir, would you do us a favor?"
He says, "Yes."
"Would you take a photograph of us?"
And for a moment, he put his head back and thought to himself, "Is this a joke or what?"

One woman rummages in her purse, takes her camera, and gives it to him and they all come next to each other, positioning themselves and he helps them. He takes that photograph and walks away scratching his head, "What was that about?"

Do you know what it's about? They're probably going to take that picture to get it developed, and they'd show it to somebody with eyes. That somebody with eyes will tell them what they were wearing and what they looked like, because they themselves will remember what they felt and who they were with.

I am convinced when we stand face to face with God and look at this world through his eyes, it'll all make sense. He'll tell us what we look like, and the reflection will be glorious –that he made us in his own image. And we'll remember what we felt and who we were with, and finally it will all come together.