Nothing More, Nothing Less

What happens when you refuse to live how others define you? When you don't just think outside the box but run as far and as fast from the box as you can?

I almost vomited a few months back when I heard someone's testimony in front of a church refer to a traumatic event in their life as a great experience they wouldn't give up because "now they've got a six shooter to witness with". And about how they've always wanted to share the gospel with others but how they never had a story to share... until now when they almost died but didn't, all so that they could finally tell the stranger on the plane about God's love for them.

Because that could be the only reason God spared their life that night...that they needed an exciting story.

The myth is still out there, that witnessing means having some great story to share...with near death, drugs, sex or rock and roll because somehow that validates your faith. Bull. The only validation faith needs is LOVE. Nothing more, nothing less. Love God, Love Others...live in such a manner and your faith has no need to be validated.

At Capernwray I started learning its not about me. Not a bit. It doesn't matter where I came from or where I'm going, what matters is Christ. Near death wasn't crushed beneath a truck's tire...near death was at birth...nay...birth was death! And the beauty of our testimony is that for some reason and by no merit of our own we were forgiven and given a new hope and a new way of life. A way of love and of beauty and of hope.

We follow Christ, that is our story, that is our "six shooter". Anything else is just a muted detail in the distance.

Wrestle.
An unexamined faith is no faith at all.

Kid singing Britney Spears scared to death by his mom

A pretty good laugh, watch the whole thing : )

We Have Not Know Thee As We Ought

By Thomas Pollack

We have not known Thee as we ought,
Nor learned Thy wisdom, grace and power;
The things of earth have filled our thought,
And trifles of the passing hour.

Lord, give us light Thy truth to see,
And make us wise in knowing Thee.
We have not feared Thee as we ought,
Nor bowed beneath Thine awful eye,
Nor guarded deed and word and thought,
Remembering that God was nigh.

Lord, give us faith to know Thee near,
And grant the grace of holy fear.
We have not loved Thee as we ought,
Nor cared that we are loved by Thee;
Thy presence we have coldly sought,
And feebly longed Thy face to see.

Lord, give a pure and loving heart
To feel and know the love Thou art.
We have not served Thee as we ought,
Alas, the duties left undone,
The work with little fervor wrought,
The battles lost or scarcely won!

Lord, give the zeal, and give the might,
For Thee to toil, for Thee to fight.
When shall we know Thee as we ought,
And fear and love and serve aright?
When shall we, out of trial brought,
Be perfect in the land of light?

Lord, may we day by day prepare
To see Thy face and serve Thee there.