Sara Bareilles...

There's nothing more beautiful
Than a woman sitting at a piano,
Eyes closed, heart open,
Singing something unwritten on any sheet,
No care for those around, or not around,
Never minding that -- either way --
Just singing, playing, pure beauty.

Here she is free,
But not free from pain, just free.

Singing, playing, being.

There's nothing more beautiful than this.
Its brevity, gravity, levity.

Regretful Occurrence of Why You're Leaving...

I should have lived like I loved you.

When you told me we were through,

I  thought, "How can this be?"

Then the thought occurred to me...

"I wasn't there for you... ."

I should have lived like I loved you,

And maybe you wouldn't go.

I see you leaving and know

You're the wiser for it.

This occurrence is now my regret,

That I should have lived like I loved you.

REVOLVE! Student Ministry // Message // Let Your Dreams Die So You Can Live...

Emerge Bible Study Audio // April 29th, 2010 // McAlister's Deli

Correction to Blog Post, "Heed Wilkerson's Warning"...

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I blew it – but the warning still holds

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Posted: March 17, 2009
1:00 am Eastern
© 2010 
I blew it. I was wrong, and I'm sorry.
Despite the fact that multiple people told me they read about Times Square Church members making sandwiches prior to Sept. 11, 2001, in the Times Square Newsletter – and the fact that when a staff member of mine called the church he got someone who answered the phone who confirmed it, saying they knew "exactly" what we were talking about, that information was wrong.
There were sandwiches. There were lots of them. But they were not made prior to Sept. 11, according to the officials at Times Square Church I talked with Thursday (who were unavailable at my deadline last week). WND has already added an editor's correction to my column, but, while the sequence of the sandwiches was incorrect, the rest of the story was confirmed to be true.
I'm very sorry for the misinformation about the timing of the event. This is what their official spokesperson told a Faith2Action staff member when he called:

Beginning in July 2001, during one of the services, a strong presence of God came in and there were times of silence before the Lord ... times when the entire congregation was silent before the Lord. … They canceled the church's schedule of activities, and kept the regular services/sermons ... but it all changed into what they described as a heavy burden. They didn't know what was going to happen, but they knew NYC was in trouble, and that they needed to pray, and that's what they did.
The day the planes hit the towers, they knew that was what they were sensing, and they were quickly able to mobilize to help people. They grabbed supplies and vans and headed for the site. They made it past all of the check points, right to Ground Zero, where only the military and official emergency personnel were allowed to go. They were able to share the Gospel with many at the site including victims and rescue workers.

While many were still in shock, Times Square Church, because they were prepared, helped to coordinate those who wanted to help from around the world. According to the Oct. 29, 2001, Times Square Church Pulpit Series newsletter (World Challenge, Inc insert), Times Square Church Pastor Carter Conlon presented a check for $350,000 to the New York firefighters, and another check for $350,000 was given to the local police for the widows and children of 9/11.

I wish I could say that because I was wrong on the sandwiches detail the rest of Pastor David Wilkerson's warning was also invalid, but I don't believe that is the case. Please read below and come to your own conclusions.
I've attached the blog where Pastor Wilkerson's original warning of "an earth-shattering calamity … about to happen" was posted. Several other postings have been made since the March 7 warning I wrote about.
At the end of this column, I've included four links to sermons from Dr. Wilkerson, which I believe apply to where we are right now. This excerpt is from his Sept. 16, 2001, message entitled, "The Towers Have Fallen, but We Missed the Message":

I've sent you prophets and watchmen. You've been warned over and again. I prospered you above all nations. I endured your worship of gold and silver. I endured your shameless sensuality. I endured your mockery, your continuous shedding of innocent blood and murdering of babies. I've endured your timeless efforts to eradicate my name, even from your history books. Now I've stricken in hopes of saving you, that you would repent and turn from your wicked ways so that I could heal your land, and I will destroy your enemies.
Now folks, show me where that's not scriptural. Prove to me from God's word that He will not judge America as He's judged Sodom, Rome, Greece and now Russia.
I just returned from Russia a few months ago and walking through St. Petersburg and Moscow. I was shocked at the total depression. The average wage is $50 a month. Nothing but broken down infrastructures. Everywhere men are lying on the streets drunk on cheap vodka. Drug addicts everywhere now. Such devastation.
I broke down in front of the ministers and wept and wailed.
We met at a hockey arena in Moscow because they tried to rule God out of their society. They went down the same road we're going down and God said, "That's enough." Russia is under severe judgment. He's turned it into a Third World nation.
Here's the message from the prophet Ezekiel.
"Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby you have transgressed. Make you a new heart, a new spirit, for why would you die, O house of Israel? I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, says the Lord God. Wherefore turn yourselves and live."

I'm with you – I don't want a calamity to come. I don't want judgment to fall during my lifetime. I hate reading this stuff. But it's now coming from so many sources, so many watchmen on the wall, that we can no longer ignore it.
The only way I know to avoid it is to get on our knees and repent. To follow the checklist God gave us in 2 Chronicles 7:14: 1) humble, 2) pray, 3) seek God's face, and 4) turn from our wicked ways. If we don't follow that very clear warning directly from God Himself, I'm afraid that the calamity Wilkerson spoke of will, in fact, approach us quickly – regardless of when any sandwiches were made.

It's Always Been You...

I'd rather have you than a night without fears.
I'd rather have you than a life without tears.
I'd rather have you than a house on rolling hills.
I'd rather have you than a life without ills.
All things considered, I'd rather have you.

If I could climb to the top of Everest,
Or swim the English Channel, still you would be fairest.
If I could do anything available to a few,
All things considered, I'd rather have you.

I'd rather have you than no more worldly cares.
I'd rather have you than all of life's fares.
I'd rather have you than a field of wild flowers.
I'd rather have you than an Emperor's famed powers.
All things considered, I'd rather have you.

If I could reach up and hold the moon,
Or lasso a comet, or swim in a spoon,
All things considered, and a life lived full too,
I'd rather have you... It's always been you.

Hushed Hosannas...

"All-of-Creation" whispers that You are there.  She wishes to shout and to sing of Your abiding, but, at Your wish, is muted from crying out Your Glad Hosannas..., for You wish for those "Created-In-Your-Image" to do the singing.

Oh, how the Grasses and Trees wish to sing Your Name.  Roots long hidden under their Earthen beds long to burst forth from the ground and to stretch their vined, sinewy arms toward You in adoration; but they lie still for human arms to stretch jubilantly forth, which, fully, never come.

The Jay and Red bird sing morning songs of Your glory while men still sleep..., they are more rebellious in their worship, you know? But quieten at the stirring of Those awakening from sleep.  But, oh their song, if  not caged, were allowed to sing.  The Earth could not take upon its ears the sound of that feathered choir.  They were patterned after the worshiping Angles, but now, hushed from singing, are only allowed morning hums to You.

The Trees do stretch and sway and requested before You created man, and quieting them, if forever they might raise their hand-branches toward You.  You obliged them.

"All-of-Creation" now groans of the sin-pollution spilled upon its ever bowing Oceans.  The Sky burns with tears the wreckage man has made, seen upon her irises, for she beholds daily, mans' evil from every vantage point.

The Rocks once rebelled, or attempted to, against the Divine-Gag-Order when Your feet walked upon its Ground.  They would have cried aloud the glad Hosannas but "Born-of-Man" gave the stage to those "Made-in-His-Image," and on that day, man did sing.  They broke the arms of the Palms so man could worship You.  And the Palms made no complaint to be broken and trod upon by the One yet to be broken and trod upon.  On that day, the Palms got to sing hushed Hosannas that were drowned by the singing of men.  They were glad of their morning Opus unheard by any ear but Yours.

The Timbers, used for building houses occupied on Sundays, mourn for the song they hear coerced from man in ritual revels that fall flat under their rafters raised to Him.  They can't comprehend the blank stares forward and the in-jubilant manner in which "Those-Meant-to-Sing" drone on from habit and not from heart.

"All-of-Creation" mourns for the songs that are meant to be sang from those "In-His-Image" that are traded for silence and indifference while "All-of-Creation" bites its tongue.