Prayer

I have just discovered something about myself. Songs are the best way for me to pray.

I have never been good at praying. Never been diligent enough, never focused enough, never delighted in it. Which, is pretty stupid because prayer is direct access to the God of the universe. That's a fairly precious thing. But I could never figure out how to pray in a way where I actually felt like I was talking to God and he was listening and speaking back. But I just had an epiphany (or apostrophe)... songs are the way.

I love how songs can say the very thing your heart is longing to say, and in such a poetic way. If eyes are the windows to your soul, then songs are the voice of your soul. They say what you can't say, they say what you need to hear the best.

So I listened to a song tonight, and while I sang along I instantly began to pray it to God. And I have not prayed to God like that in a long time. Every word I prayed earnestly, I could feel God nodding and smiling. It was beautiful.

Take a listen. Pray these words.



Does not your heart soar within you? Be thou my great Father, and I thy true son...

Scars & Promises

I've been thinking about changing the name of my blog since I started it. Oak like Faith seemed at the time like an admirable goal, but is becoming more and more out of reach. More a stumbling block than an objective.

So I've spent the last couple months thinking, and praying, over a new name. After a lot of debate, it came down to Scars & Promises. These two things I'm familiar with. These two things have made me who I am.

I wanted the title to speak of brokenness. I've found that brokenness is a staple of humanity. Every person I've met is broken. I learned this especially in college, meeting friends who would slowly show me their scars. Brokenness, is a fact of life, and something that I see glaring in myself. But as I grow, the scars heal it.

I love scars. I don't see them as mars of people's flesh, I see stories. Something extreme had to have happen to maim a person to the point where they can't go back to the way they were. That scar means something, its important. And for Christians, scars can be testaments to how God has worked in their lives. Scars can be a door to show others what God is capable of.

This weekend I was on an Emmaus walk, and it was amazing. The stuff God did, the lives that were moved, the hearts that were opened, the scars that were healed. It was spectacular. God worked on the pilgrims over the weekend, and yesterday, he worked on me. It felt like I had a roto rooter taken to my soul. And God pointed out several places where I was still broken, and in need of a scar.

Which is the rest of the title, the Promises. God may use the hard things of life to make us better, but he never allows a trial without the promise of something better to come. I really have to cling to this because I tend to convince myself that the better things will never come. But God says its different. I will have purpose, I will impact the world, I will have close friends, I will have my own family, I will make God proud.

At times like this, when the Scars are more apparent, I look to the Promises to keep me going on.

The Best Time of the Year

This is my favorite time of the year.
I submit, the best time of the year. I call them, the Bers.
There are four Bers and they grow in increasing amounts of wonderful as time goes by.


First is Septem. This is such a glorious Ber. It may be the best. Summer has just lost its hold on the world, leaving the weather cool enough to go outside without melting into a puddle, but not so cold you need to wear warm clothes. Septem is the herald of the best season, Autumn. It ushers in the leaves, the cloudy skies, the festivals. And there are a few important birthdays in this Ber.


Second is Octo. Octo is when Autumn really sets itself up over the world. It brings the leaves into their vibrant splendor, revealing the uniqueness of each leaf that had been hidden under the ubiquitous green all Summer. Forests blaze like fire, as if to ward off the coming cold of Winter. Corn fields turn to seas of gold, with the promise of the bounty after a long season of work. Festivals pop up in every other small town, with parades, hot cider, fried carnival food, and fun. And most especially, Autumn's greatest attribute starts springing up all over: Pumpkins. One of God's greatest creations. Their homey look, their warm color, their artistic capabilities, and, of course, their endless possibilities of tasty food.


Third is Novem. Novem is the last Ber of Autumn's rule. So it is beautiful, and a little sad. The ruckus of Halloween has passed leaving only the good bits of Autumn left; harvest, bonfires, togetherness. The leaves have passed their splendor on, leaving it on the ground declaring Winter's coming, but giving people that satisfying swish as they walk through them. And it is officially the time for hearty food. Stews, chili, cornbread, pumpkin pie, hot chocolate. A perfect opportunity presents itself in Novem to celebrate these foods with the great holiday of Thanksgiving. A time for families to come together to celebrate all that they have by sharing as much of the harvest bounty with each other. Such a great Ber.

There is a magic in Autumn. A smell in the air, a feel in the sky. Its like no other time, a specific flavor to the world that God gives for a short while. Autumn gives you a feeling for how wild the world is, as the clouds churn gray and the wind whips through the leaves. It creates excitement and possibilities of places to discover amid the forests and back roads. But it also gives a feeling of home. The cool weather bundles you up, inspires you to gather with others. The warm colors make you want to build a fire and spend the night talking with loved ones. It calls people to come home. Nothing will ever be like Autumn, it is a magical, magical season. And one that reminds us how alive the world is, and how very abundant it can be.


The last Ber is Decem, the herald of Winter. Although it takes away the magic of Autumn, it replaces it with a magic of its own: Christmas. Christmas takes the homey feeling of Autumn and culminates it in a time of true family gathering. There's no place like home for Christmas. The fresh snow is exciting and clean, it blankets the world as if to say, "Let's start over again." Because its been gone for so long you don't even mind the cold it brings. Instead, snowmen ideas start popping up in your head, the urge to sled down the steepest hill takes over. Cookies, cakes, hot meats, come into every meal. The lights, the singing, the charity, the love all take over the Ber, leaving nothing but goodwill.

But Decem holds a higher honor than all of that. It has one of the most sacred holidays in existence. Decem gets to celebrate the time when a beyond loving God placed himself into our world, to show how much he cared. A God who decided to forfeit his life in order to save his creation. Decem is quite a holy Ber, and from this holiday springs forth all the joy and love and comfort that Christmas holds. It truly is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

And those are the Bers. The magic of Autumn, the honor of Christmas. I am going to cherish every second of this year's Bers.

I hope you'll do the same.