Nameless, Faceless Love


Venturing out from behind our Four Walls to a place at first unfamiliar to us, we found our Saviour waiting among the lost, inviting us to join Him in the Journey.
We offer no names and no faces.
Only His.
Nameless, Faceless Love.



Nameless, Faceless Love's authors live on every populated continent of the world, remaining nameless and faceless so that God might receive any and all of the glory.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

The Meeting

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Most companies have a weekly meeting. During these meetings, many things are discussed - past, present and future - and many decisions are made that impact both the company and the individuals that make up that company.

These meetings are very important, but no one in their right mind would say that the most important part of the business for IBM, or Microsoft, or McDonald’s was their weekly meetings. That’s ridiculous.

We all know that the most important part of the business for these and all businesses is the development and stewardship of a unique, impacting relationship with their customers.

And yet.......

The Church at large in the Western World today lives as though the weekly meeting is the center of what we do and who we are. The weekly meeting remains the focal point of many of our Western churches today, be they institutional, house church or para-church in nature.

One of the most important, life-changing revelations to the existing Church and new believers alike is the understanding that the most important part of being the Church is daily living out the development and stewardship of unique, impacting relationships with first, the lost, and then other believers. The weekly meetings are important, but they are not meant to be the centerpiece that many of us have made them out to be.

There are many of God’s children who are “missing.” Some are “unsaved,” some are “saved” and wandering, and some are “saved” and wondering. But none of them are truly searching high and low for a really good weekly meeting. None of them think that, if they could just find a really good weekly meeting, the mysterious longing within them for closeness with God would disappear.

They may not know what they’re looking for, but it’s not a meeting. What God’s missing children need is a unique, impacting daily relationship with God and His people. Then and only then will the weekly meeting begin to serve its proper, God-intended purpose in their, and our lives.

Tonight, my family and I will have dinner and spend the evening with a family whom we have recently met. We did not meet them "at church." We met them where Jesus met people - as He lived out His faith in His life. On hillsides, on beaches, on roadsides, in marketplaces, in sinner's homes, Jesus simply lived out His life of faith, and God drew men unto Himself through that simple, transparent, faithful life of Christ.

Tonight, my family and I will have dinner and spend the evening with a family whom we have recently met. We love them. They are special to us. When tonight is done, we will have broken bread, fellowshipped, prayed and received teaching. When tonight is done, we will have invested precious time and will have even then begun to reap precious returns on the development and stewardship of a unique, impacting relationship between our families and our God.

And soon, our two families will come together in a weekly meeting with other families with whom we also are developing and stewarding unique, impacting relationships.

God, Christ, Christianity, evangelism, faith and life are not necessarily as we have been told. They are as God’s Word describes them, and are a stunningly beautiful thing to experience.

Weekly meetings have an importance, but the only place we will experience a life of wholeness is in a daily, growing relationship with God, the lost, and God's children.

Some of My children are missing. Go and find them. I will lead you.”

More to come......


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Friday, December 15, 2006

I Will Take You Places Where Only I Can Deliver You

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As I was praying one day within the first year of my salvation, the Lord led me to look at a map of the state where we then lived, California. He drew my eyes to a valley in the center of the state, and a road running through the length of it. “On your next day off together”, the Lord said, “take your wife and drive that valley."

Well, the starting point was nearly 2 hours from our house, and I realized that this trip would take up the better part of a day. But I was learning that the Lord knew best, and I was learning to trust Him in everything.

Taking that “road trip” that day opened up a whole new part of life to my wife and me. By the time the Lord had called us to minister in another state, we had driven nearly every county, state and federal road from San Francisco down to the Mexican border.

There were days when we would leave at 7 or 8 am, returning at 9 or 10 pm, having traveled 1000 miles. That might sound odd, but you must understand that it wasn’t the destination that mattered. On every journey, we spent that time talking and praying and listening to Bible teaching tapes and holding hands and silently gazing at the splendor of God’s creation. It was a most wonderful revelation of God’s love for us, and between us.

On one specific journey, we traveled to Northern California, aiming to visit a very remote state beach that could only be accessed by driving a steep dirt road over a ring of high hills surrounding the beach.

As we reached Central California, it began to rain rather heavily, but it had subsided by the time we’d reached Northern California and neared the road to beach.

In the last 30 minutes or so before we reached the road, we were spending time in prayer and the Lord kept saying to us, “I will take you places where only I can deliver you." Over and over He said it; “I will take you places where only I can deliver you."

It was comforting, while at the same time a bit unsettling, as you might understand. :-)

We finished praying, and shortly thereafter reached the base of the first hill surrounding the beach. A very steep dirt road proceeded almost straight up the hill. The road looked a bit damp but very drivable and so we proceeded.

About halfway up the first hill, however, the tires of our car instantaneously went into a wild spin. The top 6 - 12 inches of the dirt road, though it looked safe, was actually begin to mudslide because of the heavy rains.

Our car began to slide backward down the hill with no ability to control its direction. After about 30 feet we stopped, thankfully, about 10 feet short of a perilous drop off a steep, unrailed cliff.

We sat for a moment and I looked out of my drivers-side window to see that our tires were caked with about six inches of mud all the way around, and were traction-less as a result.

I surveyed the situation, asked the Lord what to do, and then proceeded to try to drive forward to get farther away from the cliff. It worked, but too well. Unable to stop in time, our front wheels became engulfed in mud on the inside edge of the road next to the upward cliff face on our left.

When I looked out my window again, I saw that the front left tire of our front-wheel drive vehicle was about 75% submerged in the mud. At that point I uttered the words that I immediately regretted saying. “Well, honey, I don’t know........”.

You see, I should have been the bastion of faith, letting my wife know that everything would be alright no matter what. I should have been assuring her that God was watching over us. But as I gazed at the submerged tire instead of gazing into His face, I spoke what I saw. I could have done it and spoken it the other way, and immediately wished that I had.

I recovered just as quickly, however. I asked the Lord what to do, and He told me to turn my wheels so that I would back up right next to the edge of the cliff. I told my wife that we were driving out of there, and not to worry, because the Lord was with us.

I applied the gas and the tires just spun. I quickly realized that I would have to gun the engine to get the tire speed necessary to dislodge the tires from the mud. It that also meant that we would be coming out of that ditch at a higher rate of speed, and we had already stopped just short the cliff when we were trying to stop. :-)

I was aware of those concerns, but at the same time all of those "facts" really didn't matter, you know? You see, the Lord said to do it, and - with my confidence restored by His grace and mercy - I did what He said. I gunned the engine of the car. The tires came out and we lurched backward toward the cliff, stopping - again - 10 feet short of the edge. I was able to then turn the wheels downward on the road and slowly, gingerly, sliding all the way on our mud-caked tires, we drove down to the asphalt road at the base of the hill.

After we had reached the asphalt road, I spun the tires a few times to remove the sticky mud from them, and then we just stopped in the middle of that remote road, put the car in park, closed our eyes, and prayed.

As we thanked Him with all of our hearts for saving our lives, He said it again.

“I will take you places where only I can deliver you."

And it all made sense.

Sure, most of us would never sign up for most of the “harrowing” adventures we’ll have on the journey of ministering in this life for Christ. But we rarely know they’re coming. Sometimes, like this time, they happen when you’re doing exactly what the Lord called you to do.

So the important thing is not so much "what happens to us," but rather the fact that God has planted deep within our hearts the understanding that “I will take you places where only I can deliver you."

Then, imperceptibly and sometimes unbeknownst to us, that understanding comes forth from our Spirits and leads us to listen to God as He brings us out of the lion’s den, out of the fiery furnace, out of the prison house, and even down from a slippery, muddy hill to safety.

“Oh, if this were only a one-time experience, a lesson learned in full in one sitting," our flesh cries out. But our Spirit knows better.

Pure trust, pure faith and pure intimacy only happens in lions’ dens, in fiery furnaces, in prison houses, and on slippery hills. The opportunities to experience Him in this way will be presented to us again and again, and we will experience it if we can only turn our eyes from our own mud-caked tires to His glorious face.

Pure trust, pure faith and pure intimacy only happens “in places where only I can deliver you."



NOTE: This posting is a copyrighted writing by the author, published on this blog with their express consent. You may not re-publish this writing (including in blogs or e-mailings) without the express, written consent of the author. You may obtain such permission by contacting Nameless Faceless Love via e-mail.


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The Roller Coaster

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I still remember that first trip to the amusement park after I had truly met the Lord as my Saviour. It was at Magic Mountain amusement park.

Before I met the Lord, I was a real "comedian" trying to make other people laugh. It was a defense mechanism and a lie. I was so sad inside.

But I myself had never wanted to laugh wildly like you would on a roller coaster - not in front of people, anyway. I was so bound up in fear that I felt it was a sign of weakness to really yell out and laugh. Besides, I had always been afraid of dying on one of those rides. But now I had Jesus with me, and I was free, and I knew it.

And so, as we "clicked" our way to the top of that big roller coaster, I made a fateful decision.
I would let go and I would throw up my hands, and I would yell at the top of my lungs, because even if I was thrown from that car, I would land in Jesus' lap.

By the time we got to the top of that roller coaster, the fear was gone, replaced with the breathless anticipation of "walking on the water".

We flew down the other side, and it was wonderful. The heart-felt cry of a man made free rose up to the heavens from the bottom of my soul. When I met Jesus, He broke the chains of my fear.  And I left the fetters on that roller coaster that day. Completely free. No remembrance. What joy there is in liberty!

When I got off of the roller coaster, having ridden it three times in a row, the Lord spoke to me. He said, "Ben, this is exactly what life with Me is like. Half 'Wheeee!' and half 'Aaarrrggghhh!'"

It is worth the "Aaarrrggghhh-s" to walk through life with Jesus to get to the "Wheeee-s." Because it's the only way - having "clicked our way" up that steep incline through trial and tribulation - that we can experience what we'll find at the top of the ride:

The mental and spiritual anticipation of the thrill to come, the oddly wonderful feeling of one's stomach just beginning to feel the thrill of the drop, knowing that your stomach will be in your throat at points along the way, yet letting go of that rail in front of you and throwing your hands to the sky in praise to the Lord, knowing that, "No matter what, Jesus will catch me."

The "Aaarrrggghhh" and the "Wheeee."

Lead us through the "Aaarrrggghhh-s", Lord, so we might experience the "We."


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I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Philippians 4:12-13



NOTE: This posting is a copyrighted writing by the author, published on this blog with their express consent. You may not re-publish this writing (including in blogs or e-mailings) without the express, written consent of the author. You may obtain such permission by contacting Nameless Faceless Love via e-mail.


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Remaining At School

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The following post is from one of my very dearest friends. It is a quote of a poem authored by Charles Hanson Townes and quoted in Mitch Albom's book entitled "For One More Day."

Following the poem are my friend's comments. I am sure that both the Truth shared in the poem and the humility shared in my friend's comments are universal and understood by us all.

One foot in front of the other, we must press on and the finish the course set before each one of us by God. One day after another, remaining humble, teachable and repentant. One moment after another, remaining at school, even when we blunder.

I'm sure that we all thank God that He understands.

When he went blundering back to God,
His songs half written, his work half done,
Who knows what paths his bruised feet trod,
What hills of peace or pain he won?

I hope God smiled and took his hand,
And said, ”Poor truant, passionate fool!
Life’s book is hard to understand:
Why couldst thou not remain at school?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This hit me like a ton of bricks. When I read this poem, I broke into tears because several lines forced me to reflect on my own failures, shortcomings etc., and each morning, I “Blunder back to God”” after a day of seemed “Songs half written and work half done.”

But this I know, my friend, that this “truant, passionate fool” will keep blundering and God will keep smiling and taking my hand until I am strong enough and faithful enough for Him to show me how I can serve Him as he wants.


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The Miracle Of One More Day

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The following post is from a dear Brother in Christ from the East Coast. Recently, he stood with his good friend in prayer, praying for his friend's mother who was diagnosed with cancer.

This dear mother, a believer, eventually passed away, but the experience left a marked impression upon my dear Brother in Christ from the East Coast. Some of those impressions have been recorded by him in this post, entitled "The Miracle Of One More Day."

Be blessed, my dear friends.

One of the greatest pearls in life is knowing that you have no promise of tomorrow. You only have today – the miracle of one more day.

It is only by God's grace we are blissfully ignorant when our day will come - when we pass from this life into the next. It is only by God's grace we have this precious gift called time. I was reminded of this fact when a close friend recently lost his mom to cancer.

We went to war as brothers, fighting the good fight in prayer, believing by faith for a miracle but in the end the Lord wanted her to come home. There is no doubt my friend's mom died with the most precious relationship of all - with Jesus himself. Everything else flowed from that and it is because of that blessed assurance my brother could celebrate a life that was lived to its fullest.

You see, my friend's mom understood the miracle of one more day, not because of her cancer, but because of the amazing love in heart.

There are times and events in life when we've had our close calls and for a moment, an instant, or perhaps a season, we understand and appreciate the perspective the Lord has given us. Then, in time, in the natural, in the "fleshiness" of our lives, we again allow the "spirit of busyness" to overtake our eternal perspective.

But I believe there can be a defining moment in life, a personal resolve that says, "I have the miracle of one more day…Lord, I give you this day…I surrender everything I have to you. I give you my life for this one day…take my life and do with it what you will…not my will but your will."

It is the absolute ultimate surrender of your life that says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It is the radical idea that says "I love you Jesus…I am totally yours…yours and yours alone, no matter the cost." It is the clear understanding that you have no promise of tomorrow. You only have today – the miracle of one more day.

You see, our spiritual urgency is not born of activity of doing things that do not produce fruit, but born of the realization that every thing I do is measured against the light of eternity.

Think about that….what if we were to live for Jesus, each day, like it was our last day on earth? What if we were to measure life, events, time, situations, and relationships against the litmus test of eternity? What if there was a sense of urgency each day that said, I live for Jesus and Jesus alone. Can I honestly say that I have lived my life in light of eternity? Do I have the Christ confidence to stand before God and hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant…"?

My friend's mom understood that she had no promise of tomorrow…she understood the miracle of one more day.

Will we do the same?

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Tuesday, December 05, 2006

To Recognize The Rabbit

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For a 6 year old child, 30 minutes can seem like an eternity. Nonetheless, the promise of spending time with my Dad down by the river in the woods was too lucrative a prospect to pass up. So I left my toys, and my daydreams, and my busyness and walked down the Big Hill behind the Brown House toward the woods.

When we arrived there, Dad began to move slowly and speak quietly, and though I didn’t know why, I mimicked him. Dad motioned for me to slowly sit down beside him on a log just inside the tree line of the woods. In front of us, about 40 feet away, was a big wood pile comprised of branches and old pulled-up stumps and the like.

My Dad slowly pointed to the wood pile, and spoke to me in hushed tones. “Son,” he whispered, “look at the bottom of that wood pile, right in the middle next to the ground, and tell me when you see the rabbit.” “OK, Dad,” I whispered, and turned with anticipation to see the rabbit in the wood pile.

My anticipation quickly faded, however, as I stared at a wood pile that obviously had no rabbit in it. “Dad,” I whispered respectfully, “I don’t think there’s rabbit in that wood pile.” “Keep looking at that wood pile, son,” he replied, “at the bottom, right in the middle next to the ground, and tell me when you see the rabbit.”

Time after time we repeated our dance, with me claiming there was no rabbit and my Dad encouraging me to just keep looking. And then, after 30 minutes, it happened.
Before my eyes, in precisely the same spot at which I’d been staring for half an hour, a rabbit appeared. It was as though that rabbit leaped into my vision. Hidden amongst the dead branches and brittle leaves of his surroundings, he crouched as though frozen stiff, unmoving, knowing that I had been watching him the whole time.

I was, for perhaps the first time in my life, speechless. My Dad smiled silently, allowing me to soak in the magnitude of the experience without hindering it with words. After a few minutes, he spoke quietly and said, “Son, sometimes you need to keep looking at something for a while to see what’s really there.” That was the lesson, but it was 25 years before I would truly recognize what that meant.

You see, Jesus Himself used to go to the mountain to pray. It seems clear that he did it because that’s the only place that He could be alone. He had to climb to so high a place that other people wouldn’t follow, a place arrived at through greater labor and with a higher price of ascent.

It was in this place, high above the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, that He found vision. From this lofty vantage point, He could look down upon the issues of life and godliness and see them clearly, even as He was looking above to His Heavenly Father. Our Lord Jesus found clear vision on the mountain of solitude and prayer.

He did not make that climb just once. Again and again, He would climb to the mountain to pray. Time and time again, He would leave the people and problems and distractions of this life to look solely and completely upon His Father.

As we make this same trek, we will receive something vital to our lives. By going to the mountain and looking upon the things of God again and again, the clear vision we experience there will be transformed - sometimes in an instant and before our eyes - into the recognition of what we’ve been staring at (and praying for) the whole time. It is as though the understanding leaps into our vision in its appointed time.

Our Father is drawing us to the mountain, if we’re listening. Not to a place of casual, hastily blurted requests to a vending machine God. God is drawing us to a place where we remove the shoes from our feet because the place whereon we stand is holy ground. He is drawing us to a place so remote, and yet more intimate than we have ever known.

I would like to think that, at times, our Father does as my Dad did; that, as we bask in the wonder of learning from Him, He stands quietly smiling at a child so beloved. Oh, how He adores His precious children.

Have you been praying for a while without an answer? Perhaps it is time you discovered the mountain. Perhaps you used to visit the mountain, and now it is time for you to return. Perhaps you are on the mountain and it is time to make that higher climb with a greater price but a greater blessing.

Then again, perhaps you are already there, and it is time to just keep looking “at the bottom, right in the middle next to the ground” until you see the rabbit.

“Son, sometimes you need to keep looking at something for a while to see what’s really there.”

Amen, Daddy, amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[So I went with Him, and when we were climbing the rocky steps up the hillside, my beloved Shepherd said to me] O My dove, [while you are here] in the seclusion of the clefts in the solid rock, in the sheltered and secret place of the cliff, let Me see your face, let Me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
Song of Solomon 2:14 (AMP)



NOTE: This posting is a copyrighted writing by the author, published on this blog with their express consent. You may not re-publish this writing (including in blogs or e-mailings) without the express, written consent of the author. You may obtain such permission by contacting Nameless Faceless Love via e-mail.


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You

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following is a poem written by a Brother in Christ shortly after his conversion in 1993.

NOTE: This poem is copyrighted, and we are re-printing it with the express permission of the author. Please do not re-print or republish it in any way (blogs and e-mails included) unless you have received written permission to do so. You may receive such permission by contacting Nameless Faceleess Love, and we will refer you to the author.

This beautiful poem elicits powerful and passionate imagery as it pours out thanks to Christ for salvation. As it does so, it paints a picture of many of our pasts, and - thanks be to God - many of our presents and futures.

May it be a blessing unto you as it was unto us......

There is no tangible measurement of You.
There is no height, or width, or depth, or breadth to You.
Your love is Spirit, and it just is.
It permeates my life, and it runs throughout my very fiber.
You, and Your love for me,
are the cornerstone and the essence of my being.

I learned to be loving by watching You.
I’d never known what it meant to adore someone.
to coddle them, to build them up,
to be able to enter into the hall of their soul and abide there
in honor and respect and peace.
You taught me that.

For I was clumsy and unskilled with my heart.
It seemed that I’d just never learned how.
A world of good intention, and yet a world of need did lie within me.

But I did not possess

a single tool did with which to hew love out of the marble of my frightened past

no language with which to fearlessly translate my skitterish heart

no rickety ladder to climb and peer hopefully over the wall of my tentative peace

no tiny stain pillow upon which to gingerly present my broken spirit to Yours.

Somehow, with Your patience, and forgiveness, and ceaseless love
I have learned that
my chisel
and my dialect
and my ladder
and my pillow

all of them

rest in Your Son and Your Holy Spirit.

And as You untied the ribboned bow from my love
You did the funniest thing.
You handed it back to me, and pressed it into my bosom.

Some of us came with silken-winged love.....such beautiful wings,
but not able to support the wind.
But now, we never forget the feel of the weave on the hem of Your garment.

Some of us came with a romantic vision,
of tropical solitude lit by singular flame.....such beautiful thoughts,
but not able to bear the complexity of life.
But now, we never forget that the strength of Your love has prepared for us
a city with transparent streets.

Some of us came with a cello and bow, painfully stringing songs of our past
into early evening air.....such beautiful sounds,
but not able to bear the coming of light.
But now, we never forget, having laid down the cello,
to look forward to the trumpet of deliverance.

I will always have some remembrance of a silken-winged young man,
who had a romantic vision of love
who played out his heart as he wondered “what for?”.

But You are faithful, that You did forgive my shortcomings,
the choices on my road to You,
and the inadequacy of my commitment.

And then replaced my silk with the wings of eagles,
replaced in my vision a man on a tree,
replaced in my heart the instrument of peace.

My life in You.

Your life in me.



NOTE: This posting is a copyrighted writing by the author, published on this blog with their express consent. You may not re-publish this writing (including in blogs or e-mailings) without the express, written consent of the author. You may obtain such permission by contacting Nameless Faceless Love via e-mail.


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Like Eagles

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But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31


“With wings like eagles,” God has described us in His Word. We all have grand images of the majesty of an eagle flying in the air. In fact, in Proverbs 30:18-19(a), God’s Word speaks of “way of an eagle in the air” being almost too wonderful to take.

When we’re in the midst of a great trial, however, we do not always believe these Biblical assurances of our “eagle” status, do we? If fact, sometimes in the midst of these trials, we completely DISbelieve these Scriptures.

Perhaps an understanding of the very creature that God chose as His example in these verses will help us to understand..

You see, these wondrous birds of flight become “grounded,” too. All of them. When they’re mature, able and in their prime in most cases.

At some point in every eagle’s life they - by natural process - lose (shed) certain feathers without which they cannot fly. That’s right. In the midst of their greatest season, they can’t even get off the ground.

The other eagles, by instinct, bring food and water to the downed eagle much like they would bring it to a newborn eagle. Eventually, the feathers grow back, and the eagle is again able to fly and carry on for itself as before. And one by one, they all take their turn on the ground.

There is only one reason that virtually all eagle’s survive this period of inexplicable “flightlessness,” and too many human believers do not; eagles do not battle against pride.

Eagles are practical, and they know that if they do not allow the other eagles to bring them food and water, they will die. Many believers, during our own bouts with flightlessness, are not so practical. We may try to survive our crisis by sheer force of will. After all, we’re mature and able right?

But behind this brave exterior lie daunting questions that trouble all “downed” believers and doom to failure any attempts to “go it alone”. “Why did this happen to me”? “When will it end”? “What would people think if they knew that I’m having this crisis in my faith”? “Can I make it out of this”?

They shall mount up with wings as eagles.......

Sometimes we, like eagles, fly high above our adversaries and problems in complete control. Praise God for these days!

But we must also remember that sometimes, “mounting up with wings as eagles” means bringing spiritual food (sharing God’s Word and encouragement with those who are “flightless”) and water (God’s Spirit flowing through us to others in need) to others.

And - yes - as eagles we will all take our turn on the ground. We will look up into the air, where it seems like every other eagle can fly but us. We must look even higher in the sky, though - to Heaven.

And as we behold our Father and our Lord, we will be reminded of and believe the Truth; that we as believers have been made one, and we are Christ’s Body through God’s Holy Spirit. And, as such, we must allow every other eagle to help us in our times of helplessness. We must all take our turn, and our trust in God must be greater than our fear of rejection.

True believers, true eagles, know that these things are true.


Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD ,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.

Habakkuk 3:17-19(c) (NIV)

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end.
Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalm 107:23-31 (KJV)

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Galatians 9:6 (NIV)



NOTE: This posting is a copyrighted writing by the author, published on this blog with their express consent. You may not re-publish this writing (including in blogs or e-mailings) without the express, written consent of the author. You may obtain such permission by contacting Nameless Faceless Love via e-mail.


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The Best Night Ever

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shortly after my son's ninth birthday, he sent me this e-mail, detailing a night he spent wrestling with a very bad dream.

We've all spent such nights in battle, but I am touched by the simplicity and effectiveness of this nine year old boy's response to those trials.

It is a response born of acknowledged need and unfeigned faith. this young man knew that he was in over his head, and he believed that Jesus not only could help him, but wanted to to.

This post is short. Please do not gloss over it. Read it and "chew on it" like a cow chews grass; over and over. Please do not read it as an adult, but rather read it as the little child of God that you have been made through Christ Jesus; wide-eyed, trusting, and willing to take a chance because you know that Christ's love for you is real.

Be blessed by this pure example of a desperate need and a wondrous response from Christ Jesus our Lord. It is entitled "The Best Night Ever."

I love you all in Christ, fellow journeymen and journeywomen.....

hi dad!

last night I asked Jesus to give me a good dream to take the bad one away. And Jesus gave me a spinitual ride. In this dream he was giving me a bath and Jesus was giving me the bath . The water felt like the Holy Spirit was holding me . And that was the end of the story.

I LOVE YOU DADDY.


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