A good friend and I have been writing poetry, stories, songs, and rap in order to better share the Good News. Here is his latest that he shared at Nora on Sunday.

Psalm 81
by Philip Mott

Let a song burst forth from you vocal chords
To God on high who gave you a voice.

As strong as you are, loud as you can sing
Please spare no energy when you worship the King.

A shout may sound wrong in a culture as this
But joy can bring shouting harder than fists.

Make this song ring the air to the moon
Play the guitar, the drum, dance like a fool.

Piano and bass and clapping your hands
Blowing the flute for the divine romance.

Thrust your breath through the trumpet bell
Give thanks to God who makes all well

Give honor to God who gives us our days;
Gave us a purpose, designed us to praise.

God, our God, we hear and obey
You’ve made your heart so clear and plain.

Our gods without power we hurl in the fire
But cleanse us our hands of wicked desires.

Your are the Lord who broke through our chains
You stopped up the seas and send down the rains.

You are our freedom, your love is a kiss
Our Holy Father and provider of gifts.

Slightly related - here is a good interview about how stories and writing all factor into our reformed mission in the grand Story.

Early [morning] to bed, early to rise.

Remembering with some fondness these nights that stretch into serenity.

And I only hear the gentle, melodic and rhythmic ticking of a clock which must reside in the room but which I cannot see.

…conditions, in turn, fire synapses and blend chemicals and cause a mysterious [perhaps divine] reaction.

Memories of my grandparent’s house fill my mind. I am in bed, lying in on my back, having been tucked in to my chin by my grandmother. I can hear the tick-tock within the small room. The door is cracked to let just enough hall light into the room that I can wonder over the painting of the alchemist. I am fascinated by this man, his castle-workshop, and the important work he is devoted to. Somehow, there must have been a picture of three pieces of fruit in the room as well - but my picture of that picture has blurred to: rusted brown, dirty yellow, green-brown-green.

So why was I able to lay awake deep into the darkness in a peaceful, suburbanite, air-conditioned house yet beat the sun at its own game in our rowdy, urban, shots-and-sirens, open-windowed, hot and sticky house?

Why do I remember the few times of Papoo’s five o’clock shadow bristling my forehead in a goodnight kiss, but can only conjure traces of the myriad of times my dad’s full-beard bid my cheeks the same farewell?

But I do remember - in both places the same - the melodies and merriment that wafted and bubbled their way to my ears from the downstairs in the hours when I was supposed to be asleep. Perhaps those times crept into my psyche and molded me more than I know. For it is a great security beyond explanation to hear ones you love loving each other. The laughter; the sing-song timbre; the clank of dishes being washed; the click of hybrid calculators measuring service to the L-rd; the hushed prayers; …and sometimes the fond mention of “Kaleb”.

Sometimes when you are at peace, real peace, you find you are most prepared to sleep but your mind won’t let you - it is full of joy, and wonderment, and hope for tomorrow. And tomorrow will have its own troubles, sure. But for now…

All is calm, all is…

[Peace to you tonight]

That title is found somewhere in Scripture and I am about 85% sure I am using it out of context…

A widespread attraction to the Living G-d is growing in an undercurrent sort of way. It is weird because most people don’t even realize it.

You can’t put your finger on this feeling you have but nonetheless the gradual gnawing, building, surging Spirit has apprehended you.

You don’t even know what to make of your wild discontent with “the way things are” yet. You wish you had the ability to formalize it or the words to express it - alas, you do not.

You are frustrated because you know something is deeply broken, but can’t put your finger on the problem, and are humble enough to admit that you definitely do not have a solution.

You are the mystics, the rejects, the wonderers and wanderers. You are hopeful and dreaming…

…and you and I, my friends, are waking up!!!

Sure, sure, it could all be a meme. Perhaps some yet-to-be-discovered science will prove that we are all somehow metaphysically linked together. In the meantime, I’ll call it testimony…

Yesterday, for some unexplainable reason, I kept thinking about a very good friend of mine. I had not talked to this friend in about a month, so I chalked it up to an “absence makes the heart grow fonder” experience. However, as the day went on the feeling grew to the point that I realized I was not stirring it up - I was, instead, being stirred up.

Many of you have felt this at times, and come to find out later that your friend was going through some turmoil or hardship or simply needed to hear from you. Again, I admit that all of this could simply be happenstance - we love to make associations of cause/effect in our grasp for meaning. But back to my story…

So, I purposed to call my friend in the evening. Yet my evening was already spoken for, and by the late hour in which my time had become free, my phone battery had decided to renege on its promised vigor. Again, my friend came to my mind… I could only do what I had been doing: pray - asking for Father’s guidance, depending on Spirit’s activity, and claiming the preeminent authority of Jesus Christ in all things. …wisdom, confidence, and guts (that’s what I prayed for).

I woke up this morning determined to make contact with my friend today. As I arrived at work and began the process of surveying my tasks, I received an IM. This friend, who I hadn’t heard from in at least three weeks, is contacting me? Within the context of what I just relayed to you? And furthermore, over our IM conversation I discover that he had been seeking counsel and wisdom in order to place a bid on his first house (a major step in his life). Coincidence?

So my question to you, my friends, is what if… what if there really is an overarching master plan to all of life? A grand scheme that, could we see it, would immediately explain how everything (the cosmos, world, pain & pleasure, work & rest, life & death, relationships, and the human experience) is tied together? But what if there were no way for your mind (or mine) to comprehend this? And what if your part is simply to awake to this “reality”? I know, it requires humbling ourselves (the answer is not in our control) and also trusting in something that cannot be proven. But are you willing to take one more step towards this Mystery?

- Kaleb

    The LORD Almighty has sworn,
       "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
       and as I have purposed, so it will stand.

    This is the plan determined for the whole world;
       this is the hand stretched out over all nations.

    For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
       His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

Um, okay so I may have tricked you slightly. This has nothing to do with sexuality and virgin is probably not the right term in this case, but hey it got your attention didn’t it? So, sexual virginity still intact, let’s move onto the subject of the day - Sermon Virgins.

Yeh, so I preached from the pulpit for the first time. Last month, at my home church of Nora Christian Fellowship, the congregation was gracious enough to sit through my entire sermon. They didn’t excommunicate me afterwards, so I consider the whole thing a success.

The sermon topic hovered around “Desires” which, incidentally has been a soul-searching topic in my own life lately. Here’s an upload of the mp3 file - NCF_KC_Desires.mp3

If you listen to it, I would really appreciate any feedback concerning content, delivery, etc. that would improve my public speaking skills.

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In other news, the garden is going in this weekend! Also, tomorrow should be really nice weather, so maybe I can spend some time outside: riding bike or invite friends over for basketball before Steak Night! A friend convinced me that “ice cream” is an expert topic that I should blog about. Gonna visit Kit & Erin’s church this Sunday.

Yeh, I am getting excited about teaching a 10-week Sunday School class to the high school / young adults.

I am hoping to brainwash them. Eph. 4:22-24

The topic is “Don’t Waste Your Life”. Loosely based on the book by John Piper, we are going to be looking at how to redeem the time we have here on this earth and make it really count. I was emotionally stirred in this vein during my lunch break today when I cracked open “More Miracles We Have Seen” by our friends Jack & Winona Terry. The first few chapters highlighted some of my peers and work they have done in concert with the Terrys that has already borne much fruit. Wow, hallelujah!

From the dontwasteyourlife.com website tonight - Trip Lee interviewed on current culture and the distracting influences we are dealing with. As a bonus, for those of you who are loving the Holy Hip Hop scene, the Jesus Muzic vid from Lecrae and Trip Lee is appended to the interview. Okay, peace and grace to you through Jesus Christ. - KC