Immortal Love, Carlo Furlan "It's a Meaningful Life" series (John 1)

At the start
of all things -
JesusGod.
He set time in motion,
swirled universes
into existence
and breathed
life
into man.
JesusGod
crafted us
for his good pleasure,
not for the quiet desperation
of isolated units.

Bombarded with messages
to buy,
gorge
and drown
the longing for connection,
we struggle 
to be real.
The God-shaped hole
aches
to be filled,
our hearts restless
until we find You
and
fit together
like the missing piece of 
a jigsaw puzzle,
satisfyingly
snapped into place.

All that is 
came from JesusGod.
 All.
Every mind-boggling
particle
of this amazing creation -
beauty trembling
in a dewdrop
and reverberating
in a note of crystalline
music -
comes to us
from His hands.

Humans are the epitome
of His masterwork -
fractured though
we may be,
yet shot through
with glory.
May we see each other
with new eyes
this season -
immortal sparks
reflecting JesusGod,
sprinkled
with salty grace.

And We Came to Rome - Brady Bobbink (Acts 28)

The ocean journey
concluded,
a new chapter begins.
Letter-writing ensues -
missals sent
throughout the known world.
Paul's mission
flourishes,
even in chains.

What is the rest 
of my story?

All stories end
but how they end
is an open question.
Some great starts 
get sidetracked;
and some just plod along,
head down,
kicking up only dust.
Others finish early 
in a brilliant flash
and others
run the marathon well
and finish with
honor.
To be in this category
one needs a vision -
a far away reference point
to fixate on.

How do I want to end?
What epitaph will 
sum me up,
carved in solid stone?

Once the end is seen,
I must work step by step
to make it true.
Press on.

Marathons require
stamina,
perseverance,
pacing
and strength.
Daily intake of sacred space;
intential binding to others
who will cheer me on
while challenging me 
to push harder;  
reining in my appetites
and excercising
wariness about 
every emotion;
all of these will see 
me through.
I must see myself
clearly for the flawed
creature I am,
knowing that within
each of us
lies the potential
fatal flaw,
simmering in secret.

I must cultivate
gratitude
for every breath
I'm given,
fight the good fight,
finish well.

God's Plan Overcomes - Tim Knipp (Acts 27)

Conflicts and obstacles
block the way -
seeming impassable.

A sea journey
in the company of soldiers
and hardened 
criminals
leapfrogs along the coast,
facing fierce winds
and glowering skies.
A hurricane buffets the boat
away from the shores of Crete
and tosses it south
and west.
Creaking lumber strains
and pops
as the vessel heads toward
infamous sand bars.
Waterlogged grain is ditched
in despair,
masts dismantled;
the ship founders,
adrift
and blinded,
tossed like kindling
among gigantic troughs
of waves.
Hope drowns slowly
as day
follows day.

Into their despair,
Paul speaks
a message from God
promising salvation.

Starving and wearied
beyond belief,
in the black of night
they near land.
Calming soldiers, 
criminals and crew alike,
Paul urges food,
prays
and eats.

All take courage and feed.

Later the ship
strikes sand
and all
make it to land,
just as Paul's God
had promised.

In the face of dire
circumstances
and seeming
impossibilities,
God's plan
cannot
be
thwarted.

Not My Own - Carlo Furlan (Praxis Series - Acts 20)

Money matters.
Burdened with debt
we argue over,
strive for
and
idealize
wealth.

Once accumulated,
we grasp it close,
unwilling to let
anything slip through
our sweaty
fingers.

Beware the greed
masquerading as ambition.
Beware the wolves
who slip in
between the sheep
and the shepherd.

Remember the cost
paid
for your redemption
and be satisfied
with
your bottom line
but dissatisfied
with
the hurting world. 

Gracious giving
benefits the giver
immeasurably.
No thing is mine.
"I am not my own,
but belong, 
body and soul
to my Lord,
Jesus Christ."

Money is not
worth my love
for it is an untrustworthy
suitor,
promising contentment
but
never paying up.

At the Center, Tim Knipp

All is connected
to all.
Wolves change rivers
and 
molecules dance.

God is three
in one.

Three persons,
one God.

Connections abound.
Sparks shoot
and hum across 
the universe -
love lines
connecting
the Three.
United in
compassion toward 
the broken,
anger toward sin,
and
longing for 
connection
with you and I.

At the center
of it all:
relationship.

Prayer - Carlo Furlan, Acts 18 & 2 Cor. 1:8

Intimacy -
close and warm,
rough and awkward -
tightly bound.
A personal God.
Not a guarantee for
easy living
or the absence of pain
but 
a close-hugging presence,
always there.

Encouraging words
spoken into the darkness
can sustain us -
if only we can hear them 
through our lamentations.

Despair happens.
Overwhelming circumstances 
happen.
Death happens.
Yet we continue
to hope
and pray
and ask for prayer.

Prayer is a mystery,
waves of words
washing the shore
again and again
with no apparent result
at times.
Yet the God who has power
to raise the dead
can hear us
when we call.
So I will call
and hope
and
be 
encouraged.

Dynamic Word - Tim Knipp, Acts 18

Into a whirlwind of
loose living,
spiritual blindness
and
licentious lechery,
Paul set up camp.
Day by day
he toiled with words,
reasoning
and challenging,
teaching the story
of Christ crucified.
In synagogues
and on street corners,
he spoke
and cajoled -
unwilling to be silenced
because
God's word was an
active, living fire
burning through him
and into their lives.

That dynamic word
continues to speak
today
directly and personally
to you and I.