a bit of heaven will fall on you.
a bit of life you'll taste anew.
a bit of heaven in the communion of saints.
a bit of life; a new colour for my soul it paints.
we sing with rejoicing; all shot through with pain.
we sing with delight; his pleasure falling like rain.
and we hear with conviction, this thickness of belief.
and we hear with hunger, this "logos" bringing relief.
heaven surrounds me here at the sound of your singing.
heaven surrounds me here and hope leaves my heart ringing.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
update (or " dear brother ryan")
hello all- below is an excerpt from an e-mail to my brother-in-law ryan. by the way, if you're reading this blog, please drop a comment to let me know. there's no need to be a member to do so. just click on the comments link below! thanks,
here's the excerpt:
"thanks so much for your e-mail. its great to hear from "home". things are going well here. busy and stressful -as to be expected- but well all the same. i'm enjoying my classes immensely. they tie together in strange and exciting ways. in one of the classes we've been studying how we know truth and how we know that what we believe is true. ultimately it comes down to faith. but its a confident faith grounded on substantial, meaningful and consistent claims (contrary to the popularity of postmodernism which makes the claim that anything is true... it just depends on the individual). greek is going well, it seems to be coming back to me a good bit.
i'm hoping to get involved in a writing group called "the sword and thistle". its main purpose is to provide students with a venue to give/get feedback on each other's creative writings (not class work stuff, but poems and stories, etc.).
work at "the kings'" has been great too. i enjoy cleaning windows. go figure. its nice to be outside. to move around. and we service some very nice homes (one home had a big screen t.v. mounted above their fireplace. it must have been almost 6' x 5'.... another home had a nice little wine cellar in their basement).
maia and kelli are well. its been tough on kelli at times. transition to finding friends has not been a quick one. but we're developing good relationships now. kelli's doing a great job caring for maia and supporting me (especially emotionally and spiritually). moving here has certainly drawn us closer. maia is smiley, joyful and delightful as ever. she's getting quite big (in the 97th percentile for height and weight at 3 months). She provides much joy and relief to us.
we're getting to know lots of people at the seminary and in our neighborhood. we're surrounded by some great folks. we've got wonderful neighbors and have met some great people at seminary gatherings. one of my new friends is finishing up a book (with another friend) on his journey along (the entirety of) the Appalachian trail. i've read (and heard) a few excerpts already. its a great story... or group of stories rather. i think they have the potential to see it published.
we're settling into Central presbyterian church (evangelical pres., different from my church back home (PCA)), at least for now. we'll try it out for a semester and see how it goes."
all for now,
trying to keep my head above water,
matt
here's the excerpt:
"thanks so much for your e-mail. its great to hear from "home". things are going well here. busy and stressful -as to be expected- but well all the same. i'm enjoying my classes immensely. they tie together in strange and exciting ways. in one of the classes we've been studying how we know truth and how we know that what we believe is true. ultimately it comes down to faith. but its a confident faith grounded on substantial, meaningful and consistent claims (contrary to the popularity of postmodernism which makes the claim that anything is true... it just depends on the individual). greek is going well, it seems to be coming back to me a good bit.
i'm hoping to get involved in a writing group called "the sword and thistle". its main purpose is to provide students with a venue to give/get feedback on each other's creative writings (not class work stuff, but poems and stories, etc.).
work at "the kings'" has been great too. i enjoy cleaning windows. go figure. its nice to be outside. to move around. and we service some very nice homes (one home had a big screen t.v. mounted above their fireplace. it must have been almost 6' x 5'.... another home had a nice little wine cellar in their basement).
maia and kelli are well. its been tough on kelli at times. transition to finding friends has not been a quick one. but we're developing good relationships now. kelli's doing a great job caring for maia and supporting me (especially emotionally and spiritually). moving here has certainly drawn us closer. maia is smiley, joyful and delightful as ever. she's getting quite big (in the 97th percentile for height and weight at 3 months). She provides much joy and relief to us.
we're getting to know lots of people at the seminary and in our neighborhood. we're surrounded by some great folks. we've got wonderful neighbors and have met some great people at seminary gatherings. one of my new friends is finishing up a book (with another friend) on his journey along (the entirety of) the Appalachian trail. i've read (and heard) a few excerpts already. its a great story... or group of stories rather. i think they have the potential to see it published.
we're settling into Central presbyterian church (evangelical pres., different from my church back home (PCA)), at least for now. we'll try it out for a semester and see how it goes."
all for now,
trying to keep my head above water,
matt
Friday, September 09, 2005
a bit of conviction
i find myself reeling today from three different things. i feel the weight of fear of rejection. i'm wrestling with it and trying to do business with it. as i look around the campus, categories seem to drop out of nowhere. i have perceptions of who i should/will relate to. i have perceptions of who others will/won't relate to. categories never prove very user friendly or gospel-centric. so my convictions lie in two major areas. one: i can't relate to HIM. and two: i've gotta get to know HIM. one pride, the other idolatry. but behind that is an ernest desire to not try and become everyone's friend. that suit, while apparently looking good on me, never fit so well. i'm yearning for the companionship of intimate friends.
the second thing i'm distracted by is a celebration of my ignorance. so it turns out that i don't know as much as i thought i did. and, to tell you the truth, its quite a relief. two big things have come out in the first week of classes. faith is more foundational and more real than i've been letting my heart embrace. the same goes with exegetical, practical teaching/preaching. the Word came to effect our hearts. the "logos" swooped down, infiltrated the ranks, destroyed the whole system and started a revolutionary emancipation. and now we must, in part, command the legions. proper leadership requires proper focus.
and third, but "a priori", is death to self. the conviction to kill self. he was killed. we must kill. he was raised. we are raised up. we've been set on high places, its time for us to act like it. but the battle never ends. the good thing is that our Arsenal is up to the task. we've got one weapon, and it never wears down. its just the language, the misuse and the misapplication that drives us crazy, makes us nuts and pulls us apart. i walk... no i run... today in its light. Col. 3:1-5
the second thing i'm distracted by is a celebration of my ignorance. so it turns out that i don't know as much as i thought i did. and, to tell you the truth, its quite a relief. two big things have come out in the first week of classes. faith is more foundational and more real than i've been letting my heart embrace. the same goes with exegetical, practical teaching/preaching. the Word came to effect our hearts. the "logos" swooped down, infiltrated the ranks, destroyed the whole system and started a revolutionary emancipation. and now we must, in part, command the legions. proper leadership requires proper focus.
and third, but "a priori", is death to self. the conviction to kill self. he was killed. we must kill. he was raised. we are raised up. we've been set on high places, its time for us to act like it. but the battle never ends. the good thing is that our Arsenal is up to the task. we've got one weapon, and it never wears down. its just the language, the misuse and the misapplication that drives us crazy, makes us nuts and pulls us apart. i walk... no i run... today in its light. Col. 3:1-5
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Monday, September 05, 2005
Thursday, September 01, 2005
maia lynn
"a little bit of time can mean a lot" she said as she tucked in the little girl's shirt tag giving me time to hold her while she prepared the crib.
as i sat there and rocked maia i realized how quickly you can begin to let time slip by. i was too quickly thinking, "i've gotta get back to work". her head was nestled camly against my chest. her breathing shallow and relaxed. i think i could feel her growing taller and heavier while i held her.
just last week she became uncomfortable as i was changing her. she let out a two syllable yelp, "mama". i freeze where i stood. if you've ever witnessed a car wreck, you know how time suddently expands, the air becomes eerily calm and your entire body is uncomfortably aware of your surroundings. her innoncent exclamation made my entire being go fuzzy. what was that? a clumsy collection of murmurs or a child prodigy's cry for the maternal?
i stood up from the glider to lay her in her crib. wrapping her up, i was instructed not to do it so tightly. wasn't that how i swaddled this newborn yesterday? but now she needs room to kick. when she's awake and alert she stares and smiles less at us now then she stares at her colorful surroundings. everything is beautiful. book spines are fantasmic, and strange. a room explodes into an array of colors. every light is a tiny sun, its surrounding objects a limitless universe. for maia there are galaxies to explore in the living room. she smiles relentlessly, and convictingly, at strange strangers. and holding up her own weight or playing underneath her play "gym" is a difficult, but irresistible challenge.
but now, as we lay her down to sleep, all is quiet. except for a few mumbled sighs and two grunts. "goodnight my daughter, goodnight child." i say. kelli kisses her, "this one is from grandma and pop-pop, this one is from gran and poppy...this one is from me." when she is alert, she hears her grandparents on the phone... and looks for them. but now, she sleeps. her right arm bends up by her head, her lips pressed against her elbow; a learned pose to hold her pacifier in place. and she dreams of universes gliding in and out her crib.
as i sat there and rocked maia i realized how quickly you can begin to let time slip by. i was too quickly thinking, "i've gotta get back to work". her head was nestled camly against my chest. her breathing shallow and relaxed. i think i could feel her growing taller and heavier while i held her.
just last week she became uncomfortable as i was changing her. she let out a two syllable yelp, "mama". i freeze where i stood. if you've ever witnessed a car wreck, you know how time suddently expands, the air becomes eerily calm and your entire body is uncomfortably aware of your surroundings. her innoncent exclamation made my entire being go fuzzy. what was that? a clumsy collection of murmurs or a child prodigy's cry for the maternal?
i stood up from the glider to lay her in her crib. wrapping her up, i was instructed not to do it so tightly. wasn't that how i swaddled this newborn yesterday? but now she needs room to kick. when she's awake and alert she stares and smiles less at us now then she stares at her colorful surroundings. everything is beautiful. book spines are fantasmic, and strange. a room explodes into an array of colors. every light is a tiny sun, its surrounding objects a limitless universe. for maia there are galaxies to explore in the living room. she smiles relentlessly, and convictingly, at strange strangers. and holding up her own weight or playing underneath her play "gym" is a difficult, but irresistible challenge.
but now, as we lay her down to sleep, all is quiet. except for a few mumbled sighs and two grunts. "goodnight my daughter, goodnight child." i say. kelli kisses her, "this one is from grandma and pop-pop, this one is from gran and poppy...this one is from me." when she is alert, she hears her grandparents on the phone... and looks for them. but now, she sleeps. her right arm bends up by her head, her lips pressed against her elbow; a learned pose to hold her pacifier in place. and she dreams of universes gliding in and out her crib.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)