A Garland of Grace...

What truly is "wisdom"? How do we define it?

"Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.
I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
When I was a boy in my father's house,
still tender, and an only child of my mother,
he taught me and said,
'Lay hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands and you will live.
Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or swerve from them.
Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Esteem her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
She will set a garland of grace on your head
and present you with a crown of splendor.'" [[Proverbs 4:1-9]]

Wisdom is what is left behind when everything is stripped away and Covenant is complete: Christ clothes Himself in my sin and I clothe myself with Christ.

When we've been tested and come out, we are marked by grace.

The testing of our faith develops wisdom and we are to desire wisdom more than anything.

"There is no greater loss than to lose myself in You."
[[Mute Math, "Control"]]

Mood: Head Cold Listening to: JT211 Lab Reading: My storyboard

Past Obvious

So what does it take to get a girl’s attention?
A fire? A hailstorm? Thunder and rain?
What does it take to get past the obvious
Into my oblivion? Does it have to take pain?

If I fail to be willing to be
Broken and bleeding before Thee
This might be a bit painful for me.

So what does it take to grab life at its corner?
To not look ‘round its bend to discern what comes next?
What does it take to place each well-formed desire
In Your hands? To know You know best?

If I fail to be willing to be
Broken and bleeding before Thee
This might be a bit painful for me.

So can I manage to sit in my ignorance?
Can I pretend that the rules don’t apply?
Can I befriend what only You comprehend?
Can I trust You with the how and the why?

You’ll go to any lengths to get my attention.
A fire. A hailstorm. Thunder and rain.
To get past the obvious into my oblivion,
You’ll try to get through without any pain.

But if I fail to be willing to be
Broken and bleeding before Thee
This might be a bit painful for me.

©2004 Alyssa Kate Grinstead

What a letdown...

Granted, the Patriots did win (yay!), but the commercials weren't all that great this year.

There were a few keepers: the Kinko's one, the Mustang commercial, and the one with the guy and the cat and the tomato sauce... priceless.

I'm still working my tail off to try and get ahead. Next week is going to be killer. My ability to get massive quantities of work done this week is crucial to my survival.

My body has started waking me up at 7:30am every single stinking day. It's kind of cool, but mostly annoying.

To all who are going insane, my prayers are with you. Stay strong and don't get sick.

Mood: Studious and Hungry Listening to: Ben Glover, 26 Letters
Reading: Communications Law (still)

When we fail to seek God's Word in our circumstances...

...we fail to find God. Our world is so full of relativism. There are no absolutes. No moral boundaries. Some say we're steadily improving socially... others think we relatively stay the same, but the technologies change. I think we're declining.

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." [[Galatians 5:19-21]]

It's amazing how peace is found nowhere in the sinful nature... the reason is that Christ Himself is our peace [[Ephesians 2]]. The past few days, we have been searching for peace, not knowing what it would look like, not knowing what the next step would look like in this mess that has presented itself.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." [[Galatians 5:22-25]]

He is our peace. It's that simple.

"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on His shoulders.
And He will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over His kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this." [[Isaiah 9:6-7]]

Peace comes with the increase of government. Until we surrender our lives to the government of God and of His grace, we will never ourselves know peace.

For He Himself is our peace.

"Love can change us. Love can make a way." [[Chris Rice]]

Our God, who is perfect and sovereign and holy, came to die for us: to conquer death and sin and set us free into the peace that He brings.

He became man because we could never become God.

"It was grace because it cost so much and it cost so much because it was grace." [[Dietrich Bonhoeffer]]

So, at the end of the day, despite my exhaustion and my heavy heart, I can still rest in His peace... Amen.

"You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in You." [[Isaiah 26:3]]

Mood: Heavy-Laden and Peaceful Listening to: Chris Rice, Deep Enough to Dream
Reading: Matthew 5-6

Dishwalla release date...

March 15, 2005...! How exciting is that?! I'm stoked to see what they've cooked up for this album. Opaline is just one of the best albums ever crafted. Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! :)

Mood: Procrastinating Listening to: Andrew Peterson, Carried Along
Reading: My Bible and Communications Law