The End [more commonly known as the beginning]

"The end of a matter is better than its beginning . . ." (Ecclesiastes 7:8). Sorry it took me so long to write this. For now I am stepping away from the bloggersphere. I may come back to blogging -- but I doubt it (at least from my present perspective). Maybe you just ran into this blog. I suggest you look it over. It was delightful to put my passion for words on this blog. I pray God uses it to impact others to live with their whole heart. To pursue their passions. To live with a reckless abandon. Life is too short to live without an all-consuming passion for God. God loves to use the unlikely and impossible to bring about His perfect plan. Our generation is pretty pathetic. But it is a glorious chance to give God all the glory when spectacular things are brought about. You only get one shot at living. Make it count by giving it all to God. "To live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). We were made to seek God. Let's not squander our existence on finding pleasure and security. But be made strong so that we may be poured out. God is asking . . . what's your answer?

~By for now
. . .
  Redeemed

Burn The Bandwagon

I believe that we put too much stock into what other people think of us. Wait. I know as Christians we need to always represent our God well, but that's not what I'm talking about. We look to others to see if we're "cool enough." We try to be in the world and slightly "of" the world--enough that we are different. We think in our heads "If I'm just ever so different, then they'll be attracted to Jesus." We think we need to represent Jesus with a "good face." We say, "well, God, Your plan to preach the gospel is just, I don't know, counterculture." And we forget what attracted us to Christianity in the first place. That is, its defiance of worldly reliance and emphasis on God's power. We forget that all we do is lead others to Christ. We show them the straight and narrow but they must walk it themselves. If we give the entrance a snazzy banner to "attract" others we're just blocking the view of the cross. We need to burn the bandwagon and just stand up, and stand out. The gospel is good news! The cross has saved us. God Himself lives inside of us. It is what this world needs. . . . Not another bandwagon.

~TDH

Form > Function

Have you seen those paracord bracelets? Those ones that look kind of like rope and are suposed to be somewhere like twelve feet long. I've realized something about them . . . they are not for function. Most people that have one might brag about how they are some twelve feet long and can hold about 550 pounds without breaking. But then never have the intention of ever taking it off and undoing the bracelet to actually use that paracord. It reminds me of myself. Often I have a tool on my very wrist but I just ignore its potential. I just think how sweet it looks but when I need that rope to actually tie something down I go and look elsewhere. Maybe we all do that with something? Perhaps with our family? Or even with our Bibles . . . just a thought.

~TDH

The Point (part 2)

(I'm almost sorry that this post is so long but my heart must sing and it is singing a long song this time) What I believe is necessary is for the gospel to be redefined in this generation. The gospel is powerful. Yet we have a tendency to water it down. I believe this is because we have a hard time rejecting the world. That's right, I just said rejecting the world. From what I've observed, we would prefer to embrace the filthy world. We go out and watch the latest movie that glorifies evil things like overwhelming lust and raw hate. Sometimes we know pop culture better than we know our Bibles! This aught not be . . . but we have a powerful God Who can redeem us. But we need a greater perspective. That's where the redefined gospel comes in. The gospel is more than just a ticket to Heaven, it's a ticket to a fearless life. Just read along . . . The gospel is Christ crucified. We accept that, and believe it with all our heart. But it's more than that. The cross is the picture of Yahweh overcoming sin--the old man who rules/ruled us. Then Christ rose, conquering death (starting to get exciting, isn't it?). But it doesn't end there. The Bible goes on to tell us that now God wants to adopt us. Yes, us. Those filthy beggars who can never become pure. God comes to us and says "I want to adopt you." Of coures we oblige! He brings us into his very near presence. Then, oh then, He asks us to do something for Him. He, the God of the universe, asks us to go into the world for Him. But that's not all. (Are you seeing a pattern yet?) He tells us that it is impossible to change the world, on our own. So you know what He does? He will work through us, and not only that: He will come and live inside us. God is not just giving us strength He is our strength. God tells us that we will bare the name of the Alpha and Omega. How will we do that? Well, the Alpha and Omega is pretty good at representing Himself isn't He? That's just what He does. So the gospel is; Christ crucified, death and sin conquered, becoming God's heirs and children, being God's image barers, and having the One and Only God living inside of us working His good pleasure! Why would we ever want to still be in the world?!?!? We have all we could ever imagine . . . and more. I hope you think about what I just said. Because it is the crux of your whole existence. Maybe I've sparked something in you . . . maybe it's new life.

~TDH

Check out this video by Ellerslie: http://www.ellerslie.com/The_Gospel.html

The Point

"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ever feel like we miss the point? Like all we want to be is to be happy or entertained. It reminds me of the quote of this generation saying, "Here we are, entertain us!" I hate that quote with every fiber in my bones. I want to break that "mold" and change it to: "Here we are, THIS is the gospel!" I want the Christians to rise up of their sofas, turn off their TVs, and make a difference. Why can't we wake up and realize that we have the chance of a lifetime. Why! Oh, if we would humble ourselves and seek the very face of Yahweh (A name for God). I believe the point is Yahweh has blessed America so that we may bless others. Instead we "bless" ourselves. . . I despise it. Oh . . . that's why I stopped watching TV and movies. (Just a thought) I know Yahweh loves us and wants us to live our whole lives for Him. Will you join me with the power of the off button and show the world "THIS is what the gospel looks like." Maybe we will find the point. . . and when we do we will never feel out of place ever again. Because the point is our very purpose. Let's come alive.

~TDH

Ragged Time

Time. Yeah I figured I'd write about it because it has been a rare thing for me this week. Honestly, aren't most of us running out of time? (No I don't mean that the grave is creeping up) I mean we just "get busy." We decide that school is important, and food, and music lessons . . . pretty soon we are lost inside our things that we "need." But we don't need all that do we? Sure we need to prepare for our future but "overkill" is a word that should be in our vocabulary. Because we are very well aquatinted with it. Maybe--nah totally--we should take note from great men in the Bible. Like Jesus . . . he would take time and just get away for a few hours. And this was a common occurrence . . . check it out. So all that to say: take a hour or so this week to step back and maybe make a "to-don't list." Just ask God for direction. He's waiting for you to stop making your own. Because our "direction" looks a little ragged.

~TDH

Wild At Life

     I once read a book called Wild at Heart. In it the author John Eldridge quoted another book that said: "Do not ask yourself what this world needs. But ask yourself what makes you alive and do it. Because what this world needs is people who are alive."*  That truth just struck me with a clarity and simplicity. It set my jaw with a new determination to "fan my flame," so to speak. It also reminded me of another quote from William Wallace, "Every man dies. Not every man really lives."
     I think the biggest reason no one ever "really lives" is because they don't know how. They are just lost are feel forgotten by the world. No one ever told them to ask themselves what makes them alive. But, more tragically, is those that glimpse their "life" and don't pursue it with reckless abandon. See, if you want to awaken your life you have to accept it is far from easy. Most likely others will laugh at your plans. I.e. I want to change the world but I have told maybe two of my friends. Because I know that if I want to keep my dream alive I'll keep it to myself. I'll just rest in the fact that with God nothing is ever impossible. Remember that. Nothing. Is. Impossible.
     So go find out what makes you alive. Go and live with all your heart. . . the world is waiting.

~TDH

*Not an exact quote

Y'all'd Isn't A Real Word

Giving up. Stoping. Halting in your tracks. Surender. It's not very easy is it? (Unless we are out of energy and conviction...) More often than not, we want live at the wheel. I know I'm that way. I'm pretty much a power junkie. (Well, I'm getting better at losing my inner nazi.) But if there is any situation I happen to find myself inside I prefer to be in control of anything I can be. And with a four-year-old little brother God has been showing me how to fail at that. Well... He has been showing me that my control just sucks. I think I know why . . . I'm finite.
     I start and end,
          bend and break,
               fail and fall.
I'm what y'all'd (Is that a real word?) call human. And I think I found out a cure for my inner power nazi: trust. Not just any trust though, a trust in the One and Only God. Oh, did I mention that that is pretty hard? A lot harder than sending a camel through the eye of a needle--if you get my drift. But, thankfully, we have a God Who is bigger than any ego Babble can throw at Him. All you got to do is ask. Pretty simple but amazingly hard. Go ahead: say "I'm done God; have my life," and mean it with your whole heart. (Don't make me do that, I'd feel dirty for lying to God like that.) But you could just say, "God, I'm tired of messing up everything. . . can You teach me how to give my life to You?" And then just try giving up something every day.

~TDH

A Motto, A Light

Steadfast. Immovable. A wall unwavering--convicted. That’s who I want to be. A Christian that will tell it how it is, but with meekness and fear: 1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is within you, with meekness and fear.” This verse is, basically, the foundation for my life. I like to think it has about four parts. First it tells us to put God first in our hearts--sanctify Him. Then next would be that Christians need to be able to defend themselves, to everyone. But, my favorite part of this verse is the reason we are giving an answer is because we have hope. A hope that sets us apart and brings someone on the outside to ask us where on earth this hope comes from. But we cannot ignore the last part of this verse: defending our hope with meekness and fear. Which, in essence, means that when we defend our truth we respect the “outsider” as an image of the Holy One, and express love the whole time--respectfully. All these aspects of this verse bring me to the belief that this needs to be the Christian motto. If we have answers, but no hope who will want it? If we have hope, but no meekness who will ask? If we have hope, answers, and meekness but no Holy God it holds no ground. Every part of this verse is crucial and each part needs each other. Let us never forget that. Also, let us take this verse and live it. Let’s have answers, hope, a Holy God, and respect. Let’s be salt and light. Let’s have a motto that works. God. Hope. Answers. Respect. Remember, you were put on earth for a reason--to shine. So shine with purpose, and never forget to stay true--unwavering. 1 Peter 3:15

~TDH


p.s.
sorry this is kinda late

A Life Lost. Eternity Gained.

(Warning: this is a morbid post. Proceed at your own desire to realize that humans die.) 

Do you ever wonder what others will say about you when you finally die? Well I sure do. In fact I think about it often. Why? The Bible says, "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). Our lives are simply short, yet we act as if we will live forever; but we won't. Everyone (except for Enoch and Elisha) has died. And there is no exclusion for you (or me). But we have no rational reason to be afraid of death anymore--because "Christ Jesus . . . abolished death and brought life and immortality" (2 Timothy 1:10). In Christ we are immortal. But that is a topic for another time. Which brings me to my next point--time. While Christ has dressed us in immortality, we still only have one life on this Earth. Many, including myself, have used James 4:14 to say that this life is so short that there is no point in putting anything that will last into it. We think of it like an investment. But yet we ignore that it is, in fact, an investment! Let me use one of my favorite examples found in the Bible--the parable of the 'talents:' "To one he [the master] gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. . . And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’" (Matthew 25:15-28). This parable is a wonderful example of how time on earth is an investment in greater things. We need to remember that this life matters more than we can fathom. We need to live with an abandon and never look back upon the worthlessness of comfort and security. Because this life is where the stakes are cast, and where we sit upon the edge of eternity passionately showing the narrow road to those who are so desperately lost. Well, that is what we need to be doing. Are you living with abandon for the gospel? Let's stop holding back. What do you have to lose anyway?
Just everything.

~TDH

The Final Word.

My favorite quote is by Jim Elliot. Who was a missionary murdered by the Aucca Indians in Ecuador. It reads like this: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." It just reminds me that life is fleeting and that God's gospel is not. "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death" (Revelation 12:11 emphases mine). A life 'lost' for the gospel is the best-spent life imaginable.

A Show Of Grace

It is a concept that is hard to put into words. You know how I have this "hobby" of defining words? Well, grace is one word that I have yet to define. It is just a concept that you need a whole book to grasp its entire meaning. In fact I once told a friend that there is a book on grace--the Bible. Sure, it is not just a "book on grace" but you cannot deny that grace waters the roots of many an account found inside its covers. And need I mention the essence of Christ's message--or His life's purpose? But how would you define grace? Some simplify it to mercy, some to forgiveness, some just don't worry about it, and they keep on sinning. My pastor has said that people "use" grace like a credit card (he calls it a grace card). He also says that it's wrong. Mainly because that is abusing grace. . . but I need to define it so that you can know what it means to abuse it. So here is my attempt at defining grace: (a) All encompassing forgiveness; having mercy and looking past all failures of the object or person. (b) Giving the forgiven strength to reach beyond their failure(s) and achieve greater things. (c) Looking at the object of failure and seeing them as without fault--forgetting. Yes, God does actually "forget" your sins: 'Then he says, "I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds"' (Hebrews 10:17). So, if we are all saved "by grace" why do we not fall on our knees daily in the mighty presence of the One and Only? I believe it is because we haven't defined it. Think with me for a few moments. . . if grace is what I just stated above, shouldn't we realize that it is not anything Someone less than everything can just give--freely? It makes me conclude that only a loving, holy, and almighty God could even--truly--comprehend, not to mention giving it for nothing. Reminds me of how the word love--if we follow 1 Corinthians 13--becomes a lifestyle. Shouldn't grace also become a lifestyle? If someone offends us can't we simply realize all that we have done to God and yet he forgot it. He remembers it no more. As far as the "east is from the west"--they are gone. Yet we pull out that old and broken promise made thirty years before--that we knew no one could keep--and refuse to even consider forgetting. Maybe, just maybe, if we see the depth of God's endless grace we would never hold a grudge. Maybe we need to fix our perspective. Maybe we need to show grace.

~TDH

Lewis, Heaven, and a Paradox

One of my favorite writings on heaven is the very last Narnia book by C. S. Lewis The Last Battle. It is my most beloved mainly because it plays and pulls on your imagination but describes just enough that you don't feel as if something is missing. Its . . .its. . . here why don't you see what I mean? 


*Setting: The four children of the Narnia series have just passed through a door that appeared as a stable. And have been running into great Narnian heroes in a beautiful land. They then meet Aslan:*


Lucy said, “We’re so afraid of being sent away, Aslan. And you have sent us back into our world so often.”

“No fear of that,” said Aslan. “Have you not guessed?”

Their hearts leaped and a wild hope rose within them.

“There was a real railway accident,” said Aslan softly. “Your father and mother and all of you are--as you used to call it in the Shadowlands--dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.”

And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.

I have nothing else to say (except that I have nothing else to say . . . . . PARADOX!).

~TDH and an excerpt from C. S. Lewis' The Last Battle.


Look up this: tlation.blogspot.com

Hail Harry vs. Tlation (arr!)

It was a warm balmy day sometime in June. Tlation never could tell you what day it was--he is a ship after all. All he knew was that the seasons changed and he most defiantly preferred the summer (even if the mollusks grew quicker on his hull). His captain was bringing a heavy load of tobacco over to Bristol where it would be traded for the colonist's favorite drink--(until a certain party) tea. He enjoyed the rush of the playful wind in his large open sails. They were traveling quite quickly and Tlation overheard the captin--who's name was Raim--tell the crew that if the wind stayed steady they would make it to port within two days. Tlation had done this trip many a time and had grown to trust captain Raim and knew his judgement was true. Even so, Tlation longed to stay out on the vast sea awhile longer. He relished the expanse of the ocean and enjoyed the company of dolphins and fish. He had made many friends in what he believed was his realm. But he was about to realize that it was, in fact, not his realm--there were many a vagabond roaming throughout the wide sea, and Tlation was about to be rudely reminded of this fact. For as his red and blue flag was snapped to-and-frow in the rushing wind some scum laid their telescope upon his emblem. Let us take a little trip aboard and over-hear the pirates: "Captn' there be a ship flyin' the royal colors to starboard," Gheim spit out, with a little of his tobacco (for Gheim loved tobacco). "That be so?" replied the captin' with a rough and deliberate drone. "Eye! And she be a-goin' steady east to-ward her homeland," for Tlation was a very British ship (even though he was made in Providence) and was always wishing to be either at sea or at port in Bristol. "Well, how is she riding in the water?" the captin' questioned Gheim. (Tlation hated being called a she...) "She be a riding as if she be carrin' a heavy load," Gheim snorted back to the captin' "and I hope she has some tabacce" he muttered under his breath. For Gheim was almost out our his weed and was pretty sure that Kleim was stealing it, but since he had been stealing Kleim's ale, he didn't want to say anything. "Well let's us go and have a-look-see," drawled the captain' as he abruptly brought their vessel (called the 'Hail Harry') to the starboard. This nearly threw Gheim from the bow and he just barely kept his temper from flaring red-hot at the captn'. The captain was not a man to recon with--even if you had the bigger stick--because he always won. So Gheim drew himself up again and muttered something along the lines of "...a ship of my own," before he wheeled out his telescope again to make sure that, his hopefully tobacco laden ship, had not strayed far from the time it took for his pride to be throughly wounded. Now we will go back to more pleasant surroundings--Tlation. "Captain!" Jable almost screamed, "there be a strange vessel coming over toward us--fast!" "What colors is she flying Jable?" the captain un-worriedly replied. "I cannot quite make them out. . . wait they are black and, and, white!" "Blast!" the captain muttered--just loud enough that Tlation could overhear him. "Prepare to defend!" the captain roared from the depths of emotion, "we musn't let these brutes take us easily--if at all!" Tlaion felt the whole crew scrambling throughout his whole expanse gathering swords, cannons, and guns. Tlation's heart--if ships have a heart--leapt with excitement and fear. "I hope that we can fend off these felons!" he said to himself because he didn't talk to the crew or even the captain. Since he is a ship, Tlation felt as if they would pay much better attention to sailing if they didn't feel watched by the very vessel they were riding the wild waves upon. So the crew--Raim, Jable, Snape, Lem, Oric, Divk, Eyril, and Hyro--prepared the cannons, loaded their guns and hunkered down a-waiting a brutal battle. By then the vagabonds were nearly upon them. The pirate captain hollered across the sparse area that separated the two very different ships, "All ye high and mighty King's men want to give all you're cargo so that we might spare ye lives?" (he almost spat out the words 'King's men.') But Raim replied, "never, even if it were a thousand to one we--or in that case I--would stand my ground to you ruthless villains until I had not a single breath left in by sea worn body!" Of course the worthless scum were almost hoping that the captain would say something along those lines and chucked their grappling hocks across the frighteningly small distance between the two vessels. They landed true and caught on Tlation's newly washed deck. Then those uncivilized brutes hauled the two ships together and jumped onto Tlation, brandishing swords and scowls. THe pirates were hoping to give the Brits an onslaught they wouldn't soon forget. Thankfully Oric had been able to fire one of the cannons and put a sizable hole right in those pirate's ugly--my apologies to Hail Harry--hull. But that wouldn't have stopped those marauders any easier that you could stop a freight train teen feet away that was going four-hundred miles-a-hour. After they leaped onto Tlation the real battle begun. The pirate captain went right for Raim's throat and missed it by a whisker. But Snape shot him in the shoulder and brought him to his knees before he could say 'ginger ale.' Raim then quickly disposed of the heartless captain as easily as if he had been a little guppy caught in a net. Once the rest of the outlaws saw the demise of their--very un-beloved--captain, they cut the ropes that intertwined the two ships together and jumped back aboard the Hail Harry quicker than it takes a father to think of a pun. And Tlation's crew was quite happy that they were rid of the beasts but they wished they could have killed the scum so that they would not be a threat to the 'King's men' any longer. And Before the hour glass was turned twice, the lop-sided vessel was out of sight from even the sharpest eyes. Tlation was reminded that he did not, in fact, 'own' the sea and would try remember that it's not just his story but one much larger that his little ship mind could grasp with even a thousand years of revelation. So he was content to remember that his Maker was the great master planner and that his part was to obey--no matter the tempests, tyrants, or villains that tried to 'get in the way'. But, this was only one of many adventures that Tlation encountered. More are to come. . .

~TDH

My Plan or His Plan?

      Purpose. God is a God of purpose. He has planed ever since He first spoke the wonder that is creation into existence--no even before. You could say that he is obsessed with His plan (because He is). Every single person ever born is a part of the greatest story ever told, that is, the story of Life, Death, and Humanity. God put specific people in specific places at specific times. In fact I would argue that He has done that with everyone. His aim was the furthering of Truth--the Truth of is His Son and His Son's ever-relentless love. And His love and ambition is seen in many a man's life. One of my favorite stories is of a broken man who felt as if his part in the Epic of humanity was no part at all. He was a blind man; blind from birth.
      His story can be found in the Bible. He isn't even given a name. He is just simply "the man born blind." But he played a masterful part in Life's Epic. I bet it wasn't easy though, in that culture it was thought that something like blindness was a "curse." And that it was brought about by sin. Even Christ's disciples asked "who sinned, this man or his parents?" (John 9:2). They thought that this blindness was a curse. I bet the "blind man" especially felt as if it was a curse. Imagine everyday knowing that you cannot see and that you have to beg others to give you money so that you can even eat. He must have often groaned in his spirit, I bet he even asked God "why did you have to make me blind?!?" But Christ tells us that it wasn't a curse--far from it. Jesus tells his disciples “this [blindness] happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him" (John 9:3). Now wait, this blindness was a good thing? I doubt that the blind man had even considered this beautiful possibility. Ponder with me what this man felt after he heard these freeing words. If I were him I would leap for joy knowing that God had made me blind on purpose. That my piece in the play of Life was to be blind SO THAT Jesus could heal me--and show the world His freeing power. That would have been the best day of my life if I were that blind man.
      If you think about it we all are (in a way) blind men. You might wonder why you just can't speak in front of more than twenty people without all your words tearing away from you faster that a hungry cheetah (I do). Or maybe you falter through a disease that haunts you constantly. You might be screaming out "why?!?!" You might be like me and feel as if it has no purpose. But we can look at this blind man and realize that God has a plan. And you know what? His plan is perfect. (Yes we mess with it but it is still a perfect plan) We all can take solace that God is our God. And we can know that our God is just waiting to tell us "no, you didn't mess up, it was My plan all along."

~TDH

Timely Heaven

I used to think that whenever people talked about Heaven it "ruined" it. Why did I feel this way? Well, whenever someone brought up heaven they always made it too small. The always said "seeing God will be beautiful," and then they just moved on like nothing really happened. Or they might have gone on, and on, and on, about what you thought Heaven can't possibly be like. I believe that most of us are just plain misinformed. We try to put Heaven into a box labeled "That one place without time or space." But it doesn't belong there. Wouldn't it be impossible to exist without time and space? It's how God made us--to occupy time and space (not wall street). Heaven will be so much more than just "passin' on to somethin' greater," but it will be experiencing the face of God--with others and without sin. In fact Heaven is in a way two places. In the Bible it talks about what is the present Heaven and a "new" Heaven--the New Earth. It is very important that we remember this. In this present Heaven we most likely know what is happening down on earth. And why not? Sure it might make us sad but we will be with God. Why would He have to shield us from hurt for it to be paradise? (But I don't know for sure.) And the New Earth, that will be when forever will "start." After Christ returns and judges everyone he will re-create the earth into something without any sin. And we will no longer even be able to sin. Why? How? Well we will remember what it was like back on sinful earth and know that we do not want to ever live through that pain again. Pretty amazing huh? Honestly I can't wait! I hope to see you there.

~TDH

p.s.
I learned all this from Randy Alcorn's book Heaven. I highly sugest reading it. (Like right now. So go find it and read it.)

Tlation

Tlaiton may seem like he is just a regular old wooden ship. If we are to look for him we will find him in Boston harbor awaiting to carry a load back to Bristol. He primarily carries tea to Boston and tobacco back to Bristol. But Tlaiton is not just any ship, he has a story like no other wooden vessel this side of India. And this story all starts in Providence Rhode Island. Tlaiton was "born" in Providence. His maker was named Blake and he had a crew of about ten men. Tlaiton was hand crafted from the rosy red wood in Massachusetts. Blake put an incredible amount of time and dedication into Tlaiton. He wanted Tlaiton to live longer and stronger than other ship. Blake did not do this because he was afraid that the world would forget him unless he did something great. He made Tlaiton with all this dedication so that Tlation could see, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his Maker cared about him. Sadly, Tlaiton has yet to see his Maker face to face, and he is not sure if he ever will. But he hopes that one day he can see the face of the One who cared enough to create him. After Tlaiton was finished and set off on his first voyage he could not but help overhear the captain and crew praising the workmanship of his very craft. This made Tlaiton very curious as to who his Maker was and why his Maker would bother to make him unique and beautiful. As time went on Tlaiton thought less and less about his Maker and more and more about himself. He started wondering if he really mattered. His crew started to take his intricate workmanship for granted and so did Tlaiton. He started to feel empty inside even though he knew he was packed full of tea for the thirsty colonists. He felt like nobody would truly care if he sunk into the dark depths and never flew his red and blue sails again. But one day he heard that Blake (his Maker) had sent a handmade rudder to Tlaitons crew. At that very moment Tlaiton knew that he was cared for. He knew that no matter what--Blake wanted him to succeed. Blake has a plan and purpose that Tlaiton could never dream up himself. He knew that his part in this life was so big that Blake had made him for a specific reason that he could do perfectly. Tlaiton from then on went from Boston to Bristol knowing that one day he would do something that other ships could but rot in wonder at. One day Tlaiton was going to change the world. But for now he is content to bring content to others one pound of tea at a time.

~TDH

Volumes of Joy

Change. It is something that happens to all of us. Sometimes we embrace it like a much needed relief, sometimes we try to reject it like a desease. No matter what we want, it still happens. It will happen quickly or slowly. But it still happens. Often we don't see how some actions reshape another person that happens to enter into our lives. For example a friend of mine has said in passing "I don't drink soda any more." And you know what? I haven't tasted a drop soda since. Just because of the fact that I thought it was a good idea. I have also said that books rework your thoughts. I have read so many books that I cannot tell you what I used to believe because it has changed so much in two years, that I am literally a different person. Even since the beginning of this year my thinking pattern has changed noticeably. People alter. People are modified by other people. A simple action that you perform without a passing thought can reshape someone's whole world. You might have ignored that one lonely little girl and now she hates everyone. Or you could have invested only one conversation in that sad boy in church and shown him that there is a God--a God of love. My actions matter. Your actions bring about influence. Wordless expressions are the tools of great, world-changing, leaders. How so? Your wordless expression--either a simple nod of approval or a sullen silence--can develop another person's whole world. You might have "told" them to do something and it happened to be the biggest life-changing decision of their whole life. Or you "told" them that it was not a wise investment and they missed out on what would have brought an embellishment into their story--their life. So next time you judgmentally speed past that guy holding a sign that says "Need $ anYthing HeLps God Bless", consider stoping and reaching out with love. Next time your head wipers in your ear "just walk past. It won't hurt a fly," don't believe it for a second. Because it's a lie. Live with a purpose--live with the thought "others matter. How can I show this person they matter to me?" and then do so with a joy that speaks volumes. Volumes that tend the change the world.

~TDH

People of My Past

To all you I will never know:

who were you and where'd you go?

What was your name?

And will this world be the same?

To where did you come and where'd you go?

Who'd you meet and who'd you know?

Could you write or read?

Did you even have a steed?

How old were you when you died?

And who'd your family confide?

Could you play an instrument?

What did make you content?

Who was your best friend?

And when did that friendship end?

Where you short or were you tall?

Did you even care at all?

Did you have a pet?

And who have you met?

But I suppose I'll never know,

who you were and where you did go.

So I guess I'll just wonder,

what you did when you were younger.

~TDH

This is a poem I wrote quite awhile ago. Hope you like it.

A Simple Mystery

Awhile ago I was reading through 1 Timothy and ran into a word that I felt was out of place. Let me give you the verse and see if you can catch the word that caught me off guard. "They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience" (1 Timothy 3:9). The word is mystery. Did it catch you a little mid stride like it did me? If you are like me you have kind of feel like you "know" what the Christian faith is. Like it was something tangible--it was concreate. Like I can prove it with "evidence." So I did what I thought was smart and jumped up from the couch and scrambled around our house for every translation of the Bible we owned. I snatched up a KJV from the bookshelf behind our couch, a NKJV from our other bookshelf in our living room, and a purple ESV from my sister's school work drawers. You know what I found? In every single translation the word was still mystery. Go look for yourself. But, there was one translation that was different: the NIV. The NIV reads "They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience." While the wording is the different the concept is the same. Deep truths and mystery, the first means something not easily (or quickly) found and not quite concreate. (think about it: truth is not an "idea" but an "ideal."--in essence anyway.*) The second is something that is difficult or "impossible" to understand: a mystery. Now I hate to admit this, but I thought Paul was wrong for calling the faith a mystery. I thought to myself that "it has to make since. Hasen't Christianity always made since? Maybe Paul was trying to say something different" but no matter how hard I tried I came up with nothing else that made since. Zilch. Nada. A big fat zero that was eating me up. At the same time that 1 Timothy 3:9 was having lunch on my mind, I was reading through C.S. Lewis' book A Grief Observed. And it just hit me. It all made since. I was out wandering in my backyard and thinking and meditating (Meditating on something is like chewing on food: you are tasting it and making it ready to be digested) on how much pain Lewis was expressing in his hurt-filled words. And it smacked me full in the face. Our faith is not physical, that is, it is not something that you can grasp in your hands and observe with a quizzical eye. It's like poetry. "Wait, what?" you might ask. Well let me use an example: poetry. Awhile ago I watched this movie called The Dead Poets Society. It is a movie about students that are attending an ivy-league collage somewhere in England. The whole story is centered around their poetry teacher and poetry. Well, near the beginning of the movie one of the students is reading the preface to their poetry textbook (which is talking about how if you take different elements of a poem and graph--yes graph--them that is how you should judge a poem) and the teacher interrupts the student mid-sentence and telles all of them to rip out the preface to their textbook and throw it away. Our faith is like poetry: you cannot just simple read a textbook about systematic theology and "graph" it and stick it in your little box labeled "faith" and just keep going on with life as if nothing has changed. You have to memorize it and think about it from different angles. You have to realize that it cannot be completely grasped at any time: you are always finding out a new asset of your faith that you never considered. You must realize that it is called a faith for a reason--you cannot use reason to explain it into something simple. You have to have faith in a mystery. You just have to believe.

~TDH

*Note on truth: Truth is not just black and white. Truth is a person--God. So yes there is a right and wrong--God is right and anything against Him is wrong. There is a such thing as truth and truth will always exist. But no mere man can indefinitely know truth, simply, because he is flawed to the core. God has to show us to truth, then we can know it.

A Cardboard-less Life

A favorite pastime of mine is defining words. Yeah I admit that is pretty nerdy, but I really don't care. I'd prefer to be nerdy than not be myself. (Anyway! That was totally digressing from the topic . . .  now where was I?) Oh yes: Defining words is a kind of hobby for me. Words quickly--and easily--lose their meanings when they are tossed around like a wilting salad. For example, the word love is thrown at everything from pizza to our best friends (or spouse) it almost loses its complete meaning. Another word that we have nearly lost the meaning of is God. People say things like "oh my g-d!" (I did not capitalize or completely write God in that example for a reason: it is using God's name in vain) Or some have said "I am g-d." It just drives me up the wall when people use the Creator's name for their own end--and lies. (And a pet peeve of mine is when people don't capitalize the word God) But--and I say but--something that is just as bad as using God's name in vain is giving a concrete meaning to the word God. "Now wait," you might say, "God can't be abstract!!!!!" And the truth is that God is NOT an abstract concept. Yet God is not a person that you can really define. Let me use an example: say you have a friend named Edward. Now if I asked you to define Edward how would you define him? You might say that he is funny, or fair, or a jerk. But I would not really know the definition of Edward unless I met him and got to know him, would I? My friend Joe once said that trying to describe a person is "like trying to sing a song to someone: you know exactly what it sounds like in your head, but the person hearing it for the first time from your mouth will not know what it really sounds like at all." You cannot describe a song. You cannot explain a person. You cannot define God. God is just too big, too mighty, too awesome. God created all that you see, touch, feel, smell, taste, know, think, and hope for. He is outside of time. He created it all for crying out loud! When we try to put God in a box we are taking the real God and replacing Him with a God that can fit into something that we can touch. We take the One who can do anything--within and beyond our imagination--and make Him small enough to fit into pieces of cardboard. God canNOT be defined. He just doesn't fit into the box that we call words. He is. He was. He alway will be. God. When you think you have God figured out--He changes. The only way God and boxes relate is that God will always be outside any box. And any box you find is just a boundary you created for yourself. So do me a favor and stomp the next box (or impossibility) you find into pieces of wet cardboard. Because when you have God, boxes are just places to put your stuff you don't ever use. If we lived like God was greater than this world, we would never steep into another box ever again.

~TDH

Investing In Paper

      I really enjoy books. No, I devour books. If I ever find a good book you will not find me on this planet for a few hours; because I'll be in a world made up of pages, words, and letters. A good story will captavate me and not let me go without a feeling of regret until I find out how that story ends. When that story's tale has run its course, I can finally breath easy knowing that those contained inside that book have finished their plight. All that to say, books are my favorite means of "entertainment." Why? I'll let Joseph Conrad explain, "One writes only half the book; the other half is with the reader." There is an enchanting quality in a book that envelopes your mind and your mind's imagination. When you read of the world contained on a page it expands to the horizons of your mind and takes on a vivid life. You see it as clearly as if you could touch it, yet there is a distant feeling that won't quite leave your side. You might laugh or even cry at the struggles the characters encounter. The story captures your heart and leaves your mind lingering on it when it has long been put back on the shelf. You were there when it seemed as if there was no escape and when they laid down to rest, you let out an easy breath knowing that they would make it to the end. You were there. 

      Whenever I find a good book I go on a journey. It is just an experience that is not worth passing up.  But it must not be taken as just a journey. Like my brother says, "books change you." That is why I don't take books lightly. They matter. And books either make you better or worse. They remind me that when you "entertain" yourself you are planting seeds. Seeds of change. Don't believe me? Think about the last time you imitated a movie or TV show. . . yeah about two hours ago right? Yes I'm guilty too. They effect us in ways that are to big to understand and ways that are too small to see. I--all too often--forget that when I journey through the world made of paper my mind is drinking it in like a man who just escaped from a vast desert. I am taking it to heart. Accepting it as my own. But is it my own? Should I accept it? More importantly: should I let it? Sometimes yes, oftentimes no. Either way it usually does. So just remember that when you do something you are investing your time, and mind, in it. By spending time doing something you are (by default) giving it value. Just remember that. When you watch a movie five times you are saying, loud and clear, "this matters to me!!" When you elapse into a book you are saying "this is how valuable I think my time is." Just remember that. We are all guilty. But, we all can become innocent. Just turn it off, or put it down, and show someone that they matter to you. By spending time with them. Believe me. You will be speaking loud and clear saying something that will last. You are simply saying "I love you."

~TDH

* Disclaimer: this is about good books/movies. Bad books/movies usually are the opposite.*

Day of "Love"

Valentine's Day is today. It seems like you either hate it with a burning passion or love it with an overcoming joy. If you are the first, I don't judge you. If you are the second, I am not with you. I am rather neutral to Valentine's Day. But I detest what our culture has transformed it into--a day to celebrate "couples" and to depress "singles." I feel as if we don't have any meaning attached to it anymore. (Well if you are married there is meaning... celebrating your love for each other) But still even if you are married we should ask "Why is Valentine's Day celebrated the way it is today?" Why the hearts? Why the poor little boys who would rather eat a worm that express "effection" to a girl? (No. I have sisters so I was never totally there.) Well how about a history lesson? So there is really no good answer to why Valentine's Day is celebrated the way it is. History is vague as to what happened to the original Valentine. But there is a legend. A legend that Claudius II outlawed mirage so that his army would not be "pulled away" from the front lines by their wives and children. So Valentine married couples that wanted to be married (and who just might have been Christians) illegally. He was then thrown into prison. While in prison he befriended the blind daughter of the guard, and healed her with God's help. (And she had been beseeching Roman "gods" for healing. This converted her into a Christian.) In fact legend has said that the blind daughter off the guard received the very first Valentine--from Valentine himself. After he gave the first Valentine, Valentine tried to escape to get married but was quickly recaptured. In the end Valentine was martyred. Pretty amazing legend isn't it? Well honestly even if it is just a legend, that's a good explanation for why Valentine's Day is even celebrated. Why don't people know this instead of blindly following a "holiday"? Life needs meaning. Life's celebrations need--they need I cannot express how important this is--meaning, and a reason to be celebrated. We must remember that holidays are an excellent occasion to express God's love to others. What better excuse that Valentine's Day? Go out and show God's love--and maybe, just maybe, it will be the daughter of a guard, who is blind.

~TDH

I must give all-most all the credit of the legend of Valentine to an Adventures In Odyssey episode I listened to a few years back. I don't remember the name of the episode but I highly suggest finding it and listing to it for yourself. The rest of the credit goes to Wikipedia.

p.s. an excellent place to find the "meaning" of love is 1 Corinthians 13

The Shattered World

Something is wrong. Wrong with the world and wrong with the world's people. This is a broken and dying world. And you know what? It's our fault. No . . . we are not causing global warming. I mean way back when Eve took the Serpent's lie--hook line and sinker. That moment. That is when everything went wrong. Man--who is the image of the very Creator of the universe--became broken. Our image of God cracked, and now it is broken beyond repair. "Wait, wait," you might say, "What about . . . you know, Jesus?" Well Jesus reminded us that we are broken. This world is so broken that He knew it could never be fixed all the way. (Yes He is God but He lets us have free will) When we cracked we lost something vital and gained something vicious. We lost our agape love (that is the word for selfless love in greek) and gained selfishness. We turned from looking out for each other--no matter the cost to ourselves--to looking in at ourselves and away from others. We were shattered away from togetherness to the broken shards of selfishness. The "something" that is wrong with the world is not him or her but it is me and you. We all too often forget that vital fact. We need to stop blaming and shaming everyone. We need to start loving and giving--of ourselves--to everyone. So now what about Jesus? Well Jesus came to "seek and save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10) with his perfectness. He came down from all His glory and became a broken man. But instead of becoming another broken shard, He lived a perfect unbroken life. So now when God looks at our mess He can say "it is good" once again. How? Instead of your broken shards He sees the stained-glass picture that makes Jesus unbroken. He forgets it all and just loves you like no shattered person ever could fathom. He slowly mends our broken lives and deliberately makes them a selfless masterpiece. But since this whole world is broken He can never finish the job He started. (Remember free will? Yeah that stops Him) So He decided that after we can no longer inhale, He will bring us to an un broken place. He will bring us to His palace. He will bring us into endless joy. So for now when you feel short of breath or when you simply cannot love your enemies, remember that one day you will journey to an unbroken place. A Palace that you can finally call Home.

~TDH

p.s.
An explanation of why my blog has the name A Thought Observed can be found at the bottom of the page under the title "Why A Thought Observed?"

A Still Magic

I enjoy thinking. I know people are always adding "new" dimensions to life but you could almost call thinking yet another dimension. I notice that when I truly think about something it usually gives the task more meaning, or I accomplish that task differently. That's a fifth of the reason why my blog has the name A Thought Observed. But I'll get to that later... So why the picture of a guitar? Well oddly enough I noticed that whenever I play my guitar I start to think. Not just mindless wandering through the expanse that has made up my life but very rational thinking that--it's hard to describe--almost flows. I remember events with almost a reverence--yet that is still the wrong word. I can be sitting there with my guitar in hand and my mind will not be with me but I will still be with my mind. It is truly a beautiful moment in my life when I can just stop, pull our my guitar, and lapse back in to the past with a clarity of a smooth stream that you can make out each the scales on every fish. I am almost in, in, in......--I'll call it Stream--Stream even when I am focused on singing while playing the guitar. But not quite. Stream is a place that I have also achieved elsewhere. Specifically when I went out side during a snow storm and was enveloped into the silence. I suppose there is almost a magic that has to bring you to a place like the Stream. You almost have to have your heart stilled to follow the insistent beckoning of your mind to the place of clarity. There are very few things that can compare to deep thought and the knowledge that God is right here. Always. So the next snow storm or clear night (The stars can have the same effect), I'm not going to be here: I'm going to be silently staring at that magic that will bring me to my Stream.

~TDH

p.s.
I'm not going to post every day. But I'll post often.

A Story of The Light

Jesse was born in the darkness. All he ever knew was the night. He thought that was all that there ever was. He had never seen the sun or the blue sky. He had never felt rain. He thought there was only a black sky filled with a moon and stars in the far distance. Then one day a man came to Jesse and told him there was something better than the dark and the moon. He told Jesse that there is something called day. This thing that was called day has a bright light source called the sun, and a phenomenon called rain. The man tried to explain all this to Jesse. But since Jesse had never heard of day or rain he was wary and afraid. He did not want to trust the man who told him that it was so much better that the dark. The man knew that Jesse was made for the light and that he belonged where there was a sun and rain. Jesse told the man that he would think about going to a place that did not have a moon and stars. But he still had doubts. It was totally different from what he knew that he doubted that it was even possible. Then the man left. Before he left he told Jesse he would return soon and that he hoped Jesse would join him when he returned. The man told Jesse he wanted him to come to the place where it rained and the son shone. There was not a moment that passed where Jesse did not think about this absurd place where water fell from a blue sky where a yellow ball gave light for all to see. He did not know when the man would return but he finally decided that he would go unto the place called day. Not long after he decided he would journey to day the man returned. Jesse told him he would follow him into the day. But not everyone else had listened to the man and they did not want to go. They became shadows in the darkness and the moon and stars were never seen again by anyone--shadow or man. The man then took his hand and led him unto the land of the sun. Jesse was surprised that the man was right--the day was even better than night. He loved the rain and could finally see what a world drenched in light looked like. He now knew what it meant to truly belong. He was finally home.

~TDH

Welcome.

Ever notice how blogs usually have longer posts than Facebook? Yeah me too. Well I'm a fan of that and I hope you (Mr./Mrs. reader) are as well. Welcome to my blog. My next post will be a story I wrote some time the last quarter of last year. Hope you enjoy it.

Tim. TDH

p.s.
my grammar is not always correct so if you notice that I'm sorry. But I'm getting better. It would help it you would point that out and I might not do it next time.