Joyride

 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”  - Luke 12:13-21 ESV


The act of self-humiliation
Is better than
Defecating on yourself
After you've denied the realities
Of your true nature
And realize that the standard
Isn't found in your wealth
It's been all but forgotten
'Til the Grim Reaper comes knockin'
And you trade
Your thousand count thread sheets
For one of those silk-lined coffins

A life of burnt offerings...
Instead of being a living sacrifice
You settled for living big and suffering
And your passion for pleasures
Measures up to a disaster
When you live that empty life to the fullest
And say never mind
To what comes after

The crucial part to figuring out
You've got a problem
Is to know you're at the bottom
When your toes scratch the surface
You know you've run out of options
Thinking you can just keep digging
In hopes of seeing the other side
Would be an exercise in futility -
You'll end up buried alive

All your strivin' and your strugglin'
It'll all be for nothin'
It's love in an elevator
With no working buttons
Live it up while you're goin' down
There's no stoppin' 'til you hit the ground
Your joyride reached its capacity
The silver cable's been severed;
No mercy to be found

Working for the weekend
Only brings about a weak end
And your accumulation of stuff
Took you deep six
In the deep end
But it was all but forgotten
Until the Grim Reaper came knockin'
And you traded
Your thousand count thread sheets
For one of those silk-lined coffins...

cf. Ecclesiastes 5:8-19


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Zeros and Ones: Content In Christ

We bring our discipleship series to a close by looking at one of the most misconstrued and misunderstood passages in all of scripture (Philippians 4:13). As we study and cross reference - allowing the scripture to interpret itself - we discover that this verse is more that just a catch all for positive actions. In its proper context, we are being offered so much more. This truth flies in the face of what is known in present day as the "Prosperity/Word of Faith" movement...

Did Jesus come to make you happy? Make you rich? Did he die to make your life "abundant" and easy?!

Yes. But probably not in the way that you think...



Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Zeros & Ones: Rejoicing In Christ

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:8-9 ESV
  Soli Deo Gloria,
 Shon

True Blood

If I would've been there 

I would've done the same 

I would've been the first one to ridicule 

And put him to shame 

I definitely would've been the one 

That hated Him the most 

So, He did what He had to do... 

 

He killed us both. 

 

And when He got back up 

He brought me along 

To drink from His cup 

And sing a new song 

Truest blood shed from His wounds 

Forever covers my deepest stains 

 

Now I'm alive in Christ -- 

His death. My gain.

 

Isaiah 53:1-12; Galatians 2:20 

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Deliverance

Came into the world with collapsed lungs
And a heart barely beating
My beginning could be the end
If I don’t respond to the treatments
The prognosis – it ain’t pretty
Doc’s preparing my mother for the worst
Sayin’ even if I make it to tomorrow
My future would still be uncertain
But just as the curtain closed
She knows something that they don’t know
A Great Physician with a different opinion
On how the story’s supposed to go

“Lord, if it’s his time, that’s fine
But if he lives, he won’t be mine…
He’ll be yours to shape and mold
Give him life and make him shine”

The curse of death was looming heavy
But He chose to remove it
Took a broken, feeble fetus
And He purposed to renew it
So when I get fed up
And want to let up
Thinking that I’ll never make it through this
I remember His past mercies
And how relentless His pursuit is
He makes all things good
And critics attribute it to “western privilege”

But the postman always rings twice
And only the Christ can deliver

Psalm 22:9-10, 51:5, Psalm 139:14; Matthew 6:13; Galatians 1:3-5
 
Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Zeros and Ones: Why Did Jesus Come?

In this discussion, we take a look at the reason that Jesus Christ had to come to us...
To bring us to God.

We discuss the radical nature of sin and how it effects all of us. Putting us in dire need of a savior from the wrath of God for our inherent evilness, Jesus comes not only to call us to repentance, but to satisfy the wrath of God by becoming sin for us.

"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." - Mark 2:17

Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

(Puttin' On) Airs

"I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind." - Ecclesiastes 1:14 ESV

They’ve been standin’ in line for days

Pushin’ their way to the front

Paying to have greatness

On the tip of their toungues

The time has finally come –

And when the clock struck midnight

The whole crowd went dumb

So awestruck and amazed

That you’d think that it was something

That the Lord had made

But the reality is

That the object of devotion and praise

Was made by a young girl in a sweatshop

Working for twenty cents a day

And the dude they pay homage to

Most of ’em have never even seen him play

It’s a fashion statement – a status symbol

Meant to portray what’s hot in the street

But contrary to the namesake

The high cost don’t get you no further

From the ground beneath your feet...

 

(Ecclesiastes 1:14-17; 2:11-26; 4:4-16; 6:9; Mark 8:36)

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

 

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Omnia Vincit Amor

“You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” - (Song of Solomon 4:7 ESV)

She thinks I’m on one
And that my intentions are dumb
Always calling me stupid
And telling me I should know better
Sometimes she even says that I could do better…
Than her?!
No sir.
Omnia vincit amor
She’s everything I could ever want or ask for 

But she sees herself as gangly and unkempt
And when I call her beautiful
She holds me in contempt
Tells me that I put her on a pedestal
To which I reply, “Guilty as charged”
She is a lily among the thorns
And the captor of my heart
Every time I see her face
I’m reminded that it’s her lips alone
That I want to taste…
A glimpse of God’s grace
Omnia vincit amor
She’s the only one that I adore 

She rejects my neglect of her imperfections
Dissects herself through harsh introspection
And tries to convince me to see them
But she doesn’t understand
Since Jesus had to bleed for us
I have no need to make a fuss
She’s altogether lovely
Perfect from head to toe
She’s better than wine
So I have to take her in slow
Omnia vincit amor
So intoxicated by this love
That it brings me to the floor 

Fearfully and wonderfully made
So what is there possibly to hate?
I’m a zealot for her affections
It’s only her hand that I’m willing to take
Others may disregard her value
But she’s worth more than I dare to say
The statuesque features
Of such a heavenly creature
Speak to the truth…
Something the Lord’s made 

She’s not just a “dime” or a “cutie”
She carries within her a deeper beauty
A courageous heart and sense of justice
A faithful daughter; a mother on duty
So when it’s been one of those days
And it’s like the world is on her case
I find nothing but pleasure in doing all I can
To show how much I lover her
And bring a smile to her face 

Omnia vincit amor
Forevermore.


“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…”
- (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV)



Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)