I heard this on KLOVE today and it really got to me... I've been very convicted recently about how I spend my spare time and what I've been consuming, entertainment-wise.  I just have to hit my knees and ask God to give me the strength to make righteous choices and to constantly be seeking for His light to shine on my path.  Thank God (literally) that He is a God of forgiveness and grace -- where would I be, but for the hope He gives me to persevere!

Romans 7:15-24

For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I {would} like to {do,} but I am doing the very thing I hate.  But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good.  So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me.  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.  For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish.  But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.  I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good.  For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.  Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

I got the following from my brother, who got it from his morning prep sheet (i.e., from a website full of ideas and talking points for radio on-air personalities to discuss). I don't know who wrote it. And before you start commenting economical gloom and doom, and screaming about the $700B bailout, I'm not saying that everything's coming up roses -- I'm not that naive, and I don't think we should ignore the problems in our economy. I am saying, however, that I think we need to keep some perspective and not give in to the fear-mongering of the incessant CNNMSNBCFoxABCCBS talking bobbleheads. Take a deep breath and repeat after me: We are NOT in The Great Depression, Part II.
--------------------------

click the picture -- you know you want to!

...and what makes it so good is that it's so plausible!

just under a week ago, early on Saturday 2/16/2008, my amazing grandmother, Dolores Taliaferro, passed away from this world. i know she was a born-again believer, and that Jesus welcomed her with open arms and a smile and said "Well done, good and faithful servant." it'll be tough for me and my family without her, but i am happy that she is no longer in a painful and depressive state, fighting with a body that just didn't want to do what was expected of it.

as i said in my picture description, she was among the wisest and most fiercely loving people i've ever known. her family took precedent over all else, and woe to anyone who tried to bring us down. she was also a fun-loving woman, always up for a game of Uno or Rummikub or Wahoo!, and she enjoyed nothing more than getting her hands dirty in her garden or sitting with her feet in a babbling creek, relaxing to the sound of the moving water. she was both a great lady and a mischeivous tomboy. nobody told DJ what to do - she had a strong independent spirit, and gave me a great example of what an adult of virtue and integrity looked and behaved like.

my Granny gave me many things, from my smile (literally -- she helped pay for the braces!) to much of my clothes, from my sense of justice to my intense stubborness. i couldn't count the number of times from my childhood on through college that she fed me, entertained me, clothed me, and gave me a place to lay my head. (i'm sure my parents are as grateful as i am that she was in Norman during my tenure at OU -- i can't even imagine what those four and a half years would have been like without her there!)

i could write entire tomes on how amazing my Granny was, but i'll show you instead. my brother put together the following photo-movie of her. i hope you can see a glimpse of the beautiful, courageous, bright, loving woman that i knew. she was a blessing to all who knew her, and she will be dearly missed.


Dolores Taliaferro Memorial from Gabriel Jordan on Vimeo.

I have failed.  No, I'm not referencing school again, or my job, or any other such matter -- that's another blog post unto itself.  I'm talking about how, as a friend, as a sister, as a lover, as a Christian, my love has failed others.  And how the fact that I have been failed by others is not an excuse for my failing love.

What is amazing to the point of being unfathomable to me is the concept that no matter how far we run from Christ's open arms, no matter how many times our words and actions deny Him, no matter what we do, He is always there to love us.  He is always waiting for us to turn back to him and run into His arms!  He is so much more faithful and merciful and encouraging and uplifting and, well, LOVING than we could ever dream of deserving -- but that's the best part.  We do not and could not ever actually deserve it, and yet He keeps on giving it.  "Love thy neighbor as thyself"  "Love thine enemy," these aren't just cliches to God.

Two songs have really hammered that point home for me recently:  Chris Tomlin's "Unfailing Love" (as posted on this blog) and FFH's "Great Big Problem".  Read the lyrics, listen to the songs, and be encouraged to love more.  People will stumble and disappoint you, but Christ never will.

GREAT BIG PROBLEM by FFH

You were once with me
But you decided to turn
Now my jealousy
Is a fire that burns
To the core of me
When will I ever learn

I could walk away
But that wouldn't be like me
I could turn my face
But then I couldn't see
You coming back to me
I'm waiting for that day

I've got a great big problem
You can't ever get to the bottom of –
My love, no matter what you do
I can't let you go
I've got a great big problem
You can't ever get to the bottom of –
My love
I can't let you go

You refuse to be
The one I meant for you to be
If you could only see
How this is killing me
You'd come back to me
I would set you free

I call your name
But it's always the same
You walk away
It's always the same

Behind the Song:
Listen to His voice: "How can I give up on you? How can I turn you loose? How can I leave you to be ruined and devastated? I can't bear to even think such thoughts. My insides churn in protest." (Hosea 11:8)

the second movie profiled in the montage was written by my cousin, Jed -- and he's in it, too. (good luck guessing which one he is :) ) i'm so excited for him!

Check out this video: NESHUIFILMS REEL



Add to My Profile | More Videos