Resurrection!

Azphalt has been on hiatus for nearly an entire year!  The original proprietor branched off (see her blog here).  Azphalt is under new management, and some great things are in store.  I'm not exactly sure what those great things are yet, but they're certainly in store!

Check back soon!

Something Beautiful

From this week's Chrio e-Newsletter...thoughts from our pastor Richard:

Church. Just say the word out loud and you’re almost guaranteed a reaction. For some the idea of church is about as welcome as eating a bucket of KFC at a vegetarian banquet. Others will gladly regale you with childhood stories of boredom so severe, they’d have gladly swapped their pew for a dentist’s chair or staying after school. And others could break your heart with true experiences of toe-curling judgment, mean-spirited rejection, or foul-smelling hypocrisy. I bet you have your own stories. If you don’t yet, I’m sure you will. I’ve got a few.

But despite it all, I still love the church. I really do. I don’t love it in the way you love your grandma who smells funny but still gives you twenty bucks on your birthday. I love it like a hungry kid and a bag of Cheet-O’s. Like a dog loves a fresh milk-bone. That kind of love.

And I know the church has lots of flaws. Inevitably, churches have people in them, and wherever you find people, you’ll find problems. (Now if we could just get rid of the people, we’d really be onto something, right?) Of course, when I look in the mirror, I find that I, too, am often part of the problem.

But here’s why I still love the church, no matter what. I love it because Jesus does. He uses words like beautiful bride, family, and body of Christ to describe us. He sees us like a proud parent watching their child stumble through “Chop-sticks” on the piano. He knows what the song is supposed to sound like, but He loves us still. And He’s able to make the song beautiful, even when we miss some notes or strike the wrong chord. He’s that big. He’s that good. Not that we shouldn’t keep practicing, keep improving. The song we play together is a work in progress. But it’s a song that still needs to be heard, a chorus we keep inviting others to join.

What makes us so valuable, so indispensable is not how “together” we are. Rather, it’s because of Jesus, the One who loves us, who calls us His own, and who makes out of us something beautiful.

Giraffe!

Enjoy a catchy tune by Pawl & Friends. Lovely lady Nicole sings with her main man Pawl...GIRAFFE!

Stunning Hope

What inspires you?

At 7am, I woke up with a promise---the stunning hope of Jeremiah 29:11:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Suddenly, my mind conjured a succession of songs.

1) Better Is One Day

2) Amazing Love

3) Take My Life and Let It Be

Even in my current state of sleep-deprivity (it's post-modern) I couldn't help but feel energized and uplifted. Poking around on facebook (oh reaaalllly) I found a quote worth sharing from my friend Allison's page:

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

Attitudes of the heart

When I wake, my first awareness is usually spiritual. A prayer or a certain scripture frequently emerges at the surface of my mind. Two that have appeared lately are one from Hebrews and another from Proverbs.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

Or when I feel sad and generally low...

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.

Proverbs 43:5

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9

And NOW to sum ALL THIS UP (but truly I could recount and reflect forever) my friend Kelli reminded me a little while ago about the longest Psalm in the Bible--Psalm 119. For 176 verses, the Psalmist communicates his desire and love in/for obeying the wisdom of God. Many times, the word obedience carries a negative connotation. It implies a lack of choice, a forced submission---against the will. Recently, in my readings for class, I came across a different view of authority. One, I feel expresses the sentiments of the Psalmist perfectly.

...authority cannot actually be bestowed, but is acquired and must be acquired, if someone is to lay claim to it. It rests on recognition and hence on an act of reason itself which, aware of its own limitations, accepts that others have better understanding. Authority in this sense, properly understood, has nothing to do with blind obedience to a command. Indeed, authority has nothing to do with obedience, but rather with knowledge. Hans-Georg Gadamer

⁴⁷ for I delight in your commands
because I love them.

(for the rest of Psalm 119 go here)

Special Delivery

Did YOU send me flowers?!? If you did...THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!! Just the little pick me up I needed. :-) Also...Adam emailed a pic of the fall display at the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Pretty neat!

Amor Signatur in Hac Domo

Or in English---"Love lives in this house." I really want this sign for my entryway. Check out DesignSponge HERE for a little inspiration. And for those of us who have seen A Serious Man...

When the truth is found to be lies
And all the joy within you dies

Don't you want somebody to love
Don't you need somebody to love
Wouldn't you love somebody to love
You better find somebody to love