It's what I need. It's what I long for this morning.

Am I being outlandish? Completely. Counterintuitive to my daily pursuits? Utterly. But the truth of it is, I need to be weak. The Word of God is flooded with people, stories and examples of weakness. Endured weakness, failed weakness, transformed weakness and transforming weakness. And I’m going to make a bold statement here, but at the crux of Christianity lies a willing surrender to confess weakness.

I heard an incredible statement lately that won’t loose itself. “People will admire you for being strong, but they’ll love you for being weak.” That’s it! This is where my soul longs to rest. I have tried for so long to be strong. In fact, when I look at my life and my standard of living today, I strive for strength on a day-to-day basis. I covet admiration and affirmation from others. I long for people to see me as unshakable. Even from a spiritual standpoint, I long to be described with rock-solid faith. And although I say I dislike being the center of attention, something in me still craves being a source of attention. Bottom line, I fear failure. I fear being weak.

Man strives toward perfection, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve yet to meet any such source. God knows, I still fighting tooth and nail to see its fruition though. Being weak is my ticket to strength. It’s that willingness and that willing surrender, that draw me toward love—my deepest need. The love I crave is satisfied in realizing my neediness for it. And a man named Jesus Christ stepped-out of heaven to personify that need.

Our greatest understanding of Love rises from our greatest understandings of weakness apart from it. And our greatest strength toward knowing Jesus must be prefaced by a great willingness to know our weakness. “For when I am weak, then I am strong” 2 Corinthians 12:10.

The priorities of college students...a far cry from Jesus, but maybe Apple is better than Amstell Light??...http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/07/college.in.ap/index.html

http://theresurgence.com/?q=blog/2:

A comparison of Jack Bauer and Jesus...my sentiments exactly.

I’ve grabbed hold of a truth lately, which I dare not receive, nor carry, lightly, as it potentials grave misunderstanding. Thus, I’m delicately handing this “explanation” over to the elegance of our Lord.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11

There seems a grave difference between "seeing the beauty of God," versus "seeing the God of beauty." That says nothing of inherent wrongness in seeing the richness of a flower, or ascribing splendor to sheer appearance. The tragedy, however, is commending such beauty as beauty itself—as nothing more than a realized appearance. It’s the danger of confining beauty to the task of its object. A flower may well be beautiful, and your naked eye rightly touched by its marvel. But such beauty can only span so far—such touching can only press so deep.

Ample measures in beauty’s depth, and adequate meanings in her height, require ardent discovery of her Maker. Beauty can only reach full beautification under the sensitive hands of her Designer. No element of beauty—no essence of being beautiful—finds existence apart from God. So to finalize a grasp of beauty, by terminating at perceived beauty alone, we've robbed ourselves of the greater beauty—Beauty herself. All beauty flows from God, so that in tasting a delicacy, or detailing an aroma, we must learn to ascribe the Creator, at the hand of the creation.

Father, may we never acknowledge beauty apart from You, or know Beauty as anything but You. With Gratitude, Your children.

I was challenged by these high school seniors standing up for what they believe:

LifeWay Article: Students, at Graduation, Pray to Protest Judge's Ruling

In conversations of tough times in life, a girl I mentor wrote a challenging word this morning: "Considering what we don't deserve (outside the grace of Jesus) seems like it helps to squash expectations that often lead to a hugely dissapointing views of the world. Rather than asking the question, "Why all this bad stuff?" perhaps we should try asking, "Why anything good?"  Under this mindset, life looks pretty different......the fact that God can, let alone chooses to, resurrect any bit of good from an earth where everyone rebels is such a miracle."

Grace. Amazing, amazing grace. It's why we live and should be what we live for. Be thankful today that we've been called into another series of breaths.

And pray for Indonesia.

Taylor Hicks has been named 2006’s American Idol after viewers of the talent show cast nearly 64 million votes in one night — more votes than any US president has received."

Enough Said.

Using God—a concept foreign to me, until last week. Well, foreign in the sense of never having recognized it. In short, it was the first time I realized how often my encounters with God assume an end, or result, if you will. Whether it’s an answer, direction, or even new composition, seldom do I find myself spending time with God just to spend time with Him. And don’t get me wrong, blatantly bad motives haven’t been exempt from our relationship, but at least they’re disguised as “need-based” rendezvous, or seasons of God in the Santa Claus costume. Never though, had I found myself in this ‘using God’ mentality, where His means simply assumed my desired end.

Last week was different though. My time with God somehow began necessitating (often unintentionally) an “end” different from what I’d started with. In other words, there was a presupposition that after spending time with Him, there would rest a stained advancement of our meeting—a tangible evidence of my gain. And in some ways, you’re probably saying, “That’s good, isn’t it…it means you’re constantly learning and growing in your relationship?” And to a certain extent, I agree. No man stands a chance of spending time with God and not experiencing change, but these changes are unpredictable graces and thus, should not and cannot be assumed! Miraculous changes accompany God’s presence, but woe is me to expect, let alone attempt, predicting such changes. For in doing so, I forfeit my ability to enjoy God—to be in His presence. Furthermore, there rises an exhausting intensity and intense suppression of the cultivated quiet God desires for my heart. Finally, I lose sight of the joys of being with God and finding absolution in that posture.

God, I want to enjoy You today. I want to experience and encounter You in a one-sided way—in a way that YOU serve as the sole means and end to our relationship. Father, I know You well enough to realize change and changing ends automatically spill from Your presence. But Father, I also know me well enough to realize my assumed role in that changing, or sought after end in Your changes. Guide me to a place of being with you today. Being still and knowing You without a pretense, or expected destination. And in doing so, remembering the joy therein and the purity from there out.