I Am Yours To Save - A Modern Psalm

Lord, you made me to be free
To live, to love, to create and to build
And to glorify you in all the things that I do
I am the work of your hands
I am the reflection of your desires

You share your Spirit with me so that I will know all these things
I am left in awe by your power; Your knowledge and wisdom inspire holy fear
You know me inside and out; It is both terrifying and glorious
You consume me with your passionate embrace
To know I am yours, filled with the life you give me
This is what I am for; This is why I live

Life's struggles come and go, but you are always there
You never fail me, even when I fail You
You stand with me, even in my shame and guilt
You bring light to my dark world so I can see these things
Why You love me is beyond me, but you do so all the same
Your well of grace seems bottomless and I am a thirsty man

I have tried to escape You, to reject you, to hide from you
But You will not let me go from your side because You are always by mine
I've been to the dens of the wicked and to the houses of Your Saints
And you are always there with me when I sin and when I pray
You refuse to let me die the death that my flesh seems to crave
My brokeness is Yours to fix if you can bend my heart

Lord I cannot live without You. I am resigned to that
But it's been hard to be here all alone while I am in this crowd of strangers
I know the love that You denied me, You have returned it seven fold
I try not to be angry; I just want to be whole
The sweeping pain of loneliness sears my soul with Your mark
But I am not alone; I know you understand my pain

You know what it means to feel love that is denied
You have felt the crowds rejection, You've known loneliness at night
You know what it means to spend a night in fear
To cling to All that's good and do what's right in the face of evil
For this alone I will choose You, because you understand me
I know that you will always love me despite my inconsistency

For this I thank You and I praise Your Mighty Name
You will be my God and I will be yours eternally
I will use the gifts you give me and I will pass them on to others
I will teach them to learn from your grace and to bear it with your strength
I will not deny Your power or Your Spirit
Despite my brokeness, I am yours to save

I'm Not Sure I can Go On...

I suppose it was just a matter of time. It was going to happen sooner than later and I probably should have already addressed this last week when it happened. I was just so shocked by the whole thing, but really, should I have been? You think you know someone. You think they are your good and trusted friend and then with one phone call they turn on you. How can this sort of thing happen?

Last week, my allegedly "good friend"  and pastor who we will call "Steve" "Bob", said that my dog was ugly. There are many things that you can say to another man and get away with it, but this is akin to telling someone their baby is ugly.

I am so hurt. I am bereft of life's vigor and joy. That someone I regarded as a friend would say to me, "your dog is ugly" leaves me nonplussed.

Do you think my dog is ugly?

 How could you not love this animal. What kind of person says such things? I think I deserve an apology. I suppose I could be over reacting, but it's also possible that Steve Bob does not know cute, huggable and lovable when he sees it. And just so you recognize Steve Bob when you see him...I have added his photo here too.

I'm thinking he's jealous. He does not have Oliver the Wonder Dog. He wants one.