tough time turned to tougher will of mind.

the simplest things, words, gestures can ignite powerful encouragement in others.
thank you for sitting to eat with me, my brother. for your kindness and intentionality has energized me. thank you for spurring me on to work diligently at my trade as you work at yours.

tough time turned to tougher will of mind.

p.s. this community, oh, how they make a way for us to gather and enjoy life together!

I think I ought to start a new blog.
This one is geared toward very personal, poetic & spiritual ponderings.

It could be beneficial to have a separate blog to which I can post professional, work-related writing... the sort writing that I would hope to write for other blogs & what not.

So, I guess I'll work on that over Break!
For now - gotta keep my head in the books!

a gift, a burden, a destiny

words aching for release

they keep me from scholarship

they must be free

for me to be as i foresee

 Sometimes gifts carry burdens, but such burdens are light; for in using such gifts, another is built up. This, dear friends, is the beautiful work of Espíritu Santo. His Holy Spirit, living, breathing, moving within and between us. The burden of the gift is hardly a burden as it leads me to "run my race", to trudge away toward fulfilling the potential He destined in me. 

Jesse Rachelle Yoder | 27 November 2012

words aching for release

they keep me from scholarship

they must be free

for me to be as i seek

it's a whirlwind in this head of mine
many o' gray matter to decide where i stand

the things i do not grasp outweigh that which i do
even that which i consider known is subject to stray

if i know what i ought to do and yet do it not,
i am missing the archer's mark

to continue in a way as such, is to walk a lacking path
as there are paths abundant made out for me

ways are not external bliss,
no manner of trekking with winds harmonious

abundance is the internal state with which i travel
like an eye to the hurricane that surrounds me always



"God surpasses our dreams when we reach past our personal plans and agendas to grab the hand of Christ and walk the path He has chosen for us."

Don't trade your birthright for a bowl of stew.

Thought this was great, from http://lore.com/about/

"We’re born hungry to learn, a gift that pushes us to explore, discover, and study our surrounding universe. It’s what makes us human, and what pushes us forward. It’s why we wake up excited and go to bed restless. It breeds a sense of wonder, a sense that anything’s possible if only we learn how.
Learning is about people.
A class engrossed by a zealous professor. A reader hunting for answers. A pair delving into a fiery debate. Our pursuit of knowledge flows through our connections. And while we learn—while we consume, create, experiment—we’re teaching, too."

Oh, how i look forward to being in that so familiar place.

I am...
how can i answer that question?...

Utmost, Is Your Mind Stayed on God

Is Your Mind Stayed on God?

utmost.org Feb 11, 2012

 

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You —Isaiah 26:3

Is your mind stayed on God or is it starved? Starvation of the mind, caused by neglect, is one of the chief sources of exhaustion and weakness in a servant’s life. If you have never used your mind to place yourself before God, begin to do it now. There is no reason to wait for God to come to you. You must turn your thoughts and your eyes away from the face of idols and look to Him and be saved (see Isaiah 45:22).

Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ . . .” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be one of the greatest assets of your faith when a time of trial comes, because then your faith and the Spirit of God will work together. When you have thoughts and ideas that are worthy of credit to God, learn to compare and associate them with all that happens in nature-the rising and the setting of the sun, the shining of the moon and the stars, and the changing of the seasons. You will begin to see that your thoughts are from God as well, and your mind will no longer be at the mercy of your impulsive thinking, but will always be used in service to God.
“We have sinned with our fathers . . . [and] . . . did not remember . . .” (Psalm 106:6-7). Then prod your memory and wake up immediately. Don’t say to yourself, “But God is not talking to me right now.” He ought to be. Remember whose you are and whom you serve. Encourage yourself to remember, and your affection for God will increase tenfold. Your mind will no longer be starved, but will be quick and enthusiastic, and your hope will be inexpressibly bright.

on the subject of writing

on the subject of writing,
when i sit down to write, the feeling that comes could be rightfully compared to the pulling of teeth,
yet in retrospect, it's a beauty i am grateful to have to ability & opportunity to bear

grammatically undeveloped & poetically scatter-brained

a draft of thoughts undeveloped...

i find myself desiring, a familiar face to appear
intentions pure, interactions gentle
to embrace me as a pearl,

i find in this a fallacy,
a false object for my hope,
my redemption is in no man

You are my redemption
You are my redemption story
You are Author, You are Prince

You will use man to display Your grace,
for he is just as much a part of this as i
but that man is still yet unknown, to the minds here below

You are my redemption story
a story not yet fully told
within the foundation we proceed
proceed forth to see what You've set
as paths ready for these feet to journey
this is no story already told,
'tis a living breathing tale
with each breath a petal to unfold
a step forward'll never be a fail

this is the story of my redemption
this is the story of my family's redemption
this is Your story
the story in which You claim me as Your own
this is the story in which You make me Your own
this is our story
You began the adventure
You develop the character
You perfect the content of the character

i am in the middle of this story,
we're only a few chapters in,
the times i see are but a chapter of the greatest novel, transcending all time
 i am but a part of Your grand story

my story has just begun
the story of us is