Emily Cook's Blog, page 18
November 11, 2014
The Unfinished Fight (Veteran's Day)
On this Veteran's Day, a word from my favorite veteran, my husband, Joshua Cook.
This is an address he delivered at our local high school yesterday.
The Unfinished Fight (by Joshua Cook)
Veterans Day is a day that our nation takes time to honor those men and women who made the sacrifice to serve our nation’s armed forces. For many veterans it is a day mixed with sorrow and joy. Sorrow, because they know personally the cost of freedom, the cost of standing up to evil and not backing down. Perhaps they have lost their friends or family members. Perhaps they have lost a spouse to divorce because of the hardship that deployments bring. Perhaps they still wake up with a start in the dead of the night. Fighting evil has its costs, and our veterans know the cost all to well. And yet, there is joy on this day as well. Joy that a nation has not yet forgotten. Joy that there is still enough honor and respect left in the world to commend those who have fought for freedom, who have placed their neighbor’s good before their own.
Jesus said: “Greater love hath no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Of course we know that God’s only begotten Son had even greater love – he laid down his life even for his enemies, so that all who believe in him might have eternal life. Students of Trinity Lutheran High School, you have been given the privilege of this education first by Christ, who has made you his own, and second by those people in your lives, parents, grandparents, teachers, and veterans too, who believe that it is our responsibility and privilege to stand up against evil and to serve our neighbor in love.
Edmund Burke said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” On this Veteran’s Day, it is most fitting that we honor and commemorate our nation’s good men and women. But this Veteran’s Day will mean nothing in the years to come, if you and your generation choose to do nothing. Veteran’s Day should also stand as a day for all men and women to consider their God-given talents, and to ask themselves honestly: “What can I do to help?” “What is my part in standing up to evil?”
I am not saying that this fight will be easy. It will not. Some will be asked to lay down their lives, even as those whom we honor on this day did. But there is honor in this fight. Some will try to tell you that the fight is “all for nothing”—but they are wrong. Their defeatism is evidence of their lack of hope. But we are not those who are without hope, for we are remade by Christ’s forgiveness. “Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called children of God, and So We Are.” This love is not only upon us, it is within us. It is what makes it possible to serve our neighbor in love, and to lay down our lives for our friends. Christ allows us to participate in his victory over evil–it is no small task–but it is an honorable one.
In conclusion, I’d like to leave you with a portion of Lincoln’s well-known Gettysburg Address, which in my mind is the single-greatest tribute and call to action that has ever been offered in honor of our nation’s fallen heroes:
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Thanking God today for those who stand between us and evil, who sacrifice more than we can imagine to protect our freedom.
November 10, 2014
smoke
The smell of cigarettes has always been comforting to her, unless she was pregnant. She wasn't now, so when the beach breeze blew those fumes she found herself suddenly remembering her grandfather. His embrace, given long ago, and uncles with beer breath and tickly beards, and cousins climbing trees and swinging on swings and spilling lemonade on grandma's tile floor. Grandma never seemed to mind, and though she took it for granted when she was a child, her patience seems remarkable now. That dear woman, with her foard of children and grandchildren. Did her skin ever bristle with the noise and the touches? Did she ever want to climb into a bottle and hide for a month? She remembered the cool skin of grandma's arms, the way she smiled as she sat on the dock and watched the little ones play in the water.“Ew, why does he need to be so close to us with that nasty smoke?” her daughter said, rolling her eyes. Mom watched as the young girl picked up her beach towel and shook it with pointed disgust. She felt an expression come over her own face, one that was once her grandmothers: a thin smile, an acquiescence to the ignorance of youth. She would not bother trying to explain her thoughts to the young one.
She moved her towel away from the smoke and sat near her daughter.
This month I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I am actual a Rebel because I am focusing on several short stories, but my goal is to write 50k in the month of November. This post is just me playing with fiction, warming up my fingers. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
She moved her towel away from the smoke and sat near her daughter.
This month I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I am actual a Rebel because I am focusing on several short stories, but my goal is to write 50k in the month of November. This post is just me playing with fiction, warming up my fingers. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
November 7, 2014
Acedia and Me by Kathleen Norris
Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life by Kathleen NorrisMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Marriage, Monks, and A Writer’s Life
(3.5 stars if I could give half stars)
In this book, we are given glimpses into each, along with insight into the topic of acedia as well as depression.
In particular, I found myself challenged in the way I view daily chores, boredom, and my own restlessness. (See quotes below.) I also enjoyed peeking into her experiences with both monastic life and marriage.
She writes from a modern perspective, and a generally Roman Catholic understanding of sin (behaviors may be sin, but our desires to sin are not; they do not condemn us but inspire us to be better people.) In her wrestlings, though she draws strength from Scripture (especially the Psalms), I did not find a clear understanding of Christ, specifically his work on the cross. She also quotes heavily from Evagrius, a monk condemned as heretical by the RCC- she mentions this in an offhand way, as if the fact of it or the reason for it does not matter. This is telling in regards to her approach in matters of theology.
I would give this book 3.5 stars if I could- I am torn between the feelings of dislike of the academic slopiness and the appreciation for the poetic gems and insights skattered throughout.
That said, her book offered many valuable insights and challenging ideas regarding both spiritual sloth and depression. A few of my favorite quotes follow:
“If my pride recoils from endeavors that seem futile in the face of my world-weary despair, I have to remember that disdaining ordinary, mundane chores that come to nothing can lead to my discounting personal relationships as well. “
“In this hyped-up world, broadcast and Internet news media have emerged as acedia’s perfect vehicles, demanding that we care, all at once, about a suicide bombing, a celebrity divorce, and the latest advance in nanotechnology....the ceaseless bombardment of image and verbiage makes us impervious to caring.” 129
“The word menial derives from a Latin word meaning “dwelling” or “household.” It is thus a word about connections, about family and household ties. “ 197
“Technology had made a fool of me, for a few seconds of ‘waiting’ in computer time is no longer than seconds spent ‘waiting’ on a magnificent, rocky beach for the sun to rise over pearl-tinted ocean; is is only my perception that makes them seem different. And how I perceive such things is a matter of spiritual discipline.” 220
“The very nature of marriage means saying yes before you know what it will cost. Though you may say the “I do” of the wedding ritual in all sincerity, it is the testing of that vow over time that makes you married.”
ife
“Might we consider boredom as not only necessary for our life but also as one of its greatest blessings? A gift, pure and simple, a precious chance to be alone with our thoughts and alone with God?”
“Like faith, marriage is a mystery. The person you’re committed to spending your life with is known and yet unknown, at the same time remarkably intimate and necessarily other. The classic seven-year itch may not be a case of familiarity breeding ennui and contempt, but the shock of having someone you thought you knew all too well suddenly seem a stranger. When that happens, you are compelled to either recommit to the relationship or get the hell out. There are many such times in a marriage.”
View all my reviews
November 5, 2014
A space for gratitude
November is here, and giving thanks is all the rage.
But how do we fit it in? Shall we keep a list next to the bed and add five obligatory things before we earn our sleep? Shall we pause each day with kids around ankles and throw a grateful thought or two up on facebook? Shall we make a big project of it, and involve the kids, and decorate the walls of our home with leaves and words and sticky masking tape and let it all hang there until we can't take it anymore?
I don't think it matters, really.
How, when, who knows about it- none of this matters, really. What matters is that we open our eyes, and our hearts, and that we take time to notice the gifts God gives us right here, today.
Slow down, and notice.
The person who types these words is much more prone to barrel through, get 'er done, and trample. I need reminders, and my own children should be enough, what with their constant "Mommy look at this picture" and "Mom, watch this!" and "look through my folder with me!" and "can you listen to one of my songs?" and "I just made a smiley face for you," on the mirror, in toothpaste.
Accept my grateful praise, son. Or not.
Truth be told, I resent those interruptions sometimes. I want to notice, but I don't always want to be TOLD what to notice by little people, especially when I'm trying to get the homework done and dinner on the table.
It's over stimulation season, and the sheer amount of talking and movement of the children can make me want to run and hide. "WHY are you climbing on the counter and turning on the water right now?" Can't they see I'm trying to serve dinner?
I don't know whether they see, but that particular time, that particular annoying moment with the child in my way in the water on the counter, it was something I should have noticed.
He was doing this:
It's hard to see there with the clutter. The beauty.
My kindergartner put it there... for me.
I have seen horrible things growing in sippy cups in my days, but this time, beauty, put there by a child who not so long ago drank out of the cup, and clung to my hip, and took everything all the time. That child is learning how to give, how to notice, how to help others notice.
Noticing,
in the middle of the clutter. This is my challenge.
This is the fight.
The dining room table seems to have a magnet that attracts papers, mail, clutter. Sometimes we have to shove it all to the middle just to eat dinner.
Yesterday, I cleared it off.
Our family gratitude notebook will remain right there, all month long. Surely it will get buried more than once, but I think there, in the center of activity, it might get opened, too.
“Our capacity for gratitude is not connected with an abundance of resources but rather with a capacity to notice what it is that we do have. This is expressed powerfully in the traditional African-American prayer of gratitude that the Lord “woke me up this morning clothed in my right mind. He didn’t have to do it, but he did.”
(Christine D. Pohl, Living into Community)
Father,
Open our eyes to see, and our lips to declare your praise.
Amen
But how do we fit it in? Shall we keep a list next to the bed and add five obligatory things before we earn our sleep? Shall we pause each day with kids around ankles and throw a grateful thought or two up on facebook? Shall we make a big project of it, and involve the kids, and decorate the walls of our home with leaves and words and sticky masking tape and let it all hang there until we can't take it anymore?
I don't think it matters, really.
How, when, who knows about it- none of this matters, really. What matters is that we open our eyes, and our hearts, and that we take time to notice the gifts God gives us right here, today.
Slow down, and notice.
The person who types these words is much more prone to barrel through, get 'er done, and trample. I need reminders, and my own children should be enough, what with their constant "Mommy look at this picture" and "Mom, watch this!" and "look through my folder with me!" and "can you listen to one of my songs?" and "I just made a smiley face for you," on the mirror, in toothpaste.
Accept my grateful praise, son. Or not.
Truth be told, I resent those interruptions sometimes. I want to notice, but I don't always want to be TOLD what to notice by little people, especially when I'm trying to get the homework done and dinner on the table.
It's over stimulation season, and the sheer amount of talking and movement of the children can make me want to run and hide. "WHY are you climbing on the counter and turning on the water right now?" Can't they see I'm trying to serve dinner?
I don't know whether they see, but that particular time, that particular annoying moment with the child in my way in the water on the counter, it was something I should have noticed.
He was doing this:
It's hard to see there with the clutter. The beauty.
My kindergartner put it there... for me.
I have seen horrible things growing in sippy cups in my days, but this time, beauty, put there by a child who not so long ago drank out of the cup, and clung to my hip, and took everything all the time. That child is learning how to give, how to notice, how to help others notice.
Noticing,
in the middle of the clutter. This is my challenge.
This is the fight.
The dining room table seems to have a magnet that attracts papers, mail, clutter. Sometimes we have to shove it all to the middle just to eat dinner.
Yesterday, I cleared it off.
Our family gratitude notebook will remain right there, all month long. Surely it will get buried more than once, but I think there, in the center of activity, it might get opened, too.
“Our capacity for gratitude is not connected with an abundance of resources but rather with a capacity to notice what it is that we do have. This is expressed powerfully in the traditional African-American prayer of gratitude that the Lord “woke me up this morning clothed in my right mind. He didn’t have to do it, but he did.”
(Christine D. Pohl, Living into Community)
Father,
Open our eyes to see, and our lips to declare your praise.
Amen
November 3, 2014
Clinging
The campfire is hot on her shins, and the others are ready for bed, but she does not move. She smoothes Little One’s hair and breathes it in. He smells like smoke and marshmallows and boy sweat. He smells like life, and she is not ready to let him go.
All day she’d been haunted by the feeling of this child in her arms, not sleeping, but pale and without breath. He’d been underwater much too long, and she should have been watching, but she never seems to have enough eyes or arms to keep them all safe, especially in her dreams. She was watching his brother when he went under silently, telling the wrong child to be careful. And so it was that he was carried to her from the stream, silent and still. It was too late to do anything, and she pressed him to her and breathed in his wet hair and tried to love him alive, but it was too late.
“It’s getting late,” daddy says, but she is busy loving him alive, for just a little longer. He stirs, nestles in closer, and puts his sticky hand in her hair. She clings tigher, sits deeper, and will sit until her bluejeans catch on fire.
This month I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). My goal is to write 50k of fiction in the month of November. This post is not part of the novel... it's just me playing with fiction, warming up my fingers. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
All day she’d been haunted by the feeling of this child in her arms, not sleeping, but pale and without breath. He’d been underwater much too long, and she should have been watching, but she never seems to have enough eyes or arms to keep them all safe, especially in her dreams. She was watching his brother when he went under silently, telling the wrong child to be careful. And so it was that he was carried to her from the stream, silent and still. It was too late to do anything, and she pressed him to her and breathed in his wet hair and tried to love him alive, but it was too late.
“It’s getting late,” daddy says, but she is busy loving him alive, for just a little longer. He stirs, nestles in closer, and puts his sticky hand in her hair. She clings tigher, sits deeper, and will sit until her bluejeans catch on fire.
This month I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). My goal is to write 50k of fiction in the month of November. This post is not part of the novel... it's just me playing with fiction, warming up my fingers. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
November 1, 2014
Acorns: Listen for it
When the fight is fierce, the warfare long,
steals on the ear the distant triumph songand hearts are brave again and arms are strongAlleluia, Alleluia
(from For All the Saints)
Do you hear it? Stop and listen for the song, the distant triumph song of those who have gone before, who have seen now with their own eyes His promises fufilled.
They assure us, it will not always be this way.We will not always fear, we will not always wonder if our work has been done in vain. We will see and know God, even as he sees and knows us now. The veil will be removed. We will be welcomed home and we will be given rest.
And what is given by our faithful God shall not be taken away.
Stay the course, dear church militant, for soon and very soon you will join the church triumphant.
And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."
Revelation 21:6
“Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
Oh that with an iron pen and lead
they were engraved in the rock forever!
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!
Job 19:23-27
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints.
Psalm 116:15
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
1 Cor 15:16-28
-------
If you are curious, I did not pose the above picture! He likes to have a book so he can read himself to sleep. A hymnal was all he could find that day!
The hymn this young son of God is resting under is called "Thine the Amen, Thine the Praise."
What a perfect triumph song for us to sing as we remember our saints and look forward to our life together with them.
(Click here for lyrics, tune, and explanation from Pr. Weedon.)
Thine the amen Thine the praiseAlleluias angels raiseThine the everlasting headThine the breaking of the breadThine the glory Thine the storyThine the harvest then the cupThine the vineyard then the cup is lifted up, lifted up.
Thine the life eternallyThine the promise let there beThine the vision Thine the treeAll the earth on bended kneeGone the nailing gone the railingGone the pleading gone the cryGone the sighing gone the dying what was loss lifted high.
Thine the truly Thine the yesThine the table we the guestThine the mercy all from TheeThine the glory yet to beThen the ringing and the singingThen the end of all the warThine the living Thine the loving evermore, evermore.
Thine the kingdom Thine the prizeThine the wonder full surpriseThine the banquet then the praiseThen the justice of Thy waysThine the glory Thine the storyThen the welcome to the leastThen the wonder all increasing at Thy feast, at Thy feast.
Thine the glory in the nightNo more dying only lightThine the river Thine the treeThen the Lamb eternallyThen the holy holy holy Celebration jubileeThine the splendor Thine the brightness only Thee only Thee.
This week I am sharing pieces of my All Saints Scrapbook.
Why not make your own?
It can be as simple as this:
Need help getting started?
For a text file of my favorite Scriptures, quotes and articles click here.
------------------------------------------
Who are you remembering this week?Share a photo and (if you like) some words with me (via facebook or email)
and I'll publish them all on Saturday.
Then, I'll randomly choose one of you to win a free copy of my newest book, Between Seasons.
-----------------------------------
If you liked this article, you may enjoy Emily’s newly released book: Between Seasons: Devotions for those who wait for Spring.
It is available for purchase on Amazon, along with her other books: Tend to Me: Devotions for Mothers, and Weak and Loved: A Mother-Daughter Love Story.
Emily Cook is a tree-climber, child chaser, author and blogger. She is a woman growing backward, a mother-child, messy with sin, but rejoicing in the constant love of her Heavenly Father. She lives with her husband and their six children in the arms of the church where he is a pastor.
steals on the ear the distant triumph songand hearts are brave again and arms are strongAlleluia, Alleluia
(from For All the Saints)
Do you hear it? Stop and listen for the song, the distant triumph song of those who have gone before, who have seen now with their own eyes His promises fufilled.
They assure us, it will not always be this way.We will not always fear, we will not always wonder if our work has been done in vain. We will see and know God, even as he sees and knows us now. The veil will be removed. We will be welcomed home and we will be given rest.
And what is given by our faithful God shall not be taken away.
Stay the course, dear church militant, for soon and very soon you will join the church triumphant.
And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."
Revelation 21:6
“Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
Oh that with an iron pen and lead
they were engraved in the rock forever!
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!
Job 19:23-27
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints.
Psalm 116:15
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
1 Cor 15:16-28
-------
If you are curious, I did not pose the above picture! He likes to have a book so he can read himself to sleep. A hymnal was all he could find that day!
The hymn this young son of God is resting under is called "Thine the Amen, Thine the Praise."
What a perfect triumph song for us to sing as we remember our saints and look forward to our life together with them.
(Click here for lyrics, tune, and explanation from Pr. Weedon.)
Thine the amen Thine the praiseAlleluias angels raiseThine the everlasting headThine the breaking of the breadThine the glory Thine the storyThine the harvest then the cupThine the vineyard then the cup is lifted up, lifted up.
Thine the life eternallyThine the promise let there beThine the vision Thine the treeAll the earth on bended kneeGone the nailing gone the railingGone the pleading gone the cryGone the sighing gone the dying what was loss lifted high.
Thine the truly Thine the yesThine the table we the guestThine the mercy all from TheeThine the glory yet to beThen the ringing and the singingThen the end of all the warThine the living Thine the loving evermore, evermore.
Thine the kingdom Thine the prizeThine the wonder full surpriseThine the banquet then the praiseThen the justice of Thy waysThine the glory Thine the storyThen the welcome to the leastThen the wonder all increasing at Thy feast, at Thy feast.
Thine the glory in the nightNo more dying only lightThine the river Thine the treeThen the Lamb eternallyThen the holy holy holy Celebration jubileeThine the splendor Thine the brightness only Thee only Thee.
This week I am sharing pieces of my All Saints Scrapbook.
Why not make your own?
It can be as simple as this:
Need help getting started?
For a text file of my favorite Scriptures, quotes and articles click here.
------------------------------------------
Who are you remembering this week?Share a photo and (if you like) some words with me (via facebook or email)
and I'll publish them all on Saturday.
Then, I'll randomly choose one of you to win a free copy of my newest book, Between Seasons.
-----------------------------------
If you liked this article, you may enjoy Emily’s newly released book: Between Seasons: Devotions for those who wait for Spring. It is available for purchase on Amazon, along with her other books: Tend to Me: Devotions for Mothers, and Weak and Loved: A Mother-Daughter Love Story.
Emily Cook is a tree-climber, child chaser, author and blogger. She is a woman growing backward, a mother-child, messy with sin, but rejoicing in the constant love of her Heavenly Father. She lives with her husband and their six children in the arms of the church where he is a pastor.
October 31, 2014
Acorns: A glimpse of our future
Revelation 21-22
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold,the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which isthe second death.”
Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall, 144 cubits byhuman measurement, which is also an angel's measurement. The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the cityhas no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of lifewith its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, andthey will reign forever and ever.
And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
This week I am sharing pieces of my All Saints Scrapbook.
Why not make your own?
It can be as simple as this:
Need help getting started?
For a text file of my favorite Scriptures, quotes and articles click here.
-----------------------------------------
Who are you remembering this week?Share a photo and (if you like) some words with me (via facebook or email)
and I'll publish them all on Saturday.
Then, I'll randomly choose one of you to win a free copy of my newest book, Between Seasons.
-------------------------
If you liked this article, you may enjoy Emily’s newly released book: Between Seasons: Devotions for those who wait for Spring.
It is available for purchase on Amazon, along with her other books: Tend to Me: Devotions for Mothers, and Weak and Loved: A Mother-Daughter Love Story.
Emily Cook is a tree-climber, child chaser, author and blogger. She is a woman growing backward, a mother-child, messy with sin, but rejoicing in the constant love of her Heavenly Father. She lives with her husband and their six children in the arms of the church where he is a pastor.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold,the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which isthe second death.”
Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall, 144 cubits byhuman measurement, which is also an angel's measurement. The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the cityhas no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of lifewith its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, andthey will reign forever and ever.
And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
This week I am sharing pieces of my All Saints Scrapbook.
Why not make your own?
It can be as simple as this:
Need help getting started?
For a text file of my favorite Scriptures, quotes and articles click here.
-----------------------------------------
Who are you remembering this week?Share a photo and (if you like) some words with me (via facebook or email)
and I'll publish them all on Saturday.
Then, I'll randomly choose one of you to win a free copy of my newest book, Between Seasons.
-------------------------
If you liked this article, you may enjoy Emily’s newly released book: Between Seasons: Devotions for those who wait for Spring. It is available for purchase on Amazon, along with her other books: Tend to Me: Devotions for Mothers, and Weak and Loved: A Mother-Daughter Love Story.
Emily Cook is a tree-climber, child chaser, author and blogger. She is a woman growing backward, a mother-child, messy with sin, but rejoicing in the constant love of her Heavenly Father. She lives with her husband and their six children in the arms of the church where he is a pastor.
October 30, 2014
Acorns: A last time
Children, there wil be a last time.
As we wait here in between chapters,
and you cry the first of your real tears...
I hate to spoil the ending, but,
there will be a last time for this.
There will be a final graveside service.
One last tolling of the bell,
and the very last sleepless, grieving night.
There will be a last goodbye,
then one more hello,
a reunion,
and a family of God that will be unbroken for eternity.
We will have our last fight,
and we will be reconciled,
and the peace between us will never again be broken.
Temptations will make a final attack,
and you will confess your last sin,
and repent, for the last time,
and then be forever, finally, fully turned to God in perfect love and holiness.
You will doubt your last doubt;
you will pray your last tearful prayer,
There will be a final world-weary sigh,
and an end to the aching prayer, "Come, Lord Jesus."
For He will come,
and we will behold his hands and his side,
and he will wipe every tear from our eyes.
Not yet, dear children, not yet,
but soon,
and at last.
Come Lord Jesus.
First faith, first life, first moment of adoption,
in joyful anticipation of the last day.Welcome to your forever family, Abner Lee.
In My Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:2
But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:13
They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. Revelation 14:13
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.I John 3:1-3
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.“Therefore they are before the throne of God,and serve him day and night in his temple;and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;the sun shall not strike them,nor any scorching heat.For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,and he will guide them to springs of living water,and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”Revelation 7:9-17
This week I am sharing pieces of my All Saints Scrapbook.
Why not make your own?
It can be as simple as this:
Need help getting started?
For a text file of my favorite Scriptures, quotes and articles click here.
-----------------------------------------
Who are you remembering this week?Share a photo and (if you like) some words with me (via facebook or email)
and I'll publish them all on Saturday.
Then, I'll randomly choose one of you to win a free copy of my newest book, Between Seasons.
-------------------------
If you liked this article, you may enjoy Emily’s newly released book: Between Seasons: Devotions for those who wait for Spring.
It is available for purchase on Amazon, along with her other books: Tend to Me: Devotions for Mothers, and Weak and Loved: A Mother-Daughter Love Story.
Emily Cook is a tree-climber, child chaser, author and blogger. She is a woman growing backward, a mother-child, messy with sin, but rejoicing in the constant love of her Heavenly Father. She lives with her husband and their six children in the arms of the church where he is a pastor.
As we wait here in between chapters,
and you cry the first of your real tears...
I hate to spoil the ending, but,
there will be a last time for this.
There will be a final graveside service.
One last tolling of the bell,
and the very last sleepless, grieving night.
There will be a last goodbye,
then one more hello,
a reunion,
and a family of God that will be unbroken for eternity.
We will have our last fight,
and we will be reconciled,
and the peace between us will never again be broken.
Temptations will make a final attack,
and you will confess your last sin,
and repent, for the last time,
and then be forever, finally, fully turned to God in perfect love and holiness.
You will doubt your last doubt;
you will pray your last tearful prayer,
There will be a final world-weary sigh,
and an end to the aching prayer, "Come, Lord Jesus."
For He will come,
and we will behold his hands and his side,
and he will wipe every tear from our eyes.
Not yet, dear children, not yet,
but soon,
and at last.
Come Lord Jesus.
First faith, first life, first moment of adoption,
in joyful anticipation of the last day.Welcome to your forever family, Abner Lee.
In My Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:2
But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:13
They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. Revelation 14:13
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.I John 3:1-3
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.“Therefore they are before the throne of God,and serve him day and night in his temple;and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;the sun shall not strike them,nor any scorching heat.For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,and he will guide them to springs of living water,and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”Revelation 7:9-17
This week I am sharing pieces of my All Saints Scrapbook.
Why not make your own?
It can be as simple as this:
Need help getting started?
For a text file of my favorite Scriptures, quotes and articles click here.
-----------------------------------------
Who are you remembering this week?Share a photo and (if you like) some words with me (via facebook or email)
and I'll publish them all on Saturday.
Then, I'll randomly choose one of you to win a free copy of my newest book, Between Seasons.
-------------------------
If you liked this article, you may enjoy Emily’s newly released book: Between Seasons: Devotions for those who wait for Spring. It is available for purchase on Amazon, along with her other books: Tend to Me: Devotions for Mothers, and Weak and Loved: A Mother-Daughter Love Story.
Emily Cook is a tree-climber, child chaser, author and blogger. She is a woman growing backward, a mother-child, messy with sin, but rejoicing in the constant love of her Heavenly Father. She lives with her husband and their six children in the arms of the church where he is a pastor.
October 29, 2014
Acorns: His faithfulness
Dear children,These promises of which we speak, they are free gifts to you in Christ.I need you to hear this, hear it loud and clear--our hope is based on who God is, not on who we are.
We say it every sunday: We are by nature sinful and unclean. Even in tragedy we will discover new depths of our selfishness, doubt, and hatred of God. Ugliness will spew fort as we cry the ugly cry, and it will be mixed with our love and our longing and our faith.
Do not look to your own heart for assurance, dear children. You will find the blackest oil mixed in with holy Baptismal water, and it will cause you to fear.
Fear not, children, because our hope is based on Christ and what he has done.
Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.Joshua 23:14
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
For God so loved the world He gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16
I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.Psalm 16:8-11
This week I am sharing pieces of my All Saints Scrapbook.
Why not make your own?
It can be as simple as this:
Need help getting started?
For a text file of my favorite Scriptures, quotes and articles click here.
-------------------------------------------
Who are you remembering this week?Share a photo and (if you like) some words with me (via facebook or email)
and I'll publish them all on Saturday.
Then, I'll randomly choose one of you to win a free copy of my newest book, Between Seasons.
-------------------------
If you liked this article, you may enjoy Emily’s newly released book: Between Seasons: Devotions for those who wait for Spring.
It is available for purchase on Amazon, along with her other books: Tend to Me: Devotions for Mothers, and Weak and Loved: A Mother-Daughter Love Story.
Emily Cook is a tree-climber, child chaser, author and blogger. She is a woman growing backward, a mother-child, messy with sin, but rejoicing in the constant love of her Heavenly Father. She lives with her husband and their six children in the arms of the church where he is a pastor.
We say it every sunday: We are by nature sinful and unclean. Even in tragedy we will discover new depths of our selfishness, doubt, and hatred of God. Ugliness will spew fort as we cry the ugly cry, and it will be mixed with our love and our longing and our faith.
Do not look to your own heart for assurance, dear children. You will find the blackest oil mixed in with holy Baptismal water, and it will cause you to fear.
Fear not, children, because our hope is based on Christ and what he has done.
Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.Joshua 23:14
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
For God so loved the world He gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16
I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.Psalm 16:8-11
This week I am sharing pieces of my All Saints Scrapbook.
Why not make your own?
It can be as simple as this:
Need help getting started?
For a text file of my favorite Scriptures, quotes and articles click here.
-------------------------------------------
Who are you remembering this week?Share a photo and (if you like) some words with me (via facebook or email)
and I'll publish them all on Saturday.
Then, I'll randomly choose one of you to win a free copy of my newest book, Between Seasons.
-------------------------
If you liked this article, you may enjoy Emily’s newly released book: Between Seasons: Devotions for those who wait for Spring. It is available for purchase on Amazon, along with her other books: Tend to Me: Devotions for Mothers, and Weak and Loved: A Mother-Daughter Love Story.
Emily Cook is a tree-climber, child chaser, author and blogger. She is a woman growing backward, a mother-child, messy with sin, but rejoicing in the constant love of her Heavenly Father. She lives with her husband and their six children in the arms of the church where he is a pastor.
October 28, 2014
Acorns: our next body
We cannot imagine, dear children, what will become of us after we have died and been planted again.
When I think of this, I think of the scene from Captain America, when he wakes up from being frozen and begins to discover his super-human powers. I imagine, like him, and like the children of Narnia after the last battle, the joy of running and not growing tired, of going further up and further in without weariness, or fear, or the weight of mortality that clings so heavily.
We cannot imagine, but it sure is fun to try.
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:35-58
This week I am sharing pieces of my All Saints Scrapbook.
Why not make your own?
It can be as simple as this:
Need help getting started?
For a text file of my favorite Scriptures, quotes and articles click here.
-----------------------------------------
Who are you remembering this week?Share a photo and (if you like) some words with me (via facebook or email)
and I'll publish them all on Saturday.
Then, I'll randomly choose one of you to win a free copy of my newest book, Between Seasons.
-------------------------
If you liked this article, you may enjoy Emily’s newly released book: Between Seasons: Devotions for those who wait for Spring.
It is available for purchase on Amazon, along with her other books: Tend to Me: Devotions for Mothers, and Weak and Loved: A Mother-Daughter Love Story.
Emily Cook is a tree-climber, child chaser, author and blogger. She is a woman growing backward, a mother-child, messy with sin, but rejoicing in the constant love of her Heavenly Father. She lives with her husband and their six children in the arms of the church where he is a pastor.
When I think of this, I think of the scene from Captain America, when he wakes up from being frozen and begins to discover his super-human powers. I imagine, like him, and like the children of Narnia after the last battle, the joy of running and not growing tired, of going further up and further in without weariness, or fear, or the weight of mortality that clings so heavily.
We cannot imagine, but it sure is fun to try.
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:35-58
This week I am sharing pieces of my All Saints Scrapbook.
Why not make your own?
It can be as simple as this:
Need help getting started?
For a text file of my favorite Scriptures, quotes and articles click here.
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Who are you remembering this week?Share a photo and (if you like) some words with me (via facebook or email)
and I'll publish them all on Saturday.
Then, I'll randomly choose one of you to win a free copy of my newest book, Between Seasons.
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If you liked this article, you may enjoy Emily’s newly released book: Between Seasons: Devotions for those who wait for Spring. It is available for purchase on Amazon, along with her other books: Tend to Me: Devotions for Mothers, and Weak and Loved: A Mother-Daughter Love Story.
Emily Cook is a tree-climber, child chaser, author and blogger. She is a woman growing backward, a mother-child, messy with sin, but rejoicing in the constant love of her Heavenly Father. She lives with her husband and their six children in the arms of the church where he is a pastor.
