This might seem like just a continuation of my last post, but really it’s not. Those last ones (Phrases and thoughts that opened up my mind) I would call accidental—I was living my life and these ideas jumped out at me and stuck. This next set I would call interventional—at the risk of grandiosity, God was trying to tell me something. Some are profound, some whimsical, some sobering. Not surprisingly, many are from the Bible. All of them are meant to teach me. Am I listening?
• “In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) Truly mind-blowing. Paul was talking to Athenians, so he clearly didn’t mean just christians. I tended to think of it as me down here and Him up there, and me hoping to do stuff that might please Him, but realizing I most often fell short. I can act against Him, but I can never act apart from Him, because He is always here.
• “All is vanity and striving after wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14) A definition of living in this world without a spiritual center.
• “I gaze into the doorway of temptation’s angry flame/ And every time I pass that way I always hear my name/ Then onward in my journey I come to understand/ That every hair is numbered, like every grain of sand.” Bob Dylan in “Every Grain of Sand” on Shot of Love. This is so autobiographical (except I didn’t write it)—me drifting away, seeking after false idols, Him patiently pulling me back with His love.
• I Corinthians 13 – the love chapter. I know I was lost and I think I was stoned the first time I read it. Tears streamed down my face and I knew that was what I wanted.
• “…your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit…” ( I Corinthians 6:19) Okay, this one makes me squirm, whether I’m sitting in front of a plate of French fries or pouring a third glass of wine. But it is.
• “And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” From Eric Liddell the christian Olympian in Chariots of Fire. I have felt it when I hit a particularly good golf shot. I love Him being present in our daily lives. He experiences with us. It awes me that God can take pleasure in what I enjoy. I know there is a fine line that crosses over into selfish pleasure. Love is never selfish. That is our guideline.
• “The tongue is an unquenchable fire.” (James 3:6) Another squirmy one… It is easy to say unloving things, especially to the ones we love the most. And you can’t take them back—if you’re lucky, you can cover them up. I try to imprint this on my mind and shut up a lot.
• “Speak the truth in love.” (Ephesians 4:15) Ah, this is the hard one, the piece de resistance. One or the other, it’s possible; but both? This is the greatest balancing act between couples. One of you leans one way, one the other. The sides change all the time (though there are inclinations). See more of this at: “…the two shall become one…”
• “It is better to live alone in the desert than with a nagging woman.” (Proverbs 21:19) Haha! I must have used this one in the classroom a thousand times, especially on teenage girls who were fussing at me (and on some boys, too). I will never use it on my wife (again).
• “Lord, I believe; help me in my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24) Can you will faith? Kinda, but not on your own. You gotta have help.
• “…the two shall become one…” (Genesis 2:24) I finally get it. That is God’s plan for Karen and me. We can align ourselves with the plan, or stray from it, but the plan never changes. God is One. I want oneness.
• “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10) I use this one when I am putting. Be still is the best technical advice you can give, and the second part is emotionally liberating.
• “Even a fool appears to be wise if he remains silent.” (Proverbs 17:28) I think about this sometimes when I am writing…
• “He must increase and I must decrease.” (John 3:30) How breath-taking! That is the formula. This is not a command or an act of your will. This is a glorious promise.
• “Will I join the ocean blue, or run into a Savior true, and shake hands laughing? And walk through the night straight into the light, Holding the love I’ve known in my life, and no hard feelings.” The Avett Brothers, “No Hard Feelings” on True Sadness. My family knows that this is the song they play at my memorial. (I definitely want a memorial, not a funeral—they seem like so much more fun!) I love how he imagines face to Face. Sounds wonderful.
My son wants to know if all my posts are going to be so religious. On this one I probably got carried away. My son is very understanding.
Dallin, I love that you’re doing this. The very first verse you included about all of us living and moving and having our being in God… How easily we just gloss over the incredibly profound and transcendent reality of that. Makes me want to just breathe, breathe deep… take it all in.
But you’re mentioning the line from “Chariots of Fire”… for some reason, that line of dialogue had been floating around my brain for a few days. And there you put it. What an incredible revelation — and piece of dialogue. Truly it should go down as one of the great lines of dialogue in film And the fact that it’s in a movie, a piece of art, is no less potency for it’s truthfulness. It inspires me to seek different, out of the routine ways of experiencing God’s presence.
Interesting to me how connected those two passages you listed are. Must be part of your journey. Wonder-ful.
Eugene — I cannot thank you enough for the encouragement. It was a step of faith…full of doubt. Who am i to write about God? What do i know? Look at my blog history…fits and starts. But I have always had this urge, and I believe it is God-given (but, Lord, how my ego wants to get in the way!) Your kind words and interest is like a validation from God…at least, I am taking it that way. And I love that you love that line from Chariots of Fire as much as i do!
hey jeannette — i was thinking about what you wrote, and i just want to tell you that i think reflection/introspection is a very healthy thing. Our tendency is to block things out and move forward. mine, at least. writing helps me with that.
Dallin, I appreciate you sharing your God given inspirations. Your writing is certainly a wonderful gift!! I love your transparency and authenticity. Keep it coming!!
that’s so nice of you to say, gloria! it’s very encouraging. i am enjoying writing again, so i certainly hope to keep it up. like golf, i think of it as a spiritual exercise. God is very good to us.
This is so edifying.Love your writing.So TRUE.SUCH GOOD WORDS OF WISDOM 4 MARRIAGE.GROWING OLDER #GRACEFULLY IN HIS FOOT PRINTS.
Thank you, Laura. The coolest part about doing my blog is hearing from old friends that I’ve lost contact with over the years. I know that all of us NCF-ers have verses to share that have touched our hearts.
Wow — thank you for writing this. Growing up Catholic we are not encouraged to read the Bible. We had our Missalette. We had Gospels. Being Catholic, I knew I believed, but I was always feeling guilty. When I venture out from my religion to another — guilt. I always have my faith which I find more liberating than my Religion. So I enjoyed reading your conclusions — they give me some perspective!! Hi to the family!
Thanks, Barb. I totally agree–our faith is far more liberating than our religion. (mind if i steal that sometime? j/k‑i would definitely give you credit.)
I enjoyed your thoughts on each of the verses. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on my walk with Christ & my marriage. Love this! Keep on keeping on!
I will keep writing. One of the biggest rewards is hearing from people like you!