George MacDonald - "Unspoken Sermons"

"Love is one, and love is changeless. For love loves unto purity. Love has ever in view the absolute loveliness of that which it beholds. Where loveliness is incomplete, and love cannot love its fill of loving, it spends itself to make more lovely, that it may love more; it strives for perfection, even that itself may be perfected - not in itself, but in the object. As it was love that first created humanity, so even human love, in proportion to its divinity, will go on creating the beautiful for its own outpouring. There is nothing eternal but that which loves and can be loved, and love is ever climbing towards the consummation when such shall be the universe, imperishable, divine.

Therefore all that is not beautiful in the beloved, all that comes between and is not of love's kind, must be destroyed. And our God is a consuming fire."

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George MacDonald (1824-1905) - Scottish Congregationalist pastor, novelist, myth maker, and poet, MacDonald had a profound influence on C.S. Lewis. Lewis said that MacDonald's Phantastes "baptized my imaginiation.

Golf

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to golf with Leeland and our cousin Wes. It's been a couple months since I've played so it was nice to get out on the course. I hit the ball pretty well, but my short game was terrible. My score was astronomical today.... (the lower the better in golf).


Great form... great form...


Cousin Wes... so good to have him back at home.


Leeland keep your head up bro... people miss birdie putts all the time.


Four hours well spent!

Some pix

The place to be!












I have to wear an eye patch at night so my eye doesn't dry out...



I tried acupuncture today... it's so awesome!


you gotta have a little fun when you shave...

Life is Good

Me and whit are off to Barne's & Noble armed with three gift cards... thanks Lana, Lauren & jason!

I'll post on my purchases when I get back. YAY!!!!

...

Ok, so we're back and we have quite a few books. here we go... it's a pretty random assortment...

Wrinkle in Time Box Set (Five Books)


even sawyer's read it...




The Signature of Jesus (Brennan Manning)




The Tale of Despereaux




Aesop's Fables




The Secret Power of Speaking God's Word




The House at Pooh Corner (For our kid's library we're building... and for us too of course.)




Do Hard Things (My friends Alex & Brett Harris wrote this. Giving my boys some support! They had a conversation with Leeland that made the book. Great stuff.)




Deceptively Delicious (Whit is going to try and sneak the good stuff into our food now. :-)


PS. Whit just updated our blog... check it out here.

Life this week...

I'm only in the fourth chapter and it's already so fun! I just love children's books. They have the most surprising and practical insights for everyday life. Whitney and I have vowed to never grow up and always read these books even when we're "old".


An amazing little book that has been so encouraging to me this week. I've had it on the bookshelf for years, and I'm just now diving into it. It's reminding me who I am in Christ.
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In other news, the doctors say I have Bell's Palsy. You basically lose muscle control on one side of your face. It's kind of funny... and not funny at the same time. I'm blessed because I only have a mild form of it (no facial drooping or anything), but my smile is pretty funky. haha... sorry, no pictures.

Any ways, I'm on a strict health plan with lots of vitamins and such. I'm getting way more sleep than I'm used to getting, and I'm spending a whole lot of time in the presence of God. It's been so refreshing to sit back and rest in God. What a concept! I'm learning that I don't have to control everything in my life... including the left side of my face. :-) I don't have to be impressive, powerful, or exceptional... I'm going to let God be all of those things. I'm just going to do what i was created to do... fall in love with him more and more. God's healing me, because healing is in God and God is in me! So I'm not worried at all. Please keep me in your prayers! And thanks for those of you that have been praying for me; it means a lot.

Love love love!

-jack

Bono at the NAACP

Matthew 25:35-40
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Reading, Listening, Watching

The Movie & the Soundtrack... love it!