Pursue the Beauty!
reflections on the intermix of beauty, grace, and sufferingArchive for From the Archives
Thanks be to God
- Originally published August 20, 2006
It is, I think, that we are all so alone in what lies deepest in our souls, so unable to find the words and perhaps the courage to speak with unlocked hearts, that we do not know at all that it is the same with others.
If everything is lost, thanks be to God
If I must see it go, watch it go,
Watch it fade away, die
Thanks be to God that He is all I have
And if I have Him not, I have nothing at all
Nothing at all, only a farewell to the wind
Farewell to the gray sky
Goodbye, God be with you evening October skye.
If all is lost, thanks be to God
For He is He, and I, I am only I.
- Dom Julian OSB
- From A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
You are Who You are
- Originally published on August 29, 2006
“Praise You in This Storm” ranks up with Natalie Grant’s “Held” as one of the most honest and faith-filled proclamations in the last few years. We all have times we need to be able to fall down and sing this, though it hurts even to take those faltering steps of faith.
Casting Crown’s “Praise You in This Storm”
(Go here for the complete lyrics and story behind the song)
I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
And stepped in and saved the day
Once again, I say Amen, and it is still raining
I’ll Praise you in this storm
And I will lift my hands
You are who you are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will Praise You in this storm
This song is about choosing to believe despite how we feel. It is about faith tested and proven when nothing looks safe or right. Our circumstances do not change Who our God is. It is so easy to say when the sun shines…but what about when you have been in darkness so long that light itself seems only a dream?
Caption: Myself and Elizabeth enjoying an Alaskan August in Anchorage.
Thoughts on Friendship
- Originally published September 1, 2006
C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien on the mysterious glory of friendship…
“Is there any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of friends by a fire?” – from The Letters of C.S. Lewis
“The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” – C.S. Lewis, Selected Literary Essays, “Hamlet: The Prince or the Poem”
“You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin–to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours — closer than you can keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends.” – The Fellowship of the Ring
Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods. Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life. If i had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, “sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friends.” I know I am very fortunate in that respect. – C.S. Lewis
Virtuous Maid
Originally published April 21, 2008
Addressed to a Young Lady
Sweet stream that winds through yonder glade,
Apt emblem of a virtuous maid -
Silent and chaste she steals along,
Far from the world’s gay busy throng;
With gentle, yet prevailing force
Intent upon her destined course;
Graceful and useful all she does,
Blessing and bless’d where’ere she goes,
Pure-bosom’d as that wat’ry glass,
And Heav’n reflected in her face.
- Cowper
Painting by John William Waterhouse
