Sonnet XIII

On The American Election 2008 - A Sonnet To My King
By Jonathan D. Eller

My God, Your wisdom far exceeds my own,
And I draw comfort from this very thing.
For by Your great omnipotence You've shown
That You determine president and king.
Yes, You know all men's hearts - this fact is true -
And render unto them a payment just,
Rewarding men and nations what is due.
Lord, in Your goodness I have learned to trust.
Your discipline is sorrowful for sure -
Your wrath and blows seem ever so severe -
But chastisement is sent to make us pure,
And by its cleansing helps us to draw near.
My God, this nation's nothing without Thee.
Please cleanse our hearts and truly make us free.

November 5, 2008

Sonnet XII

My God – A Sonnet To My King
By Jonathan D. Eller

My God, My God, who loves as well as You?
Your patience is more broad than all You’ve made,
And though all men are false your word proves true.
Your promises, vast as the stars arrayed,
Speak goodness, love, and mercy without end.
Your power stuns my intellect and yet,
The helpless and downtrodden You defend.
Your heart’s inclined to forgive and forget
The sins confessed by children penitent.
But anger flares towards those who mock Your path
And scorn Your truth with actions insolent.
They, sowing foolish seed, invite Your wrath.
Lord, let Your kindness cause them to repent.
Please draw them to the Holy Lamb You sent.

October 27, 2008

Undone

I was utterly undone by this song this morning.

A Quote For You

I am being pressed forward in the Spirit to assume my position. How about you? Each one of us in Christ has a position that we MUST assume. His Bride must be ready for her Groom! We can't fulfill our life's mission if we don't boldly step into that rightful place He has for us.
- Deborah @ Thoughts Along The Way

Good Quote (Thanks again, Luke!)

"Who stands fast? Only the man whose final standard is not his reason, his principles, his conscience, his freedom, or his virtue, but who is ready to sacrifice all this when he is called to obedient and responsible action in faith and in exclusive allegiance to God--the responsible man, who tries to make his whole life an answer to the question and call of God."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Quote Of The Day

But what is repentance? Is it grief and sorrow for our sins? That is part but only part and not even the most important aspect. It is not just remorse but a transformation, a reorienting of our lives toward God. It is a state of being in which we find ourselves in a great light. It is not a dark place. We may think all this emphasis on repentance is dark and oppressive, where is the joy of the Christian life? The answer is in repentance! We can only truly repent when we have come into the light of God's presence and we see ourselves as we are.

Repentance is the daughter of hope and denial of despair. The ultimate sin is to despair of God's mercy. To live a life of repentance is a life of great faith, we must believe that God loves us and desires to extend His mercy to us and we must believe that He has the power and is willing to change us and make us holy. Many experience great anguish over their sins but are unable to forgive themselves. They have not repented; they have not come to the revelation that love is more powerful than their own failings. They are still too self absorbed and without faith in God's power and mercy. Their eyes are on themselves and not on God. They have not been converted...

To repent is to look, not downward at my own shortcomings, but upward at God's love; not backward with self-reproach, but forward with trustfulness. It is to see, not what I have failed to be but what by the grace of Christ I can yet become.


- Rev. Patrick Cardine