DRY
When I am driving to Greenbrier Parkway from my house, I look over the water at the Great Bridge Bridge and think about ways to die. Soldiers lost their lives at that bridge via bullets. At the top of my list of ways not to die is thirst. I have been thirsty and the animal urge to drink from the toilet just to quench the thirst is real. Dying of thirst would have to be the worst. Your tongue swelling until you no longer can breath from your mouth and then your kidneys failing seems an undesired form of agony if agonies can be chosen. Lately, I have been dying of spiritual thirst. My soul seems flaky and dusty from lack of absorption. Almost as if the water that I feed it runs off my emaciated soul like water off glass. You can see the water sitting on the glass. The glass is wet for a time but nothing ever penetrates it. Keith Green wrote an apt description ”My eyes are dry, my heart is cold.” No plants would grow out of the soil in my heart nor would weeds. Desolation exists. In hopes of seeking better irrigation, I need to take out a pik ax and start slinging down into my soul trying to form slim cracks in my cynicism and hopelessness so refreshing water will seep in. AH

Mike on 10 Aug 2008 at 3:10 pm #
Goin back to the basics is always good.. People get so caught up in life, its easy to forget the things you used to do on a regular basis.. Maybe your not dying of spiritual thirst, it might just be that you havent been doin the things you used to do to get what you need…
wilcox on 10 Aug 2008 at 8:43 pm #
my eyes are dry, my faith is old
my heart is hard, my prayers are cold
and I know what I ought to be
alive to you, and dead to me
–
so what can be done, for an old heart like mine
soften it up, with oil and wine
the oil is you, your spirit of love
please wash me anew, in the wine of your blood
let’s talk soon. i’m equally parched, just living in a different land.
Joshua Blum on 11 Aug 2008 at 7:56 pm #
1-3 A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek;
I want to drink God,
deep draughts of God.
I’m thirsty for God-alive.
I wonder, “Will I ever make it—
arrive and drink in God’s presence?”
I’m on a diet of tears—
tears for breakfast, tears for supper.
All day long
people knock at my door,
Pestering,
“Where is this God of yours?”
4 These are the things I go over and over,
emptying out the pockets of my life.
- Psalm 42:1-4 The Message
This was the passage I read for my daily devotional on Saturday asking myself “what has God been replaced with, as it is not the same thirst as it was before.” I think it has been replaced with the weeds of this world that we know from the parable of the sower.
I recognized this a month ago and started to reorient my life back towards the ever thirsty deer “panting” for God knowing the only thing that can quench the thirst is to be in his presence. I look back over this past month and see how personal bible study and studying the bible with the lost has reinvigorated that thirst for God.
I know now that the answer is found in his word and it’s constant application. We cannot just listen to the word and so deceive ourselves. We must live it out! Let’s figure out how to do that more together shall we!
Cris on 12 Aug 2008 at 7:45 pm #
All this deep thought stuff, how about…
We talk about what we want.
Talk about what its going to do for those around us.
Then talk about what we are going to do next.
Basic steps of selling, with a twist, you have to first sell yourself and often thats the hardest sell of all.