Preposterousness

We've done fake light & fluffy, we've done some music (though go and have a look here and here for way more on the music thing), and we've done real light & fluffy. So today, let's talk about love.

For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8 : 38-39

That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! Ephesians 3 : 17-18

How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You Psalm 139 : 17-18

These are some of my favourite verses, taken from the Amplified Bible, of the myriad that share God's love.  Sometimes, the extra translational detail the Amplified includes can get in the way of the poetry and/or general flow of the prose.  I understand this, though in my view the primary importance is that I fully grasp the intended meaning.  Once this is done, the embellishments can be removed to reveal a smooth flow.  Language is so fun. How about you?  What speaks to you about love? It doesn't have to be scriptural by the way, but I find it hard to talk about love - the very essence of God - without talking about Him. That might just be me though - you already know I'm a little bizarre.

Yes, I know it's February already...I missed it by just over a day, so you're gonna have to extend me a little grace. Here's my first "submission" for the Our Creative Community accountability club (or whatever we are :) Thankfully, the showcase post where this will be linked to isn't there yet, so I'm in the clear for the moment - haha! EDIT: it's definitely there now, so head on over and share in the creativity! For the few of you who actually know me, you'll know that this song doesn't really fit with much that I've done before...but it is probably more the kind of thing you should & would expect from me. That includes anyone who's found my music lurking on Worship The Rock or MySpace, or (years ago), on radio in Australia and a few web stations from time to time. What's been posted there doesn't really prepare you for this I don't think...though there were pointers along the way For everyone else, including those who read my worship blog, who knows what you expected?!? Probably not this in any case... Musically, it's much less complicated that I usually go for...perhaps lacking in variation. The mix is also lacking a bit in bass it seems. It had way too much in an earlier version. At least it's less muddy vocally now... Lyrics are below, and most of you will probably recognise that they are drawn from Genesis 1 and John 1, specifically the Amplified Bible (which I read quite a lot as it's the translation I chose for my phone). It was originally inspired by Ecclesiastes 7:8, which paraphrases to "the end is better than the beginning". But that didn't end up in the song anywhere, and neither did the title, which was the starting point for the song. I thought about calling it "Unchangeable Truth", but I like "In The Beginning", and it's even more appropriate considering it's the beginning of this creative accountability lark. So, let me know what you think...the good, the bad, the ugly - even if you don't like the genre, etc, I want to know because it's this critiquing business that helps us (me) grow and become greater at what God's put in our (my) hearts to impact His kingdom!

When earth was formless, when all was darkness Life hovered, brooded o'er the waters The Word was spoken, and all creation, was made through Light This has been and will always be unchangeable truth

The Light shines on in the darkness The Light shines on in the darkness For the darkness has never absorbed it The darkness cannot absorb it This has been and will always be unchangeable truth

The Light shines on...

EDIT: after having some sleep, and then getting the comment from my wonderful sister Cee (nearly typed your name...lol), I'm convinced of good reasons to rename it "Unchangeable Truth". Do let me know if you think this was a silly idea ;)

With a title like that, you'll be expecting something much grander than what follows...but this truly has changed my world.

Admittedly, not in the same way as what Jesus has done and is doing for me, and not in the same way as being husband to the world's most wonderful woman either, but still...

This line links to a website has Java-platform Bibles to download...most of them free...

Yes...you read that right...a website allowing Java downloads of lots of Bibles has changed my life.

I guess it's not quite as ridiculous as it sounds - it is the Word of God after all. What makes this one special is just how usable it is. I've got a Nokia E71 (which is a whole other life-changing thing, and I recommend to anyone who likes the concept of Blackberrys without actually liking the reality, and thinks the iPhone just isn't up to scratch for typing) which isn't noted as a supported phone on the site. But if your phone allows Java applications (and many do), this Bible is brilliant.

Now, there's lots of KJV & NKJV Bibles available for various phone platforms, and plenty of audio versions for MP3 players too, but since this isn't a techie blog I'm not going into all of that (and I don't pretend to understand most of it anyway)...but this site includes translations and transliterations like The Message and the Amplified. As I said before, Brilliant!

So - change your life and put the Bible on your phone. Just remember to read it too of course, so no matter where you are or what you're doing (except maybe swimming) you can have God's Word right at your fingertips - searchable, bookmarkable, unchanging, true.