Christ Animated

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, bless His holy name" - Psalm 103:1. "Blessing and cursing come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it should not be this way " -  James 3:10. When I am in severe pain, as I was yesterday, it becomes very difficult to think clearly -  about anything. I am immediately drawn in opposite directions. I can curse, asking why, and assuring God I have done nothing directly to deserve this particular pain. In this option, I remain physically in pain, and my heart can quickly become bitter, and toxic. I also have the option to bless God, praising Him for His great mercies and for being with me through all of it. In this option, I may remain physically in pain, but my spirit is uplifted. God is praised, and others can be pointed towards Him, rather than away from Him with a bad attitude. It's very hard to praise God and focus on the pain at the same time. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

In a world of things that irritate me - from the mildly irritating (mosquitoes) to the horribly offensive (racism) - I find myself taking offense quite often to any article that says, "You're doing it wrong". Or worse - "YOUR doing it wrong". Please. Articles like: You're doing it wrong: How to eat a cupcake You're doing it wrong: BLTs Your pictures don't look right hanging on the wall because you're doing it wrong. Et cetera, and so on. How do you know I'm not doing it correctly? For your information, I may be doing it all correctly. All of it. All. Or not. But it's not up to the authors of these pathetic attempts at article writing to say so. If I am an expert at re-roofing houses, and you are not, and your attempt to re-roof your house turns out less than stellar, you might ask me what you did wrong. At that point, I could honestly and accurately say that it didn't work for you because you did it wrong. But this you alrea...

As we attend your wake We see what you've left behind Ripples in the water Drawn in your design What did you do while you were here Done for Heaven's sake What residue still remains We see within your wake (c) Brett Campbell 5.18.15

Today is never tomorrow Tomorrow is never today Only a fool tries to borrow From next week for yesterday Time is a concept that's passing A truth changing, ever the same It is not golden wealth for amassing For only a moment can we claim You may not exist, dear reader Til this poet's tomorrow has come Though you'll think of me in your yesterdays I'm still in this moment, this one (c)  Brett Campbell, May 17, 2015

I have always loved writing and drawing. My mother says I started drawing things from the time I first held a crayon. I'm sure writing came a little later.  I have been inspired, challenged, and awed by many artists and authors in my life so far. From the ones who seem to see things similarly to the way I do, I have gained validation - that I'm not the only one. From those who see things differently, I have learned to tilt my head, squint my eyes, and look again. The "aha moment" doesn't always come, but when it does, so does a smile.  Ask me who my favorites are and my answers may vary day to day. But some have never changed. These are the most enduring inspirations for me.  I still marvel at the incredibly complex simplicity with which Maurice Sendak accomplished Where the Wild Things Are. I am amazed at every viewing of Leonardo daVinci's self portraits or Claude Monet's Water Lilies  series. I enjoy great thrillers from Rober...

Jesus came to give us new life, according to the New Testament, and to give us that life "abundantly". Every day that I live is the only day I have (same for you, by the way). Yesterday is irrevocably gone, never to be even partially retrieved. Tomorrow will never come (by the time the next day arrives, it's "today") [some restaurants promise "free food tomorrow"], so I can't mess it up or attempt to redeem it. So my new life not only applies to eternity, as a born-again follower of Christ, but to today - right now. The life I am living at this very moment  was promised to be "abundant". So ... Does this mean that every moment of my life will be marvelous, in the sense of having abundant wealth, health, and everything else? Of course not. That's just absurd, according to reality. No "health and wealth" gospel for me. Or ... Does this mean that the moment I have, the moment I am in, already IS abundant ? Maybe I'm...

Storms outside             inside Humility of spirit drowned by pride? Teflon mind nothing seems to stick Stepping ahead is my greatest trick.

Three sides to every story Just like the singer said There's yours and there's the truth And mine runs through my head Somewhere in between the lines We read between the lies My tears were caterpillars But now they're butterflies I don't want no one like you, my dear Don't want no one like you When you got rid of me I got rid myself of you No, I don't want no one like you, my dear Don't want no one like you I dog-eared the book I'm reading Way beyond the point I've read I want this chapter over The protagonist may be dead Somewhere in between the lines I've written different words The nest full of my sorrows Has given rise to birds I don't want no one like you, my dear Don't want no one like you When you got rid of me I got rid myself of you No, I don't want no one like you, my dear And you don't want me, too (c) Brett Campbell, March 11, 2015

For a while now, I have been dealing with a circulation issue in my lower legs, which leads to blisters, which pop and form nasty sores. These got infected (two different kinds of infection), and I have been having a tough time getting it all sorted out. Doctors' visits have led to more visits, and there are more to come. Prayers are appreciated. When the pain gets really bad, it hurts to walk, to move, to sit still, to do anything at all. When it's at its worst, I have wondered (despairingly) if it wouldn't be better to have no leg below the knee - or an artificial one, at least - than to put up with the persistent weeping wounds and sharp pains. This morning, as I pondered the pain, asking God to help me make it to and through worship services, staring at my wounds, I suddenly heard God say to me, "This is what your sin does to you". My sins start out so small, and lead to other problems. Unattended, unaddressed, they cause painful blisters that eventually ...