Measure Your Life by Loss

Measure your life by loss instead of gain.  Not by the wine drunk, but by the wine poured forth.  For love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice.  And whosever suffereth most hath most to give.-Hudson Taylor

In His infinite mercy God has loved us with an everlasting love, a love that he places in our hearts for others.

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.  (I John 4:7-10 MSG)

O God, you who are love, look upon me in your mercy, and turn me away from my anger and hate, so that I may love with the love you have given me.

October 31, 2007November 4, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Encouragement, God's Beauty, Inspiration, Life, People, Photography, Quotations 1 Comment

Love in Action

Our Love for God is demonstrated through our love for those who are poor and oppressed.

Lord Jesus, you who came among the poor to release them from their oppression, give me a love for the needy that results in action.

Happy are those who consider the poor; the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble.  The Lord protects them and keeps them alive; they are called happy in the land. Psalm 41:1,2

October 30, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Encouragement, God's Beauty, Inspiration, Life, People, Photography Leave a comment

Lonely

I have noticed one thing in particular:  increasing prosperity has not made people more friendly toward one another.  They’re better off; but that newfound wealth has not resulted in a new sense of community.  I get the impression that people are more preoccupied with themselves and have less time for one another that when they didn’t possess so much.  There’s more competitiveness, more envy, more unrest, and more anxiety.  There’s less opportunity to relax, to get together informally, and enjoy the little things in life.  Success has isolated a lot of people and made them lonely. -Henri Nouwen

October 30, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Encouragement, God's Beauty, Inspiration, Life, People, Photography, prayer, Quotations, suffering Leave a comment

Wander into Temptation

 

When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.” (Matthew 26:40-42) 

Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is…that is why bad people know very little about badness.  They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in.  We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it:  and Christ because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means-the only complete realist      -C.S. Lewis

October 29, 2007November 4, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Encouragement, God's Beauty, Inspiration, Jesus, Life, People, Photography, prayer, Quotations Leave a comment

A Humble Estimation

A true understanding and humble estimate of oneself is the highest and most valuable of all lessons.  To take no account of oneself, but always to think well and highly of others is the highest wisdom and perfection.  Should you see another person openly doing evil, or carrying out a wicked purpose, do not on that account consider yourself better than him, for you cannot tell how long you will remain in a state of grace.  We are all frail; consider none more frail than yourself.

-Thomas a Kempis

October 29, 2007November 4, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Encouragement, God's Beauty, Inspiration, Life, People, Photography, Quotations Leave a comment

Into my soul

O my God, let me walk in the way of love which knows not how to seek self in anything whatsoever.  But what love must it be?  It must be an ardent love, a pure love, a courageous love, a love of charity, and a constant love.  O Lord, give this love into my soul, that I may never more live nor breathe but out of a most pure love of Thee, my All and only Good.  Amen

-Dame Gertrude More

October 28, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Encouragement, God's Beauty, Inspiration, Life, Photography, Quotations Leave a comment

What do you thirst for?

We live in a time when we can look around us and see the dire thirst of the world around us.  We find ourselves in a world filled with many tempting waters said to satisfy any thirst. And yet, our chorus seems to be closer to the old song: “I can’t get no satisfaction.” In Jeremiah it is said that the people had erred in two ways they had forsaken God, the living water, the source.  Secondly, they had built their own cisterns, ones that were faulty; full of leaks.  Jesus once asked two men who were following him, “What do you want?” It is a question I believe he still bids us to answer. What is it you thirst for? What is your heart’s deepest desire? Is the world you have created to manufacture life and happiness working?  Are you in an unending cycle of grasping and clinging for life that is always seeping out of your grasp? 

October 28, 2007October 29, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Encouragement, God's Beauty, Jesus, Life, Photography Leave a comment

Jesus

“The Jesus who is the one whom we search for even when we do not know that we are searching and hide from even when we do not know that we are hiding.”—Fredrick Buechner

Jesus, thank you that you respect and honor our freedom, and although you love us so deeply—deeper than the deepest oceans—you do not force yourself upon us, but in your vulnerability you wait to be wanted and pursued by us.  You keep your heart open with all your loving affections toward us, even though we often don’t recognize you or altogether reject you.   You invite us even tonight to change our thinking and take a chance with the way of life that you have come to offer, calling us to  turn around and believe that the good news that we are loved is better than we ever dared hope, dream, or imagine!

October 16, 2007October 16, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Encouragement, God's Beauty, Jesus, Life, People, Photography, prayer, Quotations Leave a comment

Beauty

Too late have I loved you, 
O Beauty so ancient, 
O Beauty so new. 
Too late have I loved you! 
You were within me but I was outside myself, 
and there I sought you! 
In my weakness I ran after the beauty of the things you made. 
You were with me, 
and I was not with you. 
The things you have made kept me from you,
the things which would have no being 
unless they existed in you! 
You have called, 
you have cried, 
and you have pierced my deafness. 
You have radiated forth, 
you have shined out brightly, 
and you have dispelled my blindness. 
You have sent forth your fragrance, 
and I have breathed it in, 
and I long for you. 
I have tasted you, 
and I hunger and thirst for you. 
You have touched me,    
and I ardently desire your peace. 
-Prayer of St. Augustin



		

October 15, 2007December 3, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Encouragement, God's Beauty, Life, Photography, prayer, Quotations Leave a comment

Set Free

O Lord Jesus, You who came to us to show the compassionate love of your Father, make your people know this love with their hearts, minds and souls.  So often we feel lonely, unloved, and lost in the valley of tears.  We desire to feel affection, tenderness, care, and compassion, but suffer from inner darkness, emptiness, and numbness.  I pray tonight:  Come, Lord Jesus, come.  Do not just come to our understanding, but enter our hearts—our passions, emotions, and feelings—and we shall be             set FREE

October 14, 2007October 29, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Encouragement, God's Beauty, Life, Photography, prayer Leave a comment