Letters from Lilongwe

When I first listened through this album about a year ago I started to wrestle with this song.  This song was recorded in a House Church environment and Aaron Keyes simply speaks out the truths that are held deep within each song.  During this song he referenced the two scriptures below.  Psalm 73:25 is one that I do not even feign to comprehend!  I am slowly learning the power of inter-dependent relationships and the destructive nature of co-dependence.  My heart has not been able to 100% say that there is none that I desire besides you on Earth!  I know that I desire many things of this world and those idols tend to consume my worship.  I worship the things that are close, that I can control, that I can see and touch.  These tactile idols are just the same as the Golden Calf and the idols of the OT.  Therefore I walk into the presence of God with him knowing that these are issues in my heart and ask that they be stripped because I can not...

Yesterday I spent some time reading back through my old blog posts because this writing is not truly for anyone else to read.  This writing is for future Paul to be able to take a look back upon and say How Great is My God for walking with me even when I try to run away.  After reading through the past year of posts I started believing the lie that I had not see any change in the last year, or two years for that matter.  This lie speaks that the Father has not been with me during my mistakes, trials, and seekings of this world.  He has been there pleading with me through soft whispers and through the voice of a loud roaring lion.  He says one thing, "I am all that you need, please just come home and be with me!".  Yesterday after a rough day at work and not feeling very well I went to the river for some much needed Paul and God time.  I have been blessed by the wisdom of my community but my thoughts needed to be renewed by the Father.  Only he c...

Often times Love songs are best not converted to be sung towards God.  Simply because they evoke a Love that is of this realm and not that of the magnificent God who is the fullness of Love.  This song was one that I have clung to at times as an amazing bridge between human love and that of the divine.  I do not know the intent of this artists profession of chasing after a Lover weather it be God or his wife.  In this moment I have to mute the voices in my head pointing this song towards that Love of this natural world.   These lyrics are drawing my heart out of a shipwrecked state and into one of seeing the dark nights break into the beauty of sunrise.  Feeling the truth of the Love that has been birthed within me draw me back to my eternal Lover.  He sings of the process that it takes as he fights to return to hold his Lover.   This course that is traveled is one that almost brings the artist to tears and I feel the full weight his emotion...

During this last week I have done Work!  I have used my body to move something and change its form so that it retains value.  This work has been back breaking and ensures that I eat a lot of food and sleep well at night!  As I look around down here in the Bahamas I see a lot of people on vacation its fun to see families having a great time enjoying a great island but I also see couples that are tired and worn out.  They don't talk to each other and this vacation is a time to run away from work.  Because their job has become toil and not the work that it was intended to be.  I venture towards the thoughts of heaven when our toil becomes work that actually is our purpose.  To rule and subdue the things that we have been put in charge of for the Father.  He says that some will be ruling a town some a city and others many cities.  I want to go to work and see the fruit of my labor not wear me down as toil but rather bring me life as work. The ...

So glad that I picked this album up a few weeks ago when United Pursuit came to Grace Midtown.  I have been listening through this album over and over again because that is one of things I do at work!  I find an album I like and then I wear it out and this being the second to last song on the album I tend to let the music dominate the lyrics.  On this song I could not because of how much it pertains to me life at this moment.  I do not need to lay it all out on the internet but this song is the encouragement in what feels like cloudy days to see the Lords hand at work! This song does not have any lyrics to be found on the internet and I may come back and update this post with the lyrics but for now I will leave you simply with the song. All is well in the arms of my Father, Paul Shackelford

This post will contain a collection of writings that I will be working through in the next few days.  It is labeled "The Effects of ____" and some of the topics I will be journeying through will be Love, Hatred, Jealousy, Happiness, God, Power, Greed and Pride.  I write these freehand in a train of thought method and then transcribe into this post therefore some stuff may not make any sense. 3.28.2014 - The Effects of Love Oh the effects of Love!  This goes for both receiving and giving.  The Joy that rises in my soul that brings me fully alive is a product of when I am loved by God.   Then times that  I feel his grace, feel his power, and feel his love are the times in life that I cherish the most.  This love that I can receive can not be compared to that of any mustered by the heart of man.  This love, that flows from the heart of the God is pure and just, full of kindness and mercy.  Its acts are one way streets from the creator to hi...

Today is my second day back at Sto Corp and the last 12 hours have been testing my patience to say the least!  Last night I started working on the universal joints in the drive shaft of my 1972 Volvo 142.  I spent five hours buying the parts, taking apart the old u-joint, and fighting to put the new joint in place!  After it was all said and done I did not finish and ruined a $20 part.  Therefore I was extremely frustrated last night, went to sleep frustrated, had a terrible night sleeping and woke up late to come to work.  After eating some cereal I borrowed a brothers car and started off to work only to notice there was 25 miles to empty.  So I pulled into a gas station a block from campus to fill up only to realize my wallet was not in my pocket.  I drove back to the house and got my wallet, then back to the gas station where I got to stand in 8 degree weather to fill the tank!  After getting gas it was on the road for a 25 min drive to work b...