Vacation.

I wanted to do a couple posts over the weekend - Oh well, hopefully I'll remember them when I get back.

I am officially on vacation and after today won't be around blogs, email, facebook or phone until I'm back in the office on the 22nd.

I outlined in a previous post what I am doing whilst gone. Just wanted to say bye!

If I do not return safely, then I will hopefully see you in eternity: Jesus loves you, died and was resurrected for you, and we will be resurrected one day too if we accept his grace - go read the Gospels.

But here's to hoping I come back safely! *grin* There is much work yet to be done! But I am so thankful for this time of rest!

So long, farewell, adieu. Love you all. 

Have a great couple weeks!

grace and peace,

ryan andré

AHHhhhhH!!!

Sorry for 2 posts today, I just love blogs and videos and guys who get it and needed to share some of it!

I don't always get it. This guys would be the first to admit he doesn't always get it either, but wow, check out this clip by Donald Miller, SPOT ON.



Will Jesus fulfill us here on earth? from All Things Converge Podcast on Vimeo.


Preach it brother! haha

And here's the link to his blog post with more thoughts on the topic:
http://donmilleris.com/2010/01/27/will-jesus-fulfill-us-here-on-earth/

Ya. That goes with the stuff I posted earlier today very nicely. The real trick is application of course...

Oh happy day! Had a great couple hours of perusing the interwebs and catching up on some blogs. :)

grace and peace,
ryan andré

Thoughts by Winn Collier

Great reminders by author Winn Collier, I had to give you this right away. Hope you enjoy.

His thoughts are so clear and concise, I love it. I need to work on this.

God.

In time.

If God is real, why can’t we see Him? 

If God is with us, why isn’t He saying anything?

by: Winn Collier

SIMPLE QUESTIONS, so well tread that they run close to cliché. Still, the questions dog us. Many of us can’t shake them free. Near his death, the apostle Peter faced a similar stinging question. Jesus had said He was going to come back to earth in a blaze of glory to once and for all set this wreck of a world straight. However, several decades (at least) had passed since then, and ... nothing. Not a single break in the clouds. Not the slightest sighting of an angel army or a radiant Messiah warrior on a brilliant white steed. Not a whisper of hope.

Rome still ruled. Liberation seemed no closer than before. Violence and poverty and despair were very much with them, growing even. As rebellion and disillusionment slithered in, their accusation took shape. “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised?” Their sarcasm was heavy. “Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4, TNIV).

Nothing had happened. Nothing was better. The world just kept rolling on ... without God. Some began to view hope in Jesus as pure poppycock.

If this question was sprouting decades after Jesus’ resurrection, it is downright colossal today, almost two millennia later. There has been a lot of evil between there and here, a lot of hoping, a lot of hopes left empty. Every human decade has seen its disaster and its genocide, its famine and its plague.

If God is here, what is He waiting for? It’s like Jan Eliason, a member of the U.N. envoy to Sudan, said in reference to the grim realities there: “Time is on nobody’s side.” In the world we see, evil appears to use the time quite nicely, but where is God?

Peter’s answer was salty. The problem wasn’t God’s delay. The problem wasn’t God’s silence or absence. God was always speaking; He had never stopped. His speaking brought the world into existence, and His speaking was now vigorously at work holding evil at bay until it would finally be cut off (2 Peter 3:5–7). If it weren’t for God’s active presence, there would be nothing left of us. Evil would have consumed us long ago.

Our problem, Peter said, is that we forget the story. We forget how God is always working goodness. We forget that God is rich in patience and mercy. We forget that God has spoken the beginning and will be speaking the end—and He is speaking and working every moment in between.

We also forget that time is an entirely human internment. “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8). And God spends His days, His years bringing us salvation. Time might not be on our side, but God is.

He then has some of the most clear, concise thoughts on the nature of evil I have ever read (overly simplified, but clear):

Creative Destruction

by: Winn Collier

WE HAVE A NEW BEDTIME book at our house: 1,000 Things You Should Know About Animals. Giraffes and monkeys and cute little webbed-feet penguins—our sons enjoy them all. However, the boys prefer the frightening creatures. Crocodiles with powerful jaws. Vampire bats with eerie eyes. Copperheads. Tarantulas. The more poisonous, the more hideous, the better.

The pictures and the fascination with all things gory prompted Seth, our 3-year-old, to pose a troublesome question: “Why did God make scary stuff?” A conversation on the origin of evil ... with a preschooler.

Scripture provides some clarity. God did not intend or create evil. A mutinous angel rebelled, choosing humanity and the earth as the fulcrum of his insurgency. Forced into the fray, we routinely choose the mutiny, against God. We often invite evil.

The result, however, was that evil did not remain merely in the isolated sphere of individual choices (either of angels or humans). Like a dirty needle pumping heroin into the bloodstream, this rebellion straight-lined evil into the created order. Our planet is now riddled with the foul stench. Disease. Greed. Ruin. Can anyone truthfully look at the human race and the mess we’ve made of our planet and believe our problem is merely cosmetic?

Evil is certainly not all we see in our world. Grace and beauty and kindness abound. However, everywhere we look, we see evil’s imprint. Loneliness. Deception. Abandoned children. Shattered marriages. Hungry nations. How can our sickness be healed? How can evil’s dark stain be removed?

Strangely, the Apostle Peter offers hope via a blistering, apocalyptic picture. The heavens will vaporize with an ear-splitting roar. Falling to the earth, fire will scorch the sky. The earth’s raw chemical elements will liquefy like wax dripping from a candle. “God is going to destroy everything like this ...” says Peter (2 Peter 3:11).

But destruction is not the point. With God, destruction never holds center stage. God always moves toward redemption. The Holy Spirit will work to clear the brush, to remove all the malignant infection evil has cultivated. Destruction will offer a severe mercy. With power and fire and swift, final authority, God will reach into the bowels of the earth and wrench evil’s grip free, once and for all. 

This cataclysmic work is not a final destruction, the earth done and finished. Far from it. The destruction breeds new life. It will be a (do we even have language for such a thing?) creative destruction. From the devastation, God will create again, refashioning the earth once considered ruined into the kind of world He wanted in the beginning. We will enjoy the wonder of “a new heaven and a new earth” (2 Peter 3:13).

On this new earth, there will be no disease, no sorrow. No one hungry. No one lonely. The lion will lay down with the lamb. Not a single hint of “scary stuff."

I think I am going to go look for one of this guys' books.

His website is here: http://www.winncollier.com/

grace and peace,
ryan andré

Winding down...

This post is going to make a few of you jealous. I am sorry.

Well, things are winding down for me here.

I'm done preaching, Dan is back Sunday, youth/young adults are taken care of for the next couple weeks, I don't lead music again until into March, Haiti trip is underway .... Things are well set for me to take off on a couple weeks of vacation, and I'm already feeling pretty relaxed.

Usually, there would be lots of pressure to "get everything done before I leave and then get swamped when I get back", but that's not the case this time, and for that I am SO grateful.

I get to come back and the following Sunday we'll be having a baptism service and 3 young people are getting baptised, and I'm so excited for that! But most things are in place, so I have no worries of things to take care of when I come back.

God is really good.

My vacation plans are awesome - Lord willing.

The second week my family is all heading to Mazatlan, Mexico for a week. I haven't seen my family since summer, so I'm *really* excited to see them. I get along with my family really well and love them lots. I miss them. We've also only ever gone on one other *big* family vacation, to Florida in 2005. My dad's parents, and a couple uncle and aunts are also going to be there as they always spend a few months in Mazatlan every winter. So, it's going to be awesome and lots of fun.

The first week though I am planning on taking off on my own for a few days. I leave Monday, and the plan is to head out to .. it's a place with cabins that run all year round. Spend a few days just quiet, reading, go skiing for a day, maybe some hiking it's not too muddy (or maybe even if it is! lol). Then I fly out of Kelowna Friday morning to meet my family in Calgary.

The best part is that both weeks, I will not be available by phone or email! :) Free from all the communication that takes up so much of my day. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it will be a very nice break. I am intentionally leaving the laptop behind, and the phone will only be around in case of emergency and connecting with my family. :)

I'll say a quick goodbye Sunday before I leave yet, I have a couple posts I *intend* to do before then, but don't hang me up if I don't get em done! lol.

As I told the youth last night, just because I am going on holidays doesn't mean I stop praying. I will be praying for many of you - especially those of you getting baptized!

grace and peace,
ryan andré

God is "here"

Source: nakedpastor.com (/archives/4571)

This totally made me laugh because it's so spot on. For 2 reasons. It also made me sad because I don't know how to fight it.

1. The conception that God is in a "specific place" at a "certain time". Cuz it's not like the Holy Spirit is in YOU, right? We love to flock to where things are "happening". Unfortunately, God is not often "there". He's right here, you just need to open your eyes and heart.

2. The tragedy and phenomenon that is called church-hopping. I just don't get it. While there are a couple of legitimate reasons to "shop-around" (if you are new to town; if you get married and are from different churches - I recommend going to the same church; if your church is too big and at the same time fails at the intimacy you need from both God and others - I don't think all large churches fail at this; if after a time you realize your pastor is not challenging you in your faith - which begs the question - are you letting him? But some pastors are just fluff and that is not what you need to grow in your faith; there is some major shift in doctrine that stops focusing on the redemptive work of Christ; ... there might be others, but those are just off the top of my head), but many reasons are so selfish, prideful, and speak to the lack of commitment in general that is in our culture today (If I don't like it, I leave it; I had a conflict with someone I am unwilling to work at resolving; The pastor is too convicting and it imposes on my life; I don't like the music; I've lost my personal connection to most people because I am unwilling to work at spending time with others, so I will go where others are reaching out to me, and I feel needed; I am sure there are other reasons .. and I'm not trying to trash talk anyone here, just pointing out a fact). 

Seriously. What ever happened to working at change within something that isn't working? If I see a problem that needs fixing at my work, I talk to my boss about it. I then work at fixing it. There is an inherent problem with the philosophy that is: Oh, here's a problem, I'm outta here. And in regards to church, you are walking out on your family. I really believe that.

I think this point in many ways has to do with my first point. We all too often fail to realize that God is here and now in my heart and life. When we fail to experience God, somehow we think church can solve that rather then getting on our knees before the Father. So we look for a new place that provides that. Yes, others do help you experience that when you are failing on your own, but the church building or programs do not. It's the people. And it might be people you do not yet know that well. It's about opening yourself up to the Father and to others - no matter who it is. For some reason we get this stigma that others within our own church will judge us. I won't lie, it has happened from time to time, but, it's not supposed to and possibly if it has you are looking in the wrong place.

I have several mentors within our own church, and I am a pastor. A few of them are my age - guys I have come to trust and respect. But one of my mentors is like 70 and a senior member of our church and I have totally been able to open up to him and share my weaknesses and he helps and prays for me. I'm not perfect, I need help like any of you. It's recognizing this and learning where and who to ask for help from. But if you don't ask, you will not receive. And you would be surprised from where it comes...

We give up so easily, we are so prideful and stubborn, we get discouraged too easy, and we just can't see things through. We just are totally unwilling to open up to others on a deep level for fear of getting hurt. .... It is better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all .. what? I don't think we really believe that anymore. If we don't for significant relationships, how can we ever on a friendship level?

Ok .. /rant off .. I just feel very strongly about this area of church.

Don't get me wrong. There are LOTS of great things going on around today's churches. It seems like in Kamloops God is really working. I just came from a meeting - several of us youth pastors from around town have been getting together regularly for months now to pray and plan stuff, and it is SO good. Our main concern is that people are getting plugged into churches and youth groups for the support that we all need from each other. It was really encouraging.

But we have to remember, it's about the people, not the place.

Let's get over "God is now here" and remember "God is here now".

grace and peace,
ryan andré

The Villagers of Stiltsville

Lest you think I am this creative, sorry, this is not mine. :)

This is a sweet and fun poem by Max Lucado from his book "Fearless" which I highly recommend.

(I did however type it all out because I couldn't find a copy online that was already typed. I also started editing the punctuation because it seemed really inconsistent, but then I realized I don't know anything about punctuation in poems - so ... sorry if I messed it all up.)

I will tell you at the bottom what it's about.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"The Villagers of Stiltsville", by Max Lucado

Perhaps you don't know,

then, maybe you do,

about Stiltsville, the village,

(so strange but so true)

where people like we,

some tiny, some tall,

with jobs and kids,

and clocks on the wall

keep an eye on the time,

for each evening at six,

they meet in the square

for the purpose of sticks,

tall stilts upon which

Stiltsvillagers can strut

and be lifted above

those down in the rut:

the less and the least,

the Tribe of Too Smalls,

the not cools and have-nots

who want to be tall

but can't, because

in the giving of sticks,

their name was not called,

the didn't get picked.

Yet still they come

when villagers gather;

they press to the front

to see if they matter

to the clique of the cool,

the court of the clout,

that decides who is special

and declares with a shout:

"You're classy!" "You're pretty!"

"You're clever!" or "Funny"

and bequeath a prize,

not of medals or money,

not a freshly baked pie

or a house someone built,

but the oddest of gifts -

a gift of some stilts.

Moving up is their mission,

going higher their aim.

"Elevate your position"

is the name of the game.

The higher-ups of Stiltsville

(you know if you've been there)

make the biggest to-do

of the sweetest thin air.

They relish the chance

on their high apparatus

to strut on their stilts,

the ultimate status.

For isn't life best

when viewed from the top?

Unless you stumble

and suddenly are not

so sure of your footing.

You tilt and then sway,

"Look out bel-o-o-o-w!"

and you fall straightaway

into the Too Smalls,

hoi polloi of the earth,

you land on your pride -

oh boy, how it hurts

then the chic police,

in the tilt of all jilts,

don't offer to help

but instead take your stilts.

"Who made you king?"

you start to complain

but then notice the hour

and forget your refrain.

It's almost six! 

No time for chatter!

It's back to the crowd,

to see if you matter.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I don't think I need to explain.

This comes out of his chapter on the fear of "not mattering" - letting what other people think of you hold you back from all that God has planned for you.

Interestingly, I thought about this poem last night from a different angle.

I was out at a little indy show in a coffee shop - Ari Neufeld and Scott Dunbar - last night (they were quite good when Scott wasn't trash talking politcians - I don't have a problem with musicians being political, but trash talk discredits yourself and isn't helpful, also swearing when there are young children present is just inconsiderate). Anyways, the music was great, and they were very talented. I enjoyed it FAR more then my rap post yesterday. ;) Now to get Josh Garrels to town....

Anyways ... So, I was thinking, it was a coffee shop, but a lot of the people there (mostly 20-somethings) were dancing and having a lot of fun. It was a quiet crowd because it was unplugged but you could just tell people were into it. Loving it. Enjoying every moment.

Yes, they were dancing/singing and not really caring what others thought, and I dare say they were even doing it without alcohol as best as I could tell (I think I smelled it on a couple people, but for the most part). I know Christians who sometimes think they are the only ones who can do this (without alc) like it's something to prove, and that's not all bad, but.... anyways ... Too many Christians that I know (myself often) are too rigid and don't know how to have fun without caring what others think - while still being respectful.

I learned from them last night.

It was a cool observation.

grace and peace,
ryan andré

Good Enough...

I suppose.

Not quite what I wanted, but it've wasted enough time...

What think ye?

rc

coding sucks.

Trying to revamp my blog, I wasn't happy with the look .. but html/css is ridiculous.

Thanks for google, and thanks for you being patient with me.

ryan andré

Friday Distraction

I suppose after this post I can never trash talk country music again...

Oh well, we all have our vices I suppose. ;)

This post will NOT be for most of you, and I cringe at the backlash I might receive. ;) I very nearly decided not to post it haha.

----

So, I was just allowing myself to be distracted on youtube watching some music videos and thought I'd share a few with you. Though I loathe gangster culture, I have a soft spot (in relatively small doses) for "gangster" rap.

Hip-hop's fun, but cheesy. R&B is bleh. Gangster rap is intense.

To most "gangsters" the very idea of Christian gangster rap doesn't work. They would discredit it purely because it's not "bad", which is after all what being a gangster is all about (apparently). However, I, like many Christians can't handle the content of most rap songs - though one thing I have always appreciated is that gangster rappers aren't afraid to be honest. More so then any other music I have found.

Well, there is a Christian rapper out there who stands above the rest to me. His name is LeCrae. If he were not a Christian, undoubtedly he would be very famous. He's ... awesome. But he is a Christian, and is not ashamed to rap about it. In fact, his latest and best album for quality is so packed full of Bible verses - you could play it for your sermon and walk off the stage. He also lives what he raps. Though he is doing music a lot more these days, he was ministering at a correctional institute prior to now volunteering at a juvenile detention center, all before his music.

He tours with a group of rappers called 116 clique. I saw them at Creation this summer, and it was really a great show! I loved it.

Other great Christian rappers: Trip-Lee, Da truth, Flame, KJ-52, and our very own Manafest.

If you even remotely like rap, check out these videos.

Just turn up the bass and bounce with the beat... *grin*

Don't Waste Your Life - Lecrae, Rebel


Take Me as I am - Lecrae, Real Talk
(amazing song, but warning, graphic scenes from The Passion)


The Rebel Intro - Lecrae, Rebel (title track)
(not a real music video, but with the words, kinda cool to follow)
(and yes - that is Mark Driscoll talking in the background, see, I'm not that biased ;)


And lastly, just cuz it's so darn fun:

"Live Free" Lecrae, Rebel


The whole Rebel album is really fun and solid the whole way through, lots of great songs.

Ok, I've tortured you enough. ;)

Truthfully - I'm already tired of rap today. :)

g&p,
ryan andré

The God of Comfort

This is a post from 6 months ago that I couldn't put up because we had to let word circulate properly first, and then I forgot to post it. I found it last night and I don't think I have otherwise mentioned it on my blog. We have a difficult situation going on in our church. You can read the situation below, it is largely the same. They are trying different things now, but the implications are still the same. There is a link at the end I have added to follow their story. For me, there have been several days like this since, though I have learned a lot since. I have added some new comments in red.

----------------

Today is one of those days that causes you to ask God "why"?

Why .. why .. why?

It's days like today that I despise being empathetic. The "man" in me wants to shut it out, to block it up, to be tough and not cry .. but my empathetic nature wins..

There is a couple in our church who has been through a lot. Both of their previous spouses passed away from cancer about 5 years ago. I can't even begin to imagine how hard it was for them both to walk through losing a spouse, and yet they found each other in the mourning process and they ended up getting married.

Well, over the last 2 weeks it has been discovered that her son Zach (from her previous marriage, an amazingly good natured young man, and going into grade 7) had a blood clot in his brain and it was confirmed this morning that it is a terminal brain tumor. They have given him 2 years to live (this still stands, and he is steadily declining). To make matters worse, Doug, the husband who lost his wife and is now married to Dana has also been diagnosed with cancer over the last 2 weeks, though the severity is not yet known (he is in treatment, but I am still unclear how severe it is for him).

And so we come to the question. For a family that has already been through so much, why are they going through it again? How is this fair? How is this even remotely fair?

As a pastor, obviously my first inclination is to pray. Pray pray pray. Cry out to God on their behalf. And I do. I cry out, but I also ask God why? What purpose is there in this? Is this a test? Is God really in control? Does He care about us?

And I know, though I question, that emphatically that the answer is yes. Yes, yes, yes.

You see, for all man's knowledge and wisdom, we know so little (1 Cor 1:18-31). We have control over so very little. Zach has been in the care of some of the best doctors in the world at BC Children's (and both here and in Kelowna regularly). The same doctors who with my friend's kid Josiah end up going "huh?" (who has since gone to be with Jesus - which I never blogged about, more on that later maybe). The same doctors who through all their wisdom and knowledge still can't cure cancer. Sure they might be able to one day, and then there will be something bigger and worse?

The answer lies in this fact: God wants us to trust him. Do we trust God? Do we trust that - and this is the key to the fact - Do we trust God that *HE* knows best and loves and cares for the party involved more then we do?

The Bible is abundantly clear that God loves us. That he wishes NONE to "die" (John 3:16 and many other passages).

As a Christ follower, I think sometimes I fail to remember that life is about more then life and death has been defeated. We have to occupy this sinful, broken world only for a short time before spending eternity perfectly with the King of Kings.

We have things so good here in North America. We have all that we need and all that we want too for the most part. We have the "good" life. The "dream". And sure, parts of it may be lacking, but for the most part, I can do whatever I want, when I want. I see it everywhere - tv, video games, motivational talks, business meetings, even church sometimes, etc - we can do whatever we want if we put our minds to it.

Yet, we can't save a life. We can't do miracles (not us directly). We can't *make* food grow out of the ground. We can't make anything happen that really matters.

Jesus can though, and did, and continues to do so.

Jesus however does so with the profound knowledge that there is more to life, then life. He is the God who says, there is much pain while you are on earth because you fell to sin, but I love you, and there is hope of a future and plans for you to live forever with me in Eternity (Jer 29:11).

It is that hope that Jesus came to offer the world. In my greek class at Bible School, one of the most profound things I learned is that "the Kingdom of Heaven" is often misconstrued by our culture and mediocre english translations. A more descriptive translation would be "Kingdom of God's Reign" because the reality is this: Where does God reign? He reigns not only in Heaven, but in the here and now.

God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living (Mark 12:27, Luke 20:38). What matters is this: That in both life AND after "death", God desires to be a part of our lives, to love us, and for us to love him. And to trust him. And He sees resurrection (eternal life with him in a perfect place) as a good thing.

Jesus also says "Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted". They WILL BE COMFORTED. You see, Jesus understood there was more to life, then life. He understood the pain we go through. In John 11:35 you can even read these words: "Jesus wept" when his friend Lazarus passed away.

Mourning is natural, it is good, there is promise and hope in mourning. It shows we care, it shows we love, it shows we trust. I think that more often then not, this holds true even in the midst of anger, confusion and questioning. Dialoguing with God about your pain is a good thing as long as you don't let the anger take control and let it turn to bitterness. Bitterness is just a form of selfishness and a way of saying you don't trust God. (Through Josiah's death, this was put to the test in my life, and it is true. Continue to pray for Andrew and Marie who are still very much living this.)

You see, when faced with life's difficult circumstances, we are left with 2 options: To try and shut it out, to glaze it over, bury it and push it under - to be tough. Or we can mourn. We can fast and pray and weep and question. I think in the latter we are not shaking our fists at God in denial but admitting how little control we have, how little we know, and how much we need God.

And in that need, in that lack of control, we begin to have hope. We begin to have faith. We begin to realize that there is more to life, then life. We begin to truly trust.

And we do trust. Even *if* God takes Zach or Doug home we trust that God knows best, that God is in control. Even despite loss we can understand that God has bigger and better plans then we can hope or imagine. In the case of both Doug and Zach, I know that if they lose this life, at least they will gain a far better one truly, and at least they will be spared more agony and loss in this life.

Do you begin to see? Eternal life is a life free of sin and pain. There are no tears, or fears or pain. This is not a morbid thought. This is not me wishing to die. I love the life God has given me here on earth despite the pain. I love my family and friends and will live life to the full, and I have so much joy in the midst of it all. But I do know there is so much more and better waiting for me in resurrection, living eternally with God Almighty!

Yes, I mourn. I cry out. I pray. I weep. This is not easy. This makes me go why, and cry out that I don't understand. But I do understand in whom I trust, and I have hope. God will either heal them or take them to a much better place. And if there is only one thing I am truly certain of in life, it is that we all die at some point or another and that God is in charge of when and how that happens.

He loves you. He died for you. He defeated sin and death and rose for you. He promises we will rise into eternal life with Him, that life is not over upon death. He wants you to trust and know him.

In pain, in life, in suffering, and even in joy we can turn one of two directions: We can turn to the kingdom of comfort and work harder or play harder and distract ourselves from the pains of life, or we can turn headon into the pain and turn to the God of comfort, who loves us and wants us to pour out our hearts to him, to be included. To weep with Him. To trust Him. To let him love us.

I choose to turn to the God of Comfort, whom I turn to again and again.

I pray for healing that God may be given the glory. But I know that God will be given the glory whatever happens because He is in control and did create everything and everyone, and he cares for Zach and Doug infinitely more then me, or even Dana and the rest of their family. And that is not a copout, but it is the truth.

In Him all things have life only because He allows it (Acts 17:28). I believe this with my whole heart.

So, join me in mourning with them. Pray for them (that God WOULD heal - that Zach can enjoy a long and joyful life! That Doug can watch his family grow up!)! Fast for them! Serve them and love them!

It is sad. It makes me upset. It makes me question.

But still do I trust.

In the one, the only, the God of Comfort,

ryan andré

** You can follow Zach's own blog through caringhands (Dana - Zach's mom - often writes her own thoughts and updates on Zach here as well):
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/zachlaird


I leave you with the lyrics to the song "When the tears fall" by Tim Hughes. It is a beautiful song and makes me cry when I hear it, especially on days like today. You can hear/watch it at the link below.



-- When the Tears Fall --

I've had questions without answers
I've known sorrow, I have known pain
But there's one thing that I cling to
You are faithful, Jesus You're true

When hope is lost
I call You Saviour
When pain surrounds
I call You Healer
When silence falls
You'll be the song within my heart

In the lone hour of my sorrow
Through the darkest night of my soul
You surround me, You sustain me
My defender for ever more

When hope is lost
I call You Saviour
When pain surrounds
I call You Healer
When silence falls
You'll be the song within my heart

And I will praise You
I will Praise You
When the tears fall
Still I will sing to You
I will praise You
Jesus praise You
Through the suffering
Still I will sing to You

When hope is lost
I call You Saviour
When pain surrounds
I call You Healer
When silence falls
You'll be the song within my heart

I will praise You
I will praise You
When the tears fall
Still I will sing to you
I will praise You
Jesus I will praise You
Through the suffering
Still I will sing to you

When the laughter fails to comfort
When my heart aches, Lord You'll be there
When confusion is all around me
And the darkness is my closest friend
Still I'll praise You
Jesus praise You