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| Over the past year I have had this recurring line of thought in my head almost daily. What does it mean when we say "It is well with my soul"? As I'm sure everyone knows; "It is well with my soul", is the chorus to "When Peace Like a River"-- one of the two or three most famous hymns you will ever hear. The familiarity of the song can lead us to sing it out of repetition, and we could easily miss what we are actually singing. It is in reality one of the most powerful truths we can try to grasp.
That truth is this. We beat ourselves into the ground over our sin, and our trials. We feel condemned by what seems like a never ending string of failures, and offenses against God. We take trials and pains that come to us, and they weigh heavy on our hearts. While this is often how our hearts work, it is not biblical to think this way. The line "It is well with my soul" is shouting biblical truth at us. It is reminding us how there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus". It is telling us that in being made whole through Christ, our sin has no power over us. How God now delights in us through that sacrifice. What an amazing thought! It tells us that trials, and pain and questioning can not separate us from Christ's love. Not the death of a loved one. It is well with my soul. Not the betrayal of a friend. No, are souls are well before God. Through not knowing where your life is headed, or what is next in God's plan for you, it is well with my soul! When all earthly joy, and comfort falls away, we know that God is there, and he remains faithful-- it is well with our souls. It is telling us that if God is for us then nobody can be against us, and that "not death, nor life, nor angels or rulers, nor things present or things to come, nor powers. Nor height or depth, or anything else in all of creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus".
Few things give us a better picture of this than the author of this beautiful hymn. He wrote these life changing words while on a boat over the spot where his daughters had drowned just a week before. Horatio Spafford clearly knew what was important. He knew that his soul must be firmly locked in the hands of God. Through immeasurable grief; he knew that it was well with his soul.
That is what we mean when we say it is well with our souls. It is the only real reason we have to get up in the morning, and live our lives with any joy. It is well with our soul's and that is all any of us truly need to know. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
My sin, o the bliss, of this glorious thought,
my sin, not in part, but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul.--
It is well with my soul. It is well with my soul.
It is well. It is well with my soul!
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| As we enter this Christmas season, I have been thinking a lot about the depth found within many of the Christmas songs we sing at this time of year -- and how strange it is that people everywhere suddenly feel comfortable to sing these powerful songs, as well. What other time of year is it appropriate for people on TV and in public to sing a song like "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing"; where it talks of "God, and sinners reconciled!" In particular, I have been thinking of the song "All is Well". Think about the wonderful picture it captures. For thousands of years the World had been surrounded by questions and doubt about where they stood before God. It had been four hundred years since the last prophet, and surely many of the Israelites were beginning to wonder if God was abandoning them for their rebellion -- or if God was even there. Was the Promised One who would save them and crush their enemy -- promised to Eve, Abraham, David, and so many others -- really going to come? Was there any real reason for hope? Suddenly, God broke his silence, and gave hope in a way no prophet ever could have. Suddenly God's people could say "All is well", because God himself had become a helpless infant. He had come to bring peace, not just to the Israelites, but to the whole world. The "Desire of all Nations" had come. In this moment, God was shining light into a world shrouded in darkness. We tend to overlook how important the incarnation was -- and is. We can forget that the incarnation is just essential as the cross and is what prepared the way for our hope! This unimaginable event made us able to truly say that everything is ok. All is well -- we are reconciled with God. Glory to God in the highest! All is Well -- All is well, all is well
Angels and men rejoice
For tonight darkness fell
Into the dawn of love's light
Sing A-le Sing Alleluia
All is well, all is well
Let there be peace on earth
Christ is come go and tell
That He is in the manger
Sing A-le Sing Alleluia
All is well, all is well
Lift up your voices and sing
Born is now Emmanuel
Born is our Lord and Savior
Sing Alleluia, Sing Alleluia
All is well. | | |
| In other news; Here is my... "Top Ten Temptations to be Depressed". 10. The Patriots were robbed by an obviously inferior team last Sunday night. 9. Nancy Pelosi is the new Speaker of the House. 8. It's not Red Sox season. 7. Brittney Spears is reproducing. 6. I had cold fries at Mcdonalds tonight. 5. We live in a very Blue State. (though thankfully not like New York) 4.You can't get good popcorn on Alpha Centauri. 3. ...yeah,ok.... 2. I still have never beaten my dad at anything. 1. My 4 year old brother consistently beats me at "Memory". Cheerio, Chaps! | | |
| I have begun to receive complaints about my lack of posting. I have received similar complaints in the past. About a year ago when the Mclernon family was pointing out the fact that I had not posted in an eternity, I wrote this and never posted it. So here it is, coming out of the Mclernon-Shorey vault for the very first time; "I Saved an Alien Princess".-- I Saved an Alien Princess -- by Adam D. Shorey Ok, so I realize that everybody has missed the incredible humor, wit, and sheer profundity that is found within my posts, but I have a good excuse for my extended xanga absence. (Other than that I don't like xanga very much) So I was walking down the street, returning from Green Peace where I had saved a couple of whales, when all of a sudden I was jumped by a gang of Yankees fans, and axe murderers. They took me back into an ally, and began their twisted sacrifice ritual. First they tied me up and put a Yankees hat on me, and began chanting things about George Steinbrenner. Just as I was getting to the point where I thought I couldn't take it any more, they untied me, and laid me down so that the axe murderer portion of their gang could finish the job. They raised the axe to decapitate me, when before they could slam it down on me they all ran away. I sat up feeling relieved that I would now be able to save more whales because my life had been spared. I then realized why the group had fled so quickly. There was an alien space-craft hovering directly above me! They proceeded to open the bottom of there ship, and abduct me. I was quickly blind-folded before I could see my captors. I felt a gigantic hand grab my shoulder and lead me down what felt like endless hallways. They then took off my blind-fold, and I was grateful to discover that they had given me a window seat. I then looked at the seat across from me to see a tiny green man with hands that were at least three times the size of the rest of him. It made me wonder how this creature could even hold them up, but there he sat, tiny legs folded, gesturing to the stewardess for a martini. He informed me that I didn't need to fear, because they had only abducted me because they needed me to rescue their kidnapped princess from a carnivorous species of alien from a distant planet. He then told me that they had searched the whole galaxy, looking for the person with the most nobility, strength, and character, and they had come to the decision that I was the man for the job. (They would have done it themselves, but they weren't tall enough to reach the doorknob) I told them that I was flattered by their decision, but that even I was slightly worried about my safety through the operation. They assured me that my family would be generously reimbursed financially in the event of my passing, so I agreed to the job. They took me to the planet where the captive princess was held. They equipped me with a torch, a nail file and a BB gun, and off I went. I surprised even myself with the ease at which I disposed of the huge meat eating creatures. I quickly rescued the princess, and returned her to the mother ship. They thanked me profusely, and beamed me back to the ally where my adventure had started. I first began to feel a little bitter because the only payment they had ended up giving me was a cheap trophy, and a shirt that said "I saved an alien princess and all I got was this lousy t-shirt." Then I realized that I had contributed to the greater good, and was satisfied with my reward. I rushed home because I realized that I hadn't posted on xanga in a couple weeks because of this turn of events, and wanted to share it with all of you. So that is why I haven’t been consistent in my xanga posting -The End- | | |
|  | Currently Watching
What About Bob?
By Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss, Julie Hagerty, Charlie Korsmo, Kathryn Erbe, Tom Aldredge, Susan Willis, Roger Bowen, Fran Brill, Brian Reddy, Doris Belack, Melinda Mullins, Marcella Lowery, Margot Welch, Barbara Andres, Aida Turturro, Stuart Rudin, Cortez Nance Jr., Lori Tan Chinn, Dennis Scott
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Hello folks, and welcome to the Adam Shorey Xanga Awards Show! (The ASXAS!) Now would seem to be the appropriate time to give a very funny monolouge, but...I've got nothing, so we're going to move straight to the awards. Tonight we will be giving out two awards. 1. Best looking person/cow on the face of the planet. and 2. Most frequent visitor to Adam's Xanga. The nominees for Best looking cow/person on the face of the earth, are; Adam Shorey (obviously), Jared Blake (not even close), Dellian Cornfield (so that she can be nominated in both catagories), and finally; That Cow from the Mickey Mouse cartoons. (she only wishes) And the ASXAS goes to.......That cow from the Mickey Mouse cartoons! (WHAT?!?!?) This is Ms.Cow's first ASXAS nomination, and first win. Ms.Cow would love to be here to thank you herself, but she is being milked at the moment, and is not able to attend. And now for the big moment. The footprints have been counted, and we will now discover the Most Frequent Visitor to Adam's Xanga. This of course only includes the past 4 days because thats as far back as footprints go. The nominees for the ASXAS in the catagory of "Most Frequent Visitor to Adam's Xanga" are: Dellian Cornfield (she's 16 now, so there are obviously questions to ask), Jared Blake (not even close), Some guy from France who I don't know (no seriously, i really don't know who it is), My mom (doesn't even know how to use Xanga). And the ASXAS goes to.......Dellian Cornfield! This is Ms.Cornfields second ASXAS nomination, and first win. "I am sooo honored. I really don't know what to say! Except thank you!"-- Wow! What a moving acceptance speech! I thought she was going to thank everyone she knew for a second there! hehe... Dellian, you're work as a frequent looker is awe inspiring, especially considering I have not posted anything in more than two weeks. Keep up the good work! Congratulations to all our ASXAS nominees (especially you, random French guy), and even more so to all our ASXAS winners. Join us again next year for the 2007 ASXAS Awards! This is Bill Murray (yes I got Bill Murray to host my awards show) saying good-bye from all of us here at the ASXAS Awards! Good night everybody! | | |
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