My wife and I have both been donating our time to a co-op homeschool group as teachers. I had the honor of teaching a group of students about songwriting this past fall semester 2023. It was epic! We met every other week through the Fall and wrote two group songs by the end of the season. I will be recording the songs and releasing them on Youtube (because once you create a work of art, you have a responsibility to share it). We performed the songs for the whole group of about a hundred kids. I would like to share the lyrics below to one of the songs and will be sharing the Youtube video once it is complete.
Here is the lyrics to the song:
Your Love is a River
CHORUS: Your love is a river, whose source will not run dry Always flows forever, our constant love supply Your love is a river, and I’m resting in this flow Drinking your affection, as you bring me home
VERSE 1: When I feel sad and doubtful You bring my hope to life Forever you are with me Forever you are kind And when I see you I know_ everything’s alright (CHORUS)
VERSE 2: You are faithful to show mercy In all the wrongs we do Even through the worst of me You stay steadfast_ and true And when I see you I know_ everything’s alright
BRIDGE: I stand beneath, the rush and the roar Immersed in mercy, I could never ask for more Held in your care, Nothing compares To your love as it falls over me It’s all around, there’s no escape Takes up all time, fills every space Your Presence here, removes all fear Your love transports me, to an ocean of grace
CHORUS 2: Your love is an ocean, I’m surrounded on all sides It just goes on forever, with no end in sight Your love is a ocean, and I’m sinking like a brick Drinking your affection, drowning me in bliss Yes, I’m drowning in this bliss
Psalms 103:8 TPT
“Lord, you’re so kind and tenderhearted and so patient with people who fail you! Your love is like a flooding river overflowing its banks with kindness.”
I am sitting at Luna, one of my favorite coffee shops in Green Bay treating myself to a quiche and a coffee after a successful Christmas concert. I could not hold back the tears when I told them of how my daughter had been a part of a Nativity play called, The Very Worst Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I was moved during the the last scene when Imogene Herdman, who played Mary, held baby Jesus and cried when she finally understood the meaning of Christmas and what a gift Jesus is to us.
What would you do and how would you feel if you were suddenly transported back in time to the Nativity to witness the events of the birth of Jesus?
The Lord gave me a dream in which I suddenly found myself standing with my daughter Emma on the right side of a stage in a theater at the closing final, “take a bow” and clap for all the actors, moment at a Nativity play. Everyone went still and were in shock at my sudden appearance. They didn’t know what to think or do. I looked out at the audience, in shock myself, and then turned to see all the actors from the Nativity play. I held an unopened bottle of wine in my hand.
My attention was drawn to baby Jesus. I had an Imogene moment as I was overwhelmed with what this meant for me personally… what Jesus meant to me personally.
Without even thinking about it, I dropped the bottle of wine, approached the manger scene, and fell facedown on the floor before my Lord, the baby Jesus.
A strange thing began to happen as I started to slide across the floor toward the front of the stage. Somehow I knew I wouldn’t fall, and sure enough, as my body slid off the stage I began to float. Suddenly I flew up above the audience and then out through the roof.
Okay, I realize that the last part distracted people from the impact of the message. I get it. But how can you leave out a cool part like that?
So… facedown before the Lord. Let’s stay there for a bit.
Reminds me of a bit of Scripture from Philippians 2:5-11 NLT:
“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
NASB puts it like so: “For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Every knee will bow before Jesus, Yeshua, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He forces no one. He woos every one. He draws all unto himself by tender lovingkindness and grace.
“Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? What’s happened to the world?” “A Great shadow has departed,” said Gandalf, and then he laughed and the sound was like music, or like water in a parched land; and as he listened the thought came to Sam that he had not heard laughter, the pure sound of merriment, for days upon days without count.” — JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
Yeshua is in the business of making everything sad come untrue.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourn-ing, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.
Do you remember when he said, “Behold, I make all things new”?
That means you.
He means you.
You are made new. Don’t just take my word for it. Holy Spirit in the Good Book puts it this way, “You are a new creation in Christ Jesus. The old is gone. The new has come.”
The last enemy to be defeated is death. And “death” speaks of any sense of separation from the One who is Life. Oneness in the Life of God is the end game, which is already and “not yet” ontological truth. There awaits for us all a glorious culmination to the story in which we all “get” our Oneness. Outside of time and space in the heart of the Father, this is already Reality. From our perspective this has been hard for us to imagine, but God knows God’s Love… which never fails. From God’s perspective, this has never been in question.
As the Scripture says, No one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Nothing and no one has been left out in Yeshua’s reconciling finished work.
We all know the details of the story. A death on the cross where Life swallowed death in victory. A victory that is confirmed by the resurrection and ascension. There is a phrase in Scripture, he was risen for our justification. The expiation of sin has been accomplished. “It is finished”, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world has declared. And he will draw (drag) all mankind unto himself. Holy Spirit has been poured out upon all flesh (Joel 2). Which leaves no one out. Holy Spirit of Savior Yeshua is on the job and will continue to draw all unto himself until every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. It is a promise.
This glorious nature of Awakening happens one at a time… and suddenly all at once, because we are all bound to each other. If One of us ascends, we ALL ascend. And none of us can win unless we ALL win. As long as there is any lost or fallen, we are ALL lost and fallen. The glory in this Gospel is that One of us has ascended… all the way… and has brought us ALL with him. Start paying attention to how the Apostle Paul uses the word ALL.
Sure, we may come and go in waves as we test love in all manner of ways, but we will always find good pasture in the care of our Good Shepherd. Don’t doubt anymore. It’s easy. Just don’t do it and it won’t be done. Doubt doesn’t happen by accident you know. “Oops I doubted”.
No…it’s a choice.
O crap… we are really going there right now?
I hated myself for doubting you God! I sentenced myself to hell for doubting your goodness and love. I am so ashamed that I became unconscious of your love. I was found out. I had said “no” to love. Ihad warred against love. I stood opposed to love. I became your enemy. I became love’s enemy. I hated myself. I rejected myself for doubting your love. And it lasted a great while. It was a great sadness that I would never wish upon my worst enemy. I just described what is at the core of the dark night of the soul. Self-loathing shame tormented me.
But Jesus, my Great Physician, Yeshua my shrink, has found this sin sick soul of this fallen lost sinner and made me a new creation. My sins are white as snow and as far from me as the East is from the West. It is a Gospel… a good news of forgiveness.
I see you. I know the dark times we, as divine sparks of human consciousness, experience. I know of the lies we entertain to cope with our own personal hells of our own making. But… the truth will set us free. The Truth will set us free.
How does one overcome the perspective of Solomon, “Meaningless, meaningless, says the Teacher.. the Rabbi.”
Is my Rabbi saying this? It feels kind of discouraging… ya know?
So what the hell am I doing here? Not “making a difference”. There is no no difference to make when it is all meaningless.
I can literally stay quiet and do nothing. I can become a monk and live in a mountain rocky cave like a marmot and live out my days in oblivion. It doesn’t matter.
Solomon did tell us what matters in the end however… didn’t he?
Does anyone stick around to the end to hear him out?
I’d like to hear what the dude concluded. This very wise and sassy other version of me who got to “try everything” just like the gazelle sang about in Zootopia.
So what did he say?
And this is the end of the matter… from the final verses of the final chapter of his magnum opis:
Concluding Thoughts about the Teacher
8“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.”
9Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. 10The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly.
11The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.
12But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.
13That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
–Ecclesiastes 12 NLT
So… wisdom does relieve suffering. This is a tremendous benefit while we are here. It brings heaven on earth. But is it necessary? No… but…
God will judge you.
He will assess you… by your choices. Everything you do. Did you obey his commands to trust him and love others? I mean, lets be real here. Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
Not just: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It’s a great start|!
Not leaving it at: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Which is a pretty epic proactive way of fleshing out his meaning.
But, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
That’s the commands Solomon is refering to. This is the end of the matter.
How did you do?
What do you want to do differently now?
I came to the conclusion: I can do better.
Know better. Do better.
We can do this.
Is there any more commentary on Ecclesiastes 12 needed?
I believe so.
Let’s look at the phrase: Fear God.
How I want to shift attention off myself right now. I’d rather talk about how I’ve observed others not doing that… as if to say, “See! I am not alone in my rebellion. Stop assessing me. Stop judging me for my profound failure. Yes. I have taken Jesus lightly. I have not obeyed his command to love others as he has loved me.
I’m seeing something here though… not quite a loophole. In fact I turn myself in. Not looking for a way out. I plead guilty… and insane. I’m sorry. I was unconscious of love. If I am not helped significantly every moment of every day I will likely remain unconscious of how to love. I plead insanity, so I end up in the mental ward of heaven. I want to stay I love it here so much! I am being healed! Rehabilitated! Soon enough my chakras will be humming at full steam.
But, what I am seeing is the obviousness of the fact that you can only love others to the extent that you allow yourself to be loved by God. You only can give out what you have received.
This is no loophole however because how are you going to fault Jesus when he is the epitome of Love? You and I both damn well know that we are the ****ups here. Have I got your attention? astericks alwasy get my attention.
Jesus told me: “I am as present and ‘experienced’ in your life as you have allowed me to be. Your experience of me is dictated by you. You are afraid. You are afraid of loosing the absolute fury of my love. You are, in fact, afraid of your own shame. But that is but a mere shadow. My light obliterates every shadow. God is Light in whom there is no shadow. God is Light in whom we live and move and have our being.
I am wonderfully nostalgic tonight.
Reality is like fine wine. Not readily appreciated by children.
Very appreciated by the criminally insane condemned to be rehabilitated in heavens mental ward.
Indeed.
MagnifiQue.
So what now?
Fear God?
We better start by capitalizing god.
We’ve been over all the failures. It’s tiresome old news. It’s history. It’s white as the pure driven snow baby. It’s okay to be right where you are at in your maturity. There is no shame anymore dear mental ward patient.
We love you.
We are here for you. And, we are hear for you. We will listen.
God said to me first thing this morning.
“Today is the day.”
Your book is done.
You have always been “done”.
You are the book I am writing.
Every day a new chapter, a new installment, of this Truman Show… this Daniel show.
You can run but you can never hide from my love and my watchful gaze. All of heaven is tuned in to your show. You are a required course in the schools of heaven. Everything and everyone is… How do you think we can know it all?
This doesn’t make us “know it all’s” in the sense you are thinking. There is far more than resistance to love that has firmly anchored us in Love. Amor Conquistó TODO. Yes, Love has conquered ALL.
So it becomes easy then to introduce myself and invite you to become a patient yourself in the mental ward in heaven. I lovingly call it: The Church of the Mystic Realms. And I’m ordained! Can you believe it? I am Sir Pastor Daniel the First of the Church of the Mystic Realms.
So let’s be friends. You can be dumb and I’ll be dumber.
You will feel SO smart habgin out with me. But matbe you are the one who has been dummer…
Jesus is ready to meet with You! Jesus visited me and told me to tell all my friends something. He said:
“Daniel, tell all of your friends that if they want to get to know me…”
And then I was given a vision of me holding up the Gospel of John and pointing to Chapter one.
Your response is important.
God gave me a metaphor for anyone who resists the message. He gave me the story of Naaman who came to Elisha to be healed of his leprosy. Elisha sent out a servant to tell Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan river and that he would be healed.
Naaman took offense that Elisha would not even come out to meet him. It seemed as if he wasn’t even going to do what Elisha told him to do. This shows how stubborn our pride can be. His servants reasoned with him and he finally relented and washed seven times in the Jordan and received his healing.
Perhaps Jesus is asking us how persistent will we be in our pursuit of relationship with him? Would we be willing to read through the Gospel of John seven times?
I believe that Jesus will meet with us as we marinate our minds in the Scriptures given to the apostle John for the very purpose of leading us into a very real relationship with the Lord Jesus. Consider the following Scripture from the Gospel of John that informs us of it’s purpose:
“…these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
John 20:31 NASB
I am reminded of John 17 where Jesus defines eternal life:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
John 17:1-3 NIV
This is the offer on the table. To experience and know Father and Son.
Daniel Lovett 