eating sour bread

2 friends quoted this powerful passage to me from Isaiah 30 in the past week.
I had already posted this on facebook this week-

20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."
~ Isaiah 30:20-21

Sometimes, the Lord brings us such horrendous trials but then he promises to send us the Teacher during such times to reveal to us His Word and promises to guide us during our difficult pilgrim journey. Blessed be His name!

wisdom from sirach

my good friend sent me this today---he may have been inspired by my recent facebook posting from baruch (also from the apocrypha). (i can't quite be encouraged by this now b/c i'm depressed and angry but here it goes):

My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for
temptation.
Set your heart right and be steadfast, and do not be hasty in time of
calamity.
Cleave to him and do not depart, that you may be honored at the end of
your life.
Accept whatever is brought upon you, and in changes that humble you be
patient.
For gold is tested in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of
humiliation.
Trust in him and he will help you; make your ways straight and hope in
him.

Sirach 2:1-6

Let your love be strong

In this world of news, I've found nothing new
I've found nothing pure
Maybe I'm just idealistic to assume that truth
Could be fact and form
That love could be a verb
Maybe I'm just a little misinformed

As the dead moon rises, and the freeways sigh
Let the trains watch over the tides and the mist
Spinning circles in our sky's tonight
Let the trucks roll in from Los Angeles
Maybe our stars are unanimously tired

(chorus)
Let your love be strong, and I don't care what goes down
Let your love be strong enough to weather through the thunder cloud
Fury and thunder clap like stealing the fire from your eyes
All of my world hanging on your love

Let the wars begin, let my strength wear thin
Let my fingers crack, let my whole world fall apart
Train the monkeys on my back to fight
Let it start tonight
When my world explodes, when my stars touch the ground
Falling down like broken satellites

Let your love be strong, and I don't care what goes down
Let your love be strong enough to weather through the thunder cloud
Fury and thunder clap like stealing the fire from your sky's
All that i am hanging on, all of my world resting on your love

4:12 ~ switchfoot again

You've been having trouble staying asleep
You been waking up at 4:12
You roll the voices over in your head
Then you try to put them neatly on the shelf

You watch the sun rise
You saw the darkness had no choice before the dawn
With your own eyes
And then you broke out laughing from a yawn

You said, "I'm so sorry I've been so down
I started doubting things could ever turn around
And I began to believe that all we are is material
It's nonsensical"

So you walk outside and everything's new
You're looking at the world with new eyes
As if you'd never seen the sky before this blue
As if you'd never seen the sky in your whole life
And then the phone rings
As it turns out you are already late
And now you're wondering
Is peace just a temporary state?

Waiting tables and parking cars
You've been selling cell phones at the shopping mall
And you began to believe that all you are is material
It's nonsensical

I'm so sorry I've been so down
I started doubting things could ever turn around
But I still can't believe that all we are
And that all of our dreams are nothing more than material
Souls aren't built of stone
Sticks and bones

Souls aren't built of stone

Souls aren't built of stone
Sticks and bones
And souls aren't built of stone

obama

I voted for him.

circles ~ switchfoot

Another day
Another sunrise
Another factory call
Another night
Another sunset
Another freefall

Am I alive?
Am I on purpose?
Within the weakness
Within the weakness...

Spinning out in circles
In circles, in circles
Spinning out in circles
In circles, in circles

Another day
Another lifetime
Another engine stalls
Another line
Another freeway
Another freefall

I've lost all that I wanted to leave
I've lost all that I wanted to be
Don't believe that there's nothing that's true
Don't believe in this modern machine!
The modern machine

In circles

Psalm 73

21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.