happy accidents

under the holly tree

under the holly tree i sing.

a song of love dances from my lips into Your uncreated heart. a melody from heaven made for just us.

under the holly tree i wait.

i rest in the shade of Your arms. i will find the place where we can walk together.

under the holly tree i drink.

my soul takes in the love intended for it. liquid gold fills me up.

under the holly tree i see.

my eyes paint pictures of things i do not know. Your hands paint pictures onto my soul.

under the holly tree i dance with You.

we move to the sounds of Your heartbeat. You lead me to the sound of Your love.

a stranger.

open up my eyes that i may see real beauty.

i want to look at the unseen colors of Your love.

i want to dance in the light that sings the songs of who You are.

let me hear the sounds of heaven.

let me taste the light that You dwell in.

i want to drink in the fire of Your gaze.

my eyes were made to feast on Your beauty.

my mouth was made to taste the sweetness of Your words.

my ears were made to hear the melody Your love sings.

i am living for another day and age.

i'm longing for a place i've not yet been.

i belong to heaven.

i am created for holiness.

i am made for the delight of Your presence.

i am destined for the pleasure of knowing You.

i am made for Your LOVE.

evening.

time slows down. the last drops of the sun creep in through closed windows. dust particles dance in slits of golden light.

twirling. jumping. floating. glowing.

shadows dance through the music notes where i find my rest. they are painted with the last streams of daylight. an empty chair rests in the corner, soaking in the last ounces of warmth. it was empty all day. it will be empty all night. it will be empty tomorrow. evening is its only friend. evening brings the only light that touches it. and then in a moment, evening is gone.

night.

3am silence fills my mind with recollections.

the wet street is a painting--ever changing as I move through a forest of light.

my breath coming out in clouds that disappear around my lips.

i wrap my mind in starlight and drops of rain.

i rest in the glow of the dashboard.

an orange sky peeks through the window, casting shadows that make all seem more lovely.

fresh ink on white pages and my hair in a mess.

the ticking of the clock rhymes with my breathing.

this is my friend--night.

The Great Separator

This is just a little something I had to write for American Lit once again...its nothing too groundbreaking or brilliant, but it might be worth a quick read ;p. let me know what you think!




Sin is designed for separation. That is its purpose. Sin is that which separates us from being in total and complete communion with our perfect Creator while on this earth, and it is that which separates us from all that is good. Sin is the opposite of freedom—it is slavery. Sin is weight.

In today’s culture, sin is often classified in many, often contradictory, ways. Some say the action is what matters—stealing, lying, cheating, coveting, etc. Others say the intentions behind such actions are what determine their sinfulness or righteousness. Even those who wouldn’t label certain things as “sinful” or “righteous” still have some way of differentiating “right” and “wrong”. True sin, however, begins someplace far deeper than our mere actions or even our intentions; sin is in our very nature as humans.

The prophet Ezra spoke of sin in the Old Testament while passionately crying out to God on behalf of his nation, Israel. He says, “Here we are before You in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in Your presence” (Ezra 9:15 NIV). Ezra had this basic foundational understanding of sin, in that it is what prevents us from entering into the presence of God without shame. For mankind, this all began with what is widely known as the “original sin of Adam” or “the Fall of Man” found in the book of Genesis. In this event, the very first humans created by God chose to believe the lie that something other than God could make them whole, and they disobeyed Him as a result. Their perfect fellowship with God was then broken, and because of this separation, shame and guilt entered the conscience of man, and so began the cycle of sin and separation that is the very condition into which mankind has been born ever since.

It may be strange to some to consider sin in this way—so prevalent in the hearts of men—especially to one who may argue that all that God created was good. Sin, however, is not necessarily the “opposite” of good or of God’s creation, but is rather the perversion of it. C.S. Lewis states it plainly when he says “Badness is only spoiled goodness”. Sinning is not simply breaking some set of rules that would be no fun to follow in the first place. To sin is to take something created by God for the purpose of goodness or beauty or delight or freedom, and distort it until its countenance is so that it could not ever be identified with such pure and holy intentions. To sin is to deny oneself of the greater blessing intended to come with the original, untwisted form of the action or ideal, and pay the cost of separation from truth and light for a more darkened, bitter, and temporary taste of false pleasure.

Sin hinders us. It is what restricts our potential and keeps us from always existing in the great and divine purpose God intends for our lives. Sin is what separates us from so much good in ways both physical and spiritual. However, it does not and cannot completely separate us from the love of our wonderful and divine Creator. God expresses this truth through the prophet Joel in the Old Testament when He says, “…turn and keep on coming to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning, until every hindrance is removed and the broken fellowship is restored. Rend your hearts and not your garments and return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness…” (Joel 2: 12-13).

To put it quite simply, sin is the lie formulated to break down and break apart those who God, in His truth, is so zealous to love and restore.

BURN

We are living today in a world that’s in need. With abortion, pornography, suicide, depression, violence, and poverty existing at tragic levels, our nation and our world are in desperate need. We need hope. We need light. We need fire. We need healing. We need justice. We need transformation.

We need a move of God [Isaiah 52:10].

We are existing in an urgent hour right now. Apathy and complacency will no longer cut it [Eph. 5:14, Amos 6:1]. God’s heart for us is passionate, and He’s raising up lovers and intercessors who will cry out just as passionately back to Him for an outpouring of His Spirit and for cultural transformation [Joel 2]. He is calling forth individuals who will actively engage in their culture and community, and who will shine as lights in darkness to proclaim this message of hope. He’s calling us to burn and its going to be beautiful.

My heart has been gripped with this truth, and I believe God has called me to a specific and special opportunity coming up this January. I am going to be participating in a program called the Burn Internship here in Fredericksburg, VA. The focuses of the Burn are worship, intercession, the prophetic, and compassion. Throughout a period of 6 months, the interns will dive deep into the life of prayer and the way of intimacy with Christ [read John 15]. Worship and intercession will not just be events, but rather a way of life. We will also be actively serving the community with weekly ministry to the poor, homeless, sick and oppressed here in Fredericksburg, as well as in D.C. We will serve outside the community as well, through time spent ministering and serving in Bosnia and Israel. Burn interns will also staff Awaken the Dawn--an annual gathering/ministry of Grace Church of Fredericksburg--as well as working intensely with the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace--a 24/7, night and day prayer movement being birthed in Fredericksburg. Interns will also take several foundational courses during the internship, and passionately pursue the understanding and knowledge of God, the mind of Christ, and the work of the Holy Spirit.
[for even more info about the internship check out www.theprayerfurnace.org/ministries/burn]

This internship is something I’m excited about for obvious reasons, but also because I feel it is something God is calling me specifically to. I’ve received multiple words of knowledge from God through different people about this, as well as my own personal convictions, and even through dreams.
I’m sharing this with you because I want you to be involved in my life. I want my family and friends to know just what I’m up to and what’s going on with me. And I want the same for you. It’s called community and its important.

I also share this as a request.

1. This is a request for your prayer and intercession.
Prayer/intercession/worship are the pulse and the heartbeat of this internship. I could neither ask for, nor receive anything more important than this. So I ask you: please pray for us. For all of us on this journey together, for the challenges we will face, and for strength and humbleness and peace and passion. We need your prayers above anything else. Prayer can shift atmospheres and win battles.
Prayer changes things.[James 5:18]

2. This is also a request for support.
God is a good God. He’s a good Father, and I have no doubt He will provide. So I’m asking, in faith, that you would consider supporting me in this time of service and growth.
The total cost of the internship is $4200.00. This covers housing and food for 6 months as well as the cost of the mission work. While this is very reasonable considering what it includes, it is still a pretty big chunk of money.
This cost also does not include any personal living expenses I may encounter. With the internship being a full time commitment, I will not be able to work, and will rely solely on the support I raise.
There is a minimum deposit of $500 that I will need to raise by November 14, and I will also need to have raised the remaining sum of the tuition upon my arrival on January 4, 2009.
I encourage you to really seek God out in prayer on this issue, and see how He calls you to respond.
It’s a serious need, but I am already thankful for what I know He will provide in His faithfulness.
Regardless of how God speaks to you about this need, I thank you also. I thank you for taking the time to learn about something I will be involved in, and I thank you for being involved in my life.

I will be updating on my progress and preparation for this internship mostly via internet.
[myspace, facebook, this blog, etc….if you don’t have the links to my pages don’t hesitate to ask]

Also, if you have any other questions about what I’m doing or any encouragements or words of knowledge that God has given you about this for me, please let me know! :]
My email address is: kbr267@email.vccs.edu

Don’t hesitate to ever come to me about any prayer requests you may have either. I love listening to and praying for people. :]

Any checks can be made out to “Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace” and sent to:
Burn Internship
PO Box 4151
Fredericksburg, VA 22402
**If you do send a check, please attach a note indicating that the money is to go toward my (Kaylah Rodriguez’s) Burn internship ’09 tuition, even if you write my name in the memo.

I love you guys. Jesus loves you way more. Isn’t it great?
xoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxo
lovelovelove
--Kaylah

“Awake my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples. For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth”
--Psalm 57:8-11