A Challenge For Today. A Legacy For Tomorrow

     I am a dreamer. I'm always looking to the next thing or adventure. In my room I have a list on an old notebook called The List For Life. In this list are far away places , activities I want to do , and dreams I hope to fulfill. For a few years I have poured over magazines articles, documentaries ...the list goes on. I became obsessed with these future adventures and experiences. I found myself not even caring about the present. Why? As Christians we are called to look towards the kingdom and not to conform to things of this life. We are hardwired to look towards the final reward. The time when we will stand face to face with our maker and hear the words. "Well done , my good and faithful servant". 

        

    Last week was missions week at my school. We heard several speakers talk about relevant topics in society today. Such as Islam, Human Trafficking, and the Plight of developing countries. This week  taught me that we should not only live for the future but for today! We must rise up one and all and fulfill the call He has given us.

      I'm not saying that we shouldn't have dreams, in fact I believe all should have a list of aspirations. However, we should also keep an open heart and mind towards the will of God. People need the Gospel now! Not after your next trip, not after college. Not when you have a day off from work. Being part of the "Jesus Culture" there is a stereotype that we as Christians can only be missionaries if we sell everything we own and live in a mud hut for x amount of years. This is not true. We are called to our schools or vocations for a reason. Yes , it is true. You can evangelize in America. We often excuse ourselves from mission , saying it not our calling. That is wrong. So start the conversation , answer questions, just be a friend. You don't have to go all Billy Graham tent revival on someone. Let your actions reflect the faith you "claim" to be a follower of. Let them see that you are "different". This is my challenge for today. What will the legacy be, that you leave tomorrow?

Be thou my vision

   Call me old fashioned but I love hymns. One in particular is Be Thou my Vision. It's words ring true even today. It is a 6th century Irish hymn stemming from an old monastic chant. It is amazing that these God inspired words still ring true today. We sometimes  get so caught up in the flash and spectacle that is worship. Why can't we take a break from that on occasion?

      We are called to still our hearts and minds to meditate on God. This song is a great way of doing that "Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,Be thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord;Be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;Be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one." When I found this version of this song, I immediately fell in love with it. If you get the chance, stop what your doing , sit down , and listen to it. Focus on the words and what they truly mean. Remember that Christ is enough, that God payed this debt for us. Let us be thankful, let Him be our vision. Let us not cast our eyes upon that which is not eternal. "Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:Be thou mine inheritance now and always;Be thou and thou only the first in my heart;O Sovereign of Heaven, my treasure thou art."

Childhood

We walked through the land side by side
Hide and go seek games, tears wiped away when I cried .
Afternoons in the barn working on the old tractor that always broke.
The radio played Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash ,and George Strait.
I was raised right to love and cherish this way of life in the upstate.
Turkey hunts , and deer stand mornings.
Spinning yarns by the fire , and the old whipper-wills warnings.
Lunch at the old store, and a fishing at the duck pond.
These were days we loved.
Lessons learned, and a few taught as well.
Sunday mornings with Pop down the road at the church that preached of redemption, fire, brimstone , and Hell!
The heart of the land beats within me as I go about my life, carrying its dream on.
It's ashes, in my room on my desk it sits upon.
Sweet barn dirt fills my nostrils as I shut my eyes and remember.
Remember that snowy morning when the world was blanketed in white and the land froze time itself?
Remember when we beat the odds and did get home on a leaking gas tank?
Everyone has their story to tell. Stories of love, hate and redemption.
Together we put these stories away , as time moves on.
Will we ever go back to a day where we can stand as brothers and look out over that place once more?
I pray we do.

The Old Duck Pond 

But life has a way of working things out, one day I will stand on my own land, and look over the vista as ducks touch down on my pond, as cattle bed down and old bulls fight, as deer softly walk through the pines on a moonlit night. My children will learn to love the woods. Life will circle back to the days of childhood . But in a slightly different perspective. When I find this place, this place of healing , redemption, and joy I will sneak off into the woods. I will walk to the highest part of the land that looks over our slice of heaven and bury the ashes of lands of old , and memories of past days. I will make it part of the new land to bring together a central idea. A central idea of what life should be about. To finally go back to the basics of what my life should be. Hard work, friends and deposits in the memory bank. My great grandfather had a dream as he came back from WWII. He looked over the land before him and found a place where peace is abounding , and the majesty of God's handy work was everywhere. A place to go and just be still.To be able to go sit and just marvel at life. This is my dream, this is my prayer. That the innocence of childhood would come back to this life. That I may be able to capture that dream that my grandfather and his father once had. A place where the Cauthen Family Farm can find a home again.

The Barn

The Center Pasture. 

The reach- could relate to a lot of things

I reach out into the darkness hoping to grab on to something.
A word, a gesture, a feeling.
I want to understand ; to grasp true meaning.
I know what it is, but do I know why?
I play the part of the calm ,cool,and collected.
But I pray that I will not be rejected.
What is the purpose?
What is the part I must play?
I am here and ready for the lights to be lowered and the music to begin.
Nervously I read over the lines that were written by conformity.
Should I play this part?
Or should I throw down the script of life and act from the heart?
This cliche act of rebellion is seen all the time.
In hearts of angst filled youth time after time.
But this is different.
It is organic and new.
A script that has never been written.
It is my very own.
I turn through its pages
Memories are shown and remembered
This new script is a step into the unknown.
So hold out your hands and reach for this new part.
God is using it He's known of it from the start.
Let go of the old and grab onto the new
Because He, the father has a great work to do through you
Amen

Ode to My House "sorta cheesy"

When water runs through the baseboards, It sounds like they are being hit with the business end of a baseball bat.

The kitchen always smells like the south, with comfort food galore

Deer on the wall , puppy dog on the floor.

Good music, long campfire nights.

In this house many have laughed , yelled, screamed, and cried

It is a protector from the world , a shelter indeed.

It is my strong-place. More than just a pile of bricks and mortar. This house is family

Good occasions and bad ones too, friends and family know they can come and seek safety underneath the Cauthen Roof. 

A new band for you!

I am constantly searching for good tunes to get my feet moving and to evoke true emotion. This band has done just that. Lord Huron is a fresh indie band that uses catchy hooks and haunting melodies to bring you to a place of deep contemplation. Their lyrics ring true in such songs like She lit a Fire. "She lit fire and now she's in my every thought".A wave of sound rushes over you in songs like The Ghost on that Shore. As a musician I am drawn to their music for its simplicity. It is simple yet elegant and smooth. They can tell a story in a song ,and make you feel as if the song was about your own circumstance. So sit back and enjoy these videos!

She Lit a Fire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJLjzk7DmeM

The Stranger 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rzME0DSARE

A prayer for the broken

Guard your heart for what's said to be true!
Then may a wellspring of life burst forth from you.
Sins in the past , sins of the future.
Only with the Christ may you endure.
We have all fallen into the muck and mire .
And can not climb out without his Hand.
Run from complacency
Seek that which is holy.
Run to the refuge of His Word
And run to the refuge of his love.
The darkness is here but not for long
On with redemption
Sing sweet the redemption song!
You can let go of this bondage and cast it down
"If grace was an ocean we all would drown"
Amen