CCC Gainesville | Blog
I’m on my own.
No one looks out for me or protects me.
I experience a continual sense of need. Nothing’s quite right.
I’m always restless. I’m easily frustrated and often disappointed.
It’s a jungle — I feel overwhelmed. It’s a desert — I’m thirsty.
My soul feels broken, twisted, and stuck. I can’t fix myself.
I stumble down some dark paths.
Still, I insist: I want to do what I want, when I want, how I want.
But life’s confusing. Why don’t things ever really work out?
I’m haunted by emptiness and futility — shadows of death.
I fear the big hurt and final loss.
Death is waiting for me at the end of every road,
but I’d rather not think about that.
I spend my life protecting myself. Bad things can happen.
I find no lasting comfort.
I’m alone … facing everything that could hurt me.
Are my friends really friends?
Other people use me for their own ends.
I can’t really trust anyone. No one has my back.
No one is really for me — except me.
And I’m so much all about ME, sometimes it’s sickening.
I belong to no one except myself.
My cup is never quite full enough. I’m left empty.
Disappointment follows me all the days of my life.
Will I just be obliterated into nothingness?
Will I be alone forever, homeless, free-falling into void?
Sartre said, “Hell is other people.”
I have to add, “Hell is also myself.”
It’s a living death,
and then I die.
–The anti-psalm 23, by David Powlison, more here
The confidence of Psalm 23 is that of one who is steeped in the theology of God’s care for His people in the early days, when God made His covenant with them. David knows that God. And since He is the eternal shepherd, His people are not surprised to find Him as the New Testament shepherd too: the good Shepherd, the great Shepherd, the chief Shepherd who will one day appear with ‘glory that will never fade away’, and who ‘will lead them to springs of living water.’
— Derek Kidner
Cf John 10:11; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 7:17.
Here are the top posts for 2011 from Christian Counseling & Education Foundation.
10. Who Talks About Idols Among Friends?
8. Christians and Non-Christians, Married
7. How to Talk to God When You’re Suffering
6. What Christians Really Believe: “I Must Try Harder”
4. The Angry Person: Always the Last to Know
2. The Secret to Dealing with Fear and Anxiety
1. “If Only…” Living with Regrets
Does God Care Whether Tim Tebow Wins on Saturday?
Owen Strachan seeks to answer that question with winsome wisdom.
Does God care who wins? Here here
This week I had a great planning time with the team of guys who are pulling together GraceCon 2012. The weekend together really has the promise to be a powerful and fun time together. The speakers we have, Brandon Lauranzon and Mike Osborne are great. You are going to enjoy them.
They will base their talks on the book of James. Here is a helpful image that gives you a sense of some major themes in James.
The leaders have a goal of 100 men at GraceCon 2012. If you’ve registered already, thanks. That’s a serious help to the leaders who need to plan. Not registered? Check you calendar and register now, please. It is easy, just click here and fill in some quick info—then make a donation using the payPal button. Students, you guys are free. You’re welcome!
