Flooded with thanks and praise...

This morning I had to go in to work before Church, decided to use Shrek but after unlocking the gate the dirt called, filled up the bike and then let the front wheel dictate... After a while I stopped to take these pictures as they seemed to be appropriate with how I feel, blessed and flooded with God's Grace and Mercy. Somehow this song just describes the joy and peace I have as well as the praise I give to God for his mark in my life. 
 

David Crowder Band Everything Glorious
Songwriters: LINDEN, COLIN KENDALL / WEIDER, JIM

The day is brighter here with You
The night is lighter than it's hue
Would lead me to believe
Which leads me to believe

(chorus)
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
What does that make me?

My eyes are small but they have seen
The beauty of enormous things
Which leads me to believe
There's light enough to see that

(chorus)
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours

From glory to glory
You are glorious You are glorious
From glory to glory
You are glorious. You are glorious
Which leads me to believe
Why I can believe that


You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours

From glory to glory From glory to glory
You are glorious. You are glorious.
You are glorious. You are glorious.

You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours

1 O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

2 The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

5 Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.

7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

9 Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. Psalm 98 King James

Dirt Riding is like being a disciple

Dirt riding has 3 maxims or Commandments, being.
Stand Up
Look Up
Open Up

Today's sermon had a similar theme in that we as Christians should make sure our focus is always on God and not on circumstances. As a someone that has just recently become a dirt rider proper I felt a lot of similarities between learning to ride dirt and learning to trust God and not my own strenght.
The first being to Stand up, we have to stand up for Jesus while at the same time standing on the Word and all it's promises. He will never fail us nor will He let us go. God has us in His hands. On a Bike one stands to use your body mass as a counter weight for faster,safer and more efficient cornering as well as better control, balance and a better view ahead. When we stand on God's word we gain similar advantages.
Then we have to Look up to change our focus so that we do not become target fixated on circumstance while letting the Holy Spirit scan ahead for us and help us to visualize the line we should take and then trust God in showing us the best line to take. This verse "let our eyes look straight ahead, fix our gaze directly before you" Proverbs 4:25, applies to both biking and Christianity, you go where you focus!
Then we should Open up... to others and to God, let God know our fears and dreams while at the same time telling others about what He has done for us. Giving God all the glory for all that happens as well. Opening up like this empowers us the same way a bike is thrust froward by opening up the throttle, driving it over rough patches, up inclines and through thick sand and mud that would otherwise bog it down. With God's power on tap nothing can make us fall and life's crisis es are so much easier to bear, on a bike opening up can also shorten the suspense in an hectic situation... the same goes when we open up to God in prayer and repentance... the load that is lifted in both cases can be a huge relief.
However this is where bikes and Christianity part ways metaphorically speaking... on a bike too much throttle can lead to a spectacular crash while once we entrust our lives to God he will never leave us in the lurch no matter how hard we fall.
Come to think of it, I never realised what an adventure it is to be a Christian!
"To endure oneself may be the hardest task in the universe. You cannot hire a wise man or any other intellect to solve it for you. There's no writ of inquest or calling of witness to provide answers. No servant or disciple can dress the wound. You dress it yourself or continue bleeding for all to see."
Frank Herbert (1920 - 1986)