2009 if it comes

2009 plans DV
Weekly:
walk, laundry, reading
walk, iron, read, post TSB
women's ministry, read, visit
volunteer, read, laundry
walk, clean, read
Saturday
Sunday

Reading list:
Every Woman's Grace:
Ezra
Nehemiah

Bible study:
Wayne Mack

Christian Women Writers [review]:
Anne Bradsteet
Mary Rowlandson
Christina Rossetti
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Elizabeth Prentiss
Grace Livingston Hill
Dorothy Sayers

English Literature survey:
Jonathan Swift
Charlotte Bronte
Mary Shelley
Charles Dickens
Jane Austen
Robert Louis Stevenson
Dorothy L. Sayers
C. S. Lewis

Bible study twice/month

Every Woman's Grace:
Jan. 14-Feb. 25 study of Ezra
Mar. 11-May 20 study of Nehemiah

Memory of Christmases Past, Very
So we were talking about Christmases of our youth and gifts we recall. One gift stands out in my memory though not the year--likely some time between this year and that. If you were there, you'll know when.
I got a watch, not just any watch, but with Cinderella on the face and with a "glass" slipper holding it. I treasured both the watch and the slipper in came in.
Do you have any special memories?

Old Testament passages which comfort me

Psalm 138:8
The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Thy lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Thy hands.

The LORD will--what a sweet assurance.

Psalm 4:8
In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for Thou alone, O LORD, dost make me to dwell in safety.

Thou alone--what better guarantees peace for the night?

An Impulsive Journey

An Impulsive Journey
An impulsive journey we sometimes take,
Engaging dangers so bold, ignoring meekness,
Rampaging, rather, too often alone,
Making our way to dangers zone
We rollick and frolic and chatter,
Thinking our words and actions won't matter,
While enemies dressed as friends woo
In thoughtlessness we agree to do
Whatever, and by our own pride are caught
Because prayer did not encompass thought.
Ahead we go as if none can bring us harm
And in this thinking ignore any alarm
Boldly, impulsive, we play
Whiling away night and day,
Impulsive and thoughtless we fall
Into best set trap of all.
Suddenly--or so we think it--
We are caught, helpless, can't wink it
Away, regret all that play,
Come at last to judgment's day.
Regret? Yes, in plural that we have
And yet could we find a way to lave
Our foolish acts
Again we'd make unwise compacts.
It's just as well we end our traveling
Before our life's unraveling,
Take rather the humble path as directed
By the will of the One Good God.

[10 June 2008; on reading certain Anglo-Saxon and Middle Age authors]

valuing

Too many treasures to sort and to store;
Can I give away some more?
Too many treasures from this source and the other;
Was this from mother in law or mother?
Too many treasures to deal with today;
I think instead I'll write--that's play.

Against the Grain, and. Lord, all I can say

We had attended a conference at our church with the focus, "Against the Grain"; I came away changed (I thought) and determined; then came a challenge.

Against the Grain

It's hard to cut against the grain because
It brings a lot of pain,
Because the cost is so high,
Because the flesh is unwilling to die.

It's hard to cut against the grain and lay the pieces another way,
It's hard to take a different direction, re-lay each piece
With patience then skill when it goes against the "old man's" will.

It's hard to cut against the grain; mere inertia calls so siren-like.
But one must so go for the Cross is there;
God's Only Son He did not spare.

Subsequent to the conference, Garry and I found ourselves involved in a situation which eventually ended humanly unresolved in December when the other person involved died suddenly.

Lord, all I can say

Lord,
All I can say is,
Thy will be done,
And say this in the confidence that
Thy will will be done,
In this as in all else,
Thy will be done.
I can say it not only in the confidence of Your omnipotence,
I can say it also in the confidence of all other characteristics
You have, You are,
Eternally
Unchanging
Sovereign,
Ruling all from Your throne,
Thy will be done, Thine alone.

Sovereign

Have you ever read a book and found your response one of discouragement? This was my experience. It would not have improved had I not thought about Who is really in control of developments at both macro and micro levels of life.

Sovereign, Sovereignty

A sovereign [noun] is one possessing or held to possess sovereignty;
One that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere;
An acknowledged leader: ARBITER

A sovereign [adjective] is defined as
Superlative in quality: EXCELLENT;
Of the most exalted kind: SUPREME;
Having generalized curative powers;
Of an unqualified nature: UNMITIGATED;
Having undisputed ascendancy: PARAMOUNT;
Possessed of supreme power;
Unlimited in extent: ABSOLUTE;
Enjoying autonomy: INDEPENDENT;
Relating to, characteristic of, or befitting a sovereign;
Synonyms see FREE


What a lot of words for sovereign [noun] and sovereign [adjective];
And yet, and yet
They only begin to describe
The Sovereign.


He is indeed arbiter/lawgiver/judge
He is in all ways excellent
He is the most supreme
He is unmitigated in holiness
He is paramount in perfection
He is absolute governor as sustainer as creator
He is independent in ways we creatures cannot conceive of
He has a freedom of which we cannot imagine

And yet, and yet,

These words only begin;

The Word is--without beginning, without end,

With control of all,

Even the most mundane of life's details,

As well as the most critical [seemingly critical].

He rules over all invisible [except to him]

He rules over all visible

He rules over all time and

Over all space and

Over all created beings and

Over all created other.

No detail escapes his notice;

No technology is beyond his grasp;

No relationships are too boring for his interest.

What comfort!

Amazing,

Grace.

Encouraging Words from Psalm 22

We see Christ quote from the first verse of Psalm 22 during His time on the cross. Later in this Psalm, we read these verses which I would suggest reflect the consequences of His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and anticipated return.

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.
For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.
Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the LORD to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

Easter Anthem

Easter Anthem

Holy passion, wholly free
The sacrifice of Christ for me
Wholly free holy cost
The Savior for the wholly lost
------------------------------
How sweet it is to think of Christ,
And heaven in His presence,
To worship, holy, Him who died,
Who in my place was sacrificed,
That I might there have residence.

How great the agony which He felt
Who sinless here had wholly dwelt,
How immeasurable the pain
Of my sins' penalty He freely bore,
Who rightly with the Father now reigns.

How on my face I rightly fall
To worship Him, the All in All.

Good Friday

[Originally written 6 April 2007, sentiments unchanged, 21 March 2008]

Good Friday

I scanned Psalm 22 again, in keeping with this day,
And came away with these words in particular:
Yet you are holy.

What difference does that make?

When I cry out as the Psalmist and
Empty heart and empty hand,
When there is no response to my prayers
And God seems to be no where--
Yet He is holy.

When abuse for my belief in Him
Causes my faith light to grow dim,
When others say my faith is without sense,
In this I find my strength's defense--
Yet He is holy.

When I am scorned by foe and friend alike,
When feeling alone resonates, words harmful spike,
When I grow more weak and my body gives out,
In this fact I have no doubt--
Yet He is holy.

On Him alone shall I lean for my days,
To Him alone give all my praise,
To Him alone direct my thinking,
From His living water drinking--
He is holy, He alone,
Ruling from His eternal throne.

One August Evening

One August Evening

Written while we were still living in Illinois, in the top floor of a two-flat which was built around the time of the War to End All Wars. I rarely think in a straight line so one observation of some temporal situation often leads to something I hope more eternal in significance. In this instance, it is Ephesians 5:8-15. I will wait while you read that before you read the following. Ready?

One August Evening
Muggy Monday, yet coffee brews
While languid fans bemuse.
Warm, damp, close, all summer summing
In one evening's coming.
Sunrise:
Dew-darkened leaves,
Mourning doves,
Whippoorwill,
Mild-stained sky,
Remind me still
Of Grandma's farm,
Of childhood's simpler days
When peace was understood, accepted, undemanded, enjoyed as
Only a purer, more singular
Eye/heart receive, rejoice in.
Children's voices trigger memory
Without regret and resolution within.
One angle gives away
What another can't: The light
Sneaking through
A warped crack, a door
Cut to a different frame
Doesn't matter as long as the lock
Fits, the bolt
Holds a door
Cut to a different frame.
One angle reveals
What no other can: the light

uncontrolled mind uncontrolled mouth

It's hard to say I'll only say what's wise and kind;
It's hard to control my mouth and my mind,
Or so I find;
All seems to run on remote control, if any control at all,
And so I fall--
Boy, do I fall, somehow on front and kiester both at once
Like a dunce--
Pretend that fool wasn't me at all
But I know it was I who took the fall
And fell again until black and blue and I rue
And repent of all I out of my mouth sent
That wasn't wise or wasn't kind
Which came from an uncontrolled mind.

[2002-2003]

Some Days

Some days

Some days are
Harder
Than
Diamonds.
If only they were as rare
If only their intrinsic value was as great

Maybe it is
Maybe they are

Struggling

If the sentiments in this poem don't resonate with you, let me know. If they do, nod your head. I see that head.
Struggling
Struggling with sin
Which dwells so much within,
Which rears its ugliness
And gets me in a mess
Because I don't stand watch
Over heart and thought;
The wrangling and the wrath
Are not what God would
And so with sin I struggle
Until it causes me to repent
To crawl to the Father on
Nervous knees
To plead and so to please

Root

ROOT
[n] source [v] establish or tear out

"so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" [Eph. 3:17-19; NASB].

"so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" [Eph. 3: 17-19; ESV].

I decided to look this up--root it up?--subsequent to Bible study and discussion which ensued. It seems that being rooted and grounded in love provides both source and establish[ment] of our life and our growth and our fruitfulness--but I may be misreading this.

A B C s of Friendship

A:
Access
Accountability
B:
Babyhood
Brotherhood
C:
Comfort
Calling

Access is perhaps the most hazardous aspect of friendship. Both Job and the psalmists--not to mention the Lord Himself--had friend trouble.

One thing I appreciate about friendships I have made is the accountability that helps both me and my friends to be/become more stable in our walks.

But it isn't always easy to go through the various stages. It seems that sometimes we want instant maturity both in ourselves and in our friendships, which is not realistic.

There is a kind of babyhood through which each passes to mature brotherhood.

Then there is the comfort which we can extend to each other, and we can surely affirm each other in the calling of friendship, whatever our other callings may be.

From my archives: to lose and to learn and to trust

I was working on a document on the computer we had at the time and suddenly it was "gone"; when I tried to retrieve it, up popped a strange page calling itself "document 2." While I was not amused, it gave me food for thought which led both to this poem and to these Scripture passages: Hebrews 13:5-6; 2 Corinthians 1:20. Why? We can rest in not knowing because He always knows and reveals what is necessary for us to know [see 2 Peter 1:3+]

How can this be "document 2"?
I don't "have" to know
But
I wish I did.
I wish I knew other things, too.
But whether I am to know or not is
According to God's will;
He knows all;
He has all in hand;
He will not strand
His own
On sinking sand
Or in water less desert
Under a blazing unsetting sun;
Or of He does,
He will be with them;
Promised:
"I will never leave you nor forsake you"
And
Never is a long long timeless time

So
Rest, child of His in
Him and in
His promises
Which find their
Yes
In Him.

Psalm 29

Some days I actually get out just to walk, just to look around me, just to observe. One Psalm which reflects days like this for me is Psalm 29, which lifts my heart above what I see around me to the One who put all things in their places. Read Psalm 29 before you read this poem.

Poetry erupts
From winter cocoon, unfurls
Haikuic wings.
Leaves of many greens
Flutter butterfly-like as
If many wind chimes.
Silence, relative,
Broken, cracked, shattered, revives
As darkness overcomes.
Windows closed, voices
Softened to silence, traffic
Murmurs distant hums.
Night having fallen,
Sky darkened to navy's blues,
All creation rests.

Reflections on Psalm 119 verses 33 through 40

I love the Psalms--all 150 of them--and when asked to produce these reflections for another Bible study, was lighted and delighted, and it is a joy to share them again,

To ask God to "teach me" proves that I don't know all--but He does.
To ask God to "give me" indicates that I am dependent--whereas He is independent.
To ask God to "lead me" indicates that I cannot find my way on my own--but He is the way.
To ask God to "incline my heart" indicates my inability--His ability.
To ask God to "turn my eyes" indicates my tendency to look at what is worthless cannot be over ruled by mere force of human will, however moral.
To ask God to "confirm" indicated my faith needs to be strengthened and encouraged--and God alone can accomplish that, and will through His word.
To ask God to "turn away" indicates that I still struggle with a sinful fear of man--and recognize that God can and will help me to overcome.
The final verse--"Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!"--indicates awareness that I am dependent on God's righteousness for life, having none of my own, and that my longing for his precepts is indicative of His work to bring that life-gift about is at work.

Reflecting on Psalm 1 verses 1 and 2

A Bible study lesson required a reflection be produced on these verses, and so it was.

Walk not in the counsel of the wicked
But according to the advice of the godly
Do not stand in the way of sinners but
Associate with the righteous
Do not sit in the seat of scoffers but
Prostrate in humility before the throne of God.