postaday

Right Relationship

home0512 017

There was a time in my life when the first place I would visit in any bookstore was the “Self Help” section. Later, when I worked in bookstores, I would joke with customers and tell them that I could show them where self help was, but after that they were on their own. Sorry ma’am, it’s self help, your first step towards wellness is finding the books by yourself. Of course, I’m kidding, but I think that if I ever said that, it would have been to someone who knew me and my sense of humor very well. Knowing what kind of relationship you have with people is important. You can let your hair down with friends and family and know you’ll be understood. But while it’s essential to have close healthy relationships with the people in our lives who matter most, the one we should be closest to often gets the leftovers. “God, when I have time I’ll sit down and it will be just you and me; I promise.” But our actions speak louder than anything we ever say.

So what kind of relationship are you cultivating with God? The bible says the church is the Bride of Christ.

Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Revelation 19:7-9

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Ephesians 5:25-27

If we want that close and open relationship with Jesus, and want to know everything about Him, where do we start? The Word is the best place to go.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.
Isaiah 40:8
We can trust that He wants the best for us and has great plans for our lives if we will submit and trust Him.
“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11

So how would you characterize your relationship with the Lord? Do you spend quality time getting to know each other or do you just occasionally throw Him a “like” on Facebook? Don’t get me wrong, I’m writing this for myself as much as for you. I do think it’s a good question to ask ourselves, though. Good relationships take effort.

Like Sheep

All of us like sheep have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity
of us all to fall on Him. Isaiah 53:6

Sheep have been unfairly “branded” with the stupid label. The primary reason for this lies in their flocking behavior which causes sheep to group together and play follow the leader, at times to tragic results. Since nature hasn’t equipped them with great individual defensive abilities, their best bet is to join together in a group. We also tend to value the individual over the group, but a sheep on its own is vulnerable to being preyed upon.

The verse refers to the passion of the Servant, our savior Jesus Christ, who suffered vicariously for our sins. His punishment obtained well being for us.

While we are all vulnerable on our own to temptation and being misled, this does not absolve us of our responsibility for becoming informed through scripture and prayer so that we might better defend ourselves against the onslaught of the enemy. At the same time, the body of Christ must join together to pool resources and search the word for edification and reproof.

Sheep Drive

I’m told my grandfather,
who was on my mother’s side,
used to drive loads of sheep
from the saddle
on a sheep drive.
And when I say sheep drive,
I don’t mean the latest
Apple iteration…
You know,
like all those operating
systems
named after wild animals.
I think they’re mostly
predators
anyway.

Back to our topic…

I don’t suppose he called them “doggies,”
the sheep,
that is.
But I’ll bet he had some great dogs,
the kind that pretty much did the job
on their own
without a lot of input from the guy on
the horse,
maybe just a finger point here or there
or some sort of code
known only to my grandfather
and the dog.

So he would drive
those
sheep
to the railroad terminal
where they would board the train
which would take them to market.
I wonder if they made it all the way
to San Francisco?
I wonder if they were told the trip
was sort of a fun
getaway?
If they bought it, would that mean someone
had successfully pulled
the wool
over their eyes?

Ascended

The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Acts 1:1-3 “…but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth.” And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Verses 8-9

Jesus, in Your glory,
ascended to God’s right hand,
You have paved the way for us,
Your followers.
Most of us don’t suffer as the majority
of Your disciples did
risking
torture and death
for proclaiming your story.

If the disciples had simply
faded away, and not proclaimed
all that they had witnessed,
they would have avoided such
suffering.

But they didn’t fade away.
They delivered the gospel message
to so many, that over 2,000 years
later we are still talking about it
and experiencing the miracle of changed
lives the message of Christ bestows.

Remember how precious this knowledge is!
To this day, people are imprisoned for
spreading the good news. It is incumbent
upon us, after experiencing the transforming
power of Jesus Christ, to share that
message in any way we are able.

Here You Are

stuff13 027

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher).

Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'”

Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
John 20:15-18

“Why are you weeping? Who are you seeking?”
To a heartbroken Mary, after His death and resurrection.
Jesus, it can’t be You! Teacher, can it be true?
Maybe if I hold You close,
and I keep my eyes open
this time, you won’t go
Please tell me
you won’t leave me
again.

I know that I cling,
but seeing you again
makes me want to sing.
How could you leave a second time?
I don’t understand.

But I believe,
and trust
and love You
Now that I’ve seen,
I’ll tell everyone
that you rose
and it wasn’t a dream

The stone rolled away
here you are
in front of
your empty grave

Now the
world
must
know

death
no longer rules

for here You are.

The Veil

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.
Isaiah 53:4-9

For the moment all had scattered
the kingdom at an end
thoughts of grandeur,
of a place at the table
with their king,
vanquished.

This was to be the king
who set things right
the one worth fighting
beside
they would follow him through
hell-fire
wouldn’t they?
but…
now?

It was over,
wasn’t it?
Silence
and a distant storm
rumbles

The veil,
torn
the world,
no longer the same

In Your Presence

Christ in garden
In Your presence Lord,as we approach the hour of your sacrifice, we’re reminded of how unworthy we are for redemption. That’s just it, isn’t it? We’re not deserving. In so many ways we hope to build ourselves into something worth the struggle, the emotional and physical cataclysm that the earthy shell you inhabited underwent. When we go to war, we know there is a risk that we may die. When you went to war, you knew that you would be captured and die a miserable death. It wasn’t an endurance event. It wasn’t even a suicide mission. It was walking into war with a price on your head. In order to win for us, you had to lose. Triumph over sin would not be achieved without giving everything. Satan tried to get you to throw the whole game by using your powers, but you refused. The whole time you knew! You knew what it would be like to inhabit a human body and endure punishment certain to cause every cell in your body to scream. You allowed no short cuts. Every prophecy was fulfilled. We are forever in your debt, Lord. We bow before you in worship and only ask to be allowed to serve you, while you teach us how to serve each other, humbly, as you taught us.

Weather: Like a Bolt of Lightning

Jesus, you…

hit me like a bolt of lightning, the highlight of my younger days.
Just a taste of that Holy Spirit
and I never felt the same. Your kind of power God makes the knees
buckle, but then again makes us
strong. Oh God, that burning bush for Moses, surely made him come
along. What about Paul, who was
Saul? Baby, after that flash on the road to Damasc’, testimony
forever changed. What a monster
flash! Da dooby doo dooooo dwee up dwee up up up and away in the
upper room, that place was hop-
pin’, there was no stoppin’ shakin’ nearly every day. Like a bolt
of lightning, You hit me like
a bolt… of lightning. Like a jagged bolt, of lightning… oh oh
a bolt of lightning, Hit me one
time! Whoa woh oh! Weee oh oh mmmm’ oh, hmm, hmm hmm… dweedle
oh, oh! and that’s all.

Fog! The Poem

What’s this? I thought we already addressed fog for the weather series! Emily Anne, of http://unkilleddarlings.wordpress.com commented that she thought “there was a poem in there somewhere, waiting to be extracted.” Well, rather than listen to the muffled shouts of “let me out” by the Fog poem, I’ve decided to be merciful and do just that.

Held between hills
like water stopped up in a funnel
that low-level cloud
presents
for morning
formation
but it lacks the discipline
to hold steady for long
better at ease
than attention

It’s everywhere and nowhere
at once
a twirling mist
seeing through you just
laughing at
impregnable
barriers and borders
and motions

Stepping aside for a car
then stepping back in
like a haughty star
you might move through me now
but sister…
believe me
you’ll never see far

A field of cows
might appear half-calf
an orchard of trees
could seem
half-staff
it can define your mind
indeed
like mine
without coffee

delayed
not landing

foggy

London
and trench-
coats
foggy

from directions
all four
cast

foggy

Liebster Award

Oh my goodness. Time once again to drag the tux out of mothballs. Do people use mothballs anymore? The ever generous Emily Anne http://unkilleddarlings.wordpress.com has seen fit to nominate my blog for the Liebster Award. Although the award is intended to go to blogs with less than 200 followers, I think it’s important to honor the spirit of the award, if not the letter. Truth to tell, although I know how many followers I have, I can’t tell how many the blogs I nominated have. Also, although a followers number is
posted on my cover page, it’s clear that’s counting my Facebook friends. I’m sure someone will set me straight, and that will only be the beginning of the grand jury investigation.

liebster

Here be da rules:

1. Thank the Liebster Blog presenter who nominated you and link back to their blog. Thank you very much, Emily Anne. You’ve been a great supporter!

2. Post 11 facts about yourself, answer the 11 questions you were asked and create 11 questions for your nominees.

3. Nominate 11 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen.

4. Display the Liebster Award logo.

Eleven facts about me:
(Please note… Only ten facts exist, so I lied about one of ’em)

1) I loved American Bandstand when I was very young and would practice the dance moves in front of a mirror. Unfortunately this did not translate into the ability to learn choreography when I grew up.

2) I used to give speeches to large groups of the neighbor’s cows. I mistook their rapt attention for interest in my topics. It’s likely they believed I would eventually feed them.

3) My wife and I met at the height of the disco craze. No, once again, choreography did not matter. Yes, we looked awesome.

4) I have been married to the same wonderful woman for over 30 years, all of them in a row.

4) This fact is sort of about me: I’ve come to the conclusion that if you love your cat, it is doomed. If you actively dislike your cat, it will probably see you through your retirement years.

5) I have shoes older than you.

6) I finally decided there is a life beyond having a clean and tidy car.

7) My faith, band and choir got me through high school.

8) God continues to get me through all the other phases of life.

9) Chunky peanut butter, but if you prefer creamy, I can be swayed.

10) Les Miserables is my favorite musical. Even though I’m sure the motion picture is wonderful, I’m not going out of my way to see it.

11) I relate more to John Boy from The Waltons now than I did when it was still on the air.

Questions:

1. Apples or oranges?
Oranges. They’re juicier.
2. Dogs or cats?
They both have their place, but unless you have a really bad rodent problem,
I just don’t see the point of cats.
3. Coke or Pepsi?
Sorry, I don’t like either one.

4. Psych or The Mentalist?
I actually haven’t seen The Mentalist, but I love Psych. I’m impressed with the writing. Very funny.

5. Mac or PC?
I think it’s all about what system you’re used to. I’m a PC guy because that’s what I’ve always used.

6. If you were to have your ashes scattered post-death, where would you like to be scattered?
I suppose the ocean, if you could guarantee the person scattering wasn’t facing into the wind.
I just don’t want to be responsible for that.

7. If you could miniaturize one person, real or imaginary, and carry them around in your pocket–who would that person be? Billy Graham.

8. Floss before or after brushing your teeth?
Eww! After!

9. If you could do one thing with no consequences, what would it be?
Floss after brushing my teeth.

10. Ever watch Workaholics? If not, you should.
I can’t. I’m working that day.

11. What’s your life motto?
Be more concerned with caring than being cared for.

My questions:

1) Favorite actor?

2) Favorite song?

3) Chunky or creamy peanut butter.

4) Shoes or bare feet?

5) Do you know what toe jam football is? Would you explain it to me?
Don’t google it. I didn’t.
6) Favorite bible verse

7) Exercise you would choose to do just because you love it.
Don’t cheat and say, sex.

8) What drives you to a fit of nostalgia?

9) Assuming you could sing, who would you serenade? What would you sing?

10) What is your greatest frustration?

11) What was your most embarrassing moment?

Here are my nominees:

http://parentingandstuff.wordpress.com/

http://bowlingchef.wordpress.com/

http://mercy4brokenhearts.com/

http://scvincent.com/

http://journeythrugrace.wordpress.com/

http://meggiesfervor.wordpress.com

http://topshelfself.wordpress.com

http://lesplaisirssimplesdelavie.wordpress.com/

http://shrinksarentcheap.wordpress.com/

http://justafterwords.com

http://jordandkay.wordpress.com