a ppalling life
2026-07-31
Truth in inward parts*..
(The cloud of forgetting, the cloud of unknowing, & the clarity of a child’s knowing*…)
My God, I must just trust your work, and you.
I cannot bring about good on my own.
So once again recite the folk you do
incredible work for, in singing tones
your loyal word that’s carried on your breath
with one great fam’ly focus, dance and song*;
your artistry created (over death)
the whole she-bang that’s ever come along.
I love you Lord, and will now learn to play
a song with all the skill you give to me,
responding to your goodness here today
I enter your love’s creativity.
But too admit what seems a “turn off” switch
on me. I’m not sure what, nor how it’s worked.
“The trouble with X*” says it, my own glitch,
my unawareness shows where I have shirked..
Please help me see my job, oh holy one.
And give me grace to let your face shine through
this darkened glass, to let light pass, not shun
its influence. I want to grow like you.
I need to do this job. I’m not a sole-
trader, but a partner here with you.
I’ll now do as you said: “Remove the pole*”,
and trust in God* for all the rest then too.
I now rejoice in my infirmities*.
Admitting them quite plainly, ask for help
of you my God, “my helper*”, since you’re pleased
to put yourself that way. I am your whelp*!
ts* - see Psalm 51:6-17 etc
knowing* - Matthew 18:3; 1Cor 8:1-3; 13:8-12;
song* - Zephaniah 3;
X* - article by C.S. Lewis, & a human’s summary.
e* - Matthew 7:3-5
d* - Prov 3:5-6; Psalm 37:5; Jeremiah 17:7; Mark 11:22-25
es* - 2Cor 12:9-10;
r* - Psalm 54:4; 121:1-2; Heb 13:6
p* - Mark 7:27-28
2026-07-30
and when ten words* he spoke
“my Lord, and God!” awoke..
..by them, inside his kids,
without, within where hid
his DNA inside,
where new life will abide..
Lord Jesus, leader of New Human Race,
I gladly follow you along the way
you take, as you go following the trace-
-es you found round your ground of being. Hey!
You followed what you saw your Father do-
ing, copied - while he let you see that much.
You trusted that he could fix all ensu-
ing problems, and would always keep in touch.
And you found that your God was quite suffish-
ent. One you wouldn’t trade for lesser one.
Ten words, like fingers/ toes helping to dish
up how to live on Earth as Father’s son.
Both how to grasp, and move about his world
with skill, and poise, and not be poisoned here
by substances we might have thought were hurled
towards us, since around us they appear;
and yet much nearer, but much less apparent
(not less a parent, just because our eyes
can’t at one time - before they’ve grown less errant -
quite see you, and) your acts they won't despise,
but gratefully receive as gifts of grace,
and faithfully despise suff’ring and pain,
and not just live for comfort, but to place
your trust in God, as you called those again
who followed you to do themselves, as well
they might if they like you were made to be
an image of creative love, to tell
in acts, and choices made, and words that we
might say (as you led us in deed, in word).
You led in speaking as you let this world
become what you made latent, then it heard
your word allowing it to shine, unfurled
it showed itself - as you knew secretly
it could be. When you let, it would be that!
Oh God, please give me eyes to really see
what you imagine for this world which sat
upon your knees one time in ages past.
You loved it then. You sent your very son,
and gave us all our chance that’s come at last,
to follow up the work that you’ve begun!
s* - “Ten words” refers in Jesus’s bible, to two things at once, and further than that, possibly a third: the ten times God “spoke” or “said”, & brought the heavens and the earth & their inhabitants into being at the beginning (Gen 1); and the “Ten words” the same God gave his covenant people on Mount Sinai to enable them to bear his image in this broken world, (obviously in newly fixed up covenant relationship with him - found in Exodus (20:1-17) and Deuteronomy (5:6-21). Then for a third possibility, (often repeated in the New Covenant writings, the New Testament, his (God’s in Christ’s) new “command”, Yeshua is God’s final WORD to humanity, and he gives a newly formulated “Ten Words” to his new covenant people (recorded not in Hebrew, but in the lingua franca of the First Century CE: Koiné Greek):
“..ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους,
καθὼς ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς
ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς
ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους.”
(John 13:34f - An English rendition might be: “love one another - as I loved you love one another”) obviously based as it is on Yeshua's understanding of the whole purpose and function of the 613 old covenant commands, the ten words, and the new revelation and interpretive life Messiah had offered both to God, and to his people.
2026-07-28
A Fairytale:
Chapter 1
Once there was a loving creative being which itself made an amazing creature that could use sunlight as an energy source (which it got from the heavens above) to connect water molecules (which it got from the earth below) with carbon dioxide molecules (that it got from the air & sky around it, in the space between the heavens and the earth), and by this means it created glucose molecules in enough abundance that they could be its own entire food source, and it often had enough to share a crop with other creatures, and on top of that it could also use the glucose as building blocks (like little Lego blocks) for making structures to act as solar panels, and to collect nutrients, and make other structures to reach up and display those solar panels, while keeping them strong against the gravity of, and the winds around, that world.
So, it made its own food out of basic building blocks, with one specific band of energy from sunlight. This creature was made such that it had little solar panels that both collected the sunlight from the heavens, and the carbon dioxide from the gap in between the heavens and the land, the airy current-swept skies, and it had a pipe and tube system that burrowed down and collected and transported the water from the ground level and even from deep under the ground up to the little food factories where this water was (as I said before) one of the two major compounds needed for food production.
It had been made by its creator so that the solar paneled, food factories, were thrust out and positioned and oriented in such a way as to capture the maximum sunlight during the day when the sun rose, as it circled like a dome over the world this creature lived in, until it set again on the other side of the world.
This creature was so moved by the spirits of that world, that it danced, and rustled, swayed and waved, & at times clapped and banged.
The loving creative being deemed this amazing creature of its making to be good (including solid, dependable), and that its functions (like gifting food, clothing and shelter to nearly all other inhabitants in that world) were also good.
But this being of creative love wanted this amazing creature further to be overseen and cared for by the children of creative love. This was such a high honour that nothing short of creative love could properly care for this amazing creature. So creative love’s own children would be up to this. They would need to be more mobile than that beautiful creature, and would need to have a bigger picture in mind. So creative love modelled to its children guarding and caring for these amazing creatures. It would have to see that its children would grow in the wisdom of creative love to be able to partner properly with creative love itself as its representative, a picture of, an embodiment of creative love, in that world.
Everything was set. The children of creative love had all sorts and types and smells and textures of food made for them by these amazing creatures, who taught the foetal children of creative love to dance, to give, to be solid, to lift up their hands themselves to their maker and mother, & father and friend, to become so prosperous and full of abundance as to always have much more to give, being given their own energy directly from the heavens daily, in order to make their own food, and the food for the entire planet to be able to live, and on top of that giving what was needed (which was not that much), for the clothing and shelter needs of the entire world, and modelling how to give their skeletons & body parts to others to contribute to keeping them going well. They lived with how much more than they needed? Who could tell? An ecosystem that smelled like creative love was developing, based on complementing, care, provision, mate-ship & abundance...
2026-07-24
School teacher
God give your girl your wisdom to do well
the job of helping students there to learn
to work & speak & think against the hell
that we let loose, though f'r it we never yearn.
2026-07-23
re: Healing & reCreation
Oh God, the one who heals from cuts and scrapes,
from cold and flues and stitches, knocks and breaks. He's given eyes to see and ears to hear,
and still hangs round… His love ’s what keeps him near.
You do not feed our lust for pow’r - to be
alone within the world, to call the shots.
We have to learn by painful steps to see
with both eyes of the head and mind. There’s lots
of lessons to be learned, at different times,
at different rates by different kinds of rhymes,
by different folk with different histories,
and different DNA, for you were pleased
to have not One, but many child-er-en,
yet let us learn in parenting so then
we’d have a chance to learn KHESÉD* so when
creative love looks for more conduits, hea'en
can be brought here to Earth in ev’ry space,
by breathing notes alone, with chords as well,
so notes will harmonize, and no disgrace
will be endured, unless it absorbs hell.
The scars may stay somewhat as records of
(but maybe too, they might just be dissolved -
for there’s no pain) the stories we’ve shared here
on Earth below, might be then very dear.
And when our sight is two eyed - head & mind,
it strikes me that a new dimension might
just pop into our view, and we might find
that we will see your bright face - here all right!
Footnotes
* KHESED is the old Hebrew word for the kind of commitment that “keeps its word - even to its own hurt”, covenantal love, loving kindness, everlasting love, steadfast love.
Recreation of an “Eye”
In a difficult time with a good friend, a very important lesson came out of it for me...
Oh God we trust your spirit to give eyes
(to us) that see the light of life down here.
We’ll live under your love and won't despise
your discipline. We reach out, coz you're near.
At times we do feel lost, ’coz we can’t see
ourselves as less than grown ups, and mature;
comparing selves to others ’round we be
(we think), more wise and learnéd - we feel sure.
But in comparison to many Mill-
yen years, we are just babies hardly born,
our list’ning and our eye-sight training will
ensure we start to hear and see one morn-
-ing sooner, or bit later - it will come.
Our Father is both wise and good and can
re-make creation, if that ‘s needed some-
where. He’s the one who talked about that plan!
So I am confident that this will work.
And I would learn from big God how to be
a baby god, who rules with love, no shirk-
-er, but let love compel me sovereignly.
And in the mean-time I will copy what
I see you doing, trusting you to fix
up my mistakes, “make do” with what you've got
in immature child who often licks
the ground, when I fall down. Do you still do
that parent thing that loves
and wants the best..
..and gives your time and focus? I love you,
the first. My neighbour, second. Then the rest.
2026-07-22
SUMmary for humans is not Maths, it is story-telling..
The way to summarise: is not a skill
that you get to by focussing much on
the skill itself. A de-construction will
leave dead things pinned to walls. No life, or song!
It’s not from 20 Questions that require
the data to be packed as “trivia”,
but stories that are told to help, inspire,
to work in/out-of humans who live here.
And then, “Voila!” we tell it summ’rilly:
a whole three pages told in thirty sec's.
A living gift of what is called story.
That sieves out those who’d like to go the next
step with the subject, or just with the one
who told that story (not to show off skills,
but) to move further than where we’ve begun
the story of our lives… just paying bills,
and getting by with food, and shelter, warmth -
or cooling, clothing, as the case may be.
Relationships are central and they form
the nest where grows in truth - humanity.
Relating comes to us from a great store
re: telling as it is, but not just facts.
Not just by breaking down or 'chunking' more
the wisdom of a life lived and it’s acts.
Though proverbs might be valid as a part,
contributing to “hold”-ing such a thing,
not tightly grasping, it is still an art -
to carry live-coals needs some jug-gl-ing!
2026-07-19
growing up…
My God, I see the kind of bloke I am..
I’m talking more & more, quite frantic’ly.
Not tuning in, expressing what began
in mind of God; a human as would be
if energized by motives of khesed*,
in pure form, an unadultarate.
This type - a model, myth that has not shed
its motives, just enfleshed them. Any rate…
that is not me at all. I’m immature,
and often unaware; and do not run
to you to let you slow down what I’d sure-
-ly do, at once (in showing off - for “fun”,
the world I've put together in my head)
It’s like I’m programmed to show off my wares.
I want to here display, before I’m dead,
a model, ideal world, that I have shares
in, where I might be “worshipped” - as create-
-ive. Acts are harder, so I'd like to make
this world by words I say, hoping they’ll sate
my own desire, quite cheaply; like they’d slake
my thirst for water, to be clean, grow strong.
I cannot carry quite enough for me
alone. I need to stream it out, along
the lines of "Cornerstone". Foundation he!
Enough to build my life on him, in line
with edges he has laid down, and displayed.
His thoughts were thunk, his words fitted in time
with acts that brought the house down as he weighed
on in, and acted fast and hard, contin-
-uously, as he’s waulking, never baulked,
by what they’d think of him, if he went in
to eat with folk he loved. He rarely “gawked”
in data driven way that’s ignorant,
or agnostic of all the folk he’s with.
I now recall that rich young man: no rant,
just steady look, with love, he’s kin, or kith.
And now, I'm not just burbling these words.
You’ve sat with me, and helped me see the way,
that’s Forward for me now. I think I heard
something that I can follow up today!
ThanX!
(May that ol' rock fall flat on the "me" (that lived alone in the world), and smash it to rock-dust, so that as found-ation he might be built upon (in this brand new creation, being made by your partnership - with me!) Yippee! Make on.)
Footnote
d* - KHESED is the old Hebrew word for loyal-love, that keeps its word (to its own hurt), covenant-love, everlasting-love, eternal-love, loving-kindness, steadfast love - which “never ceases”. Not bound by contract, it is the stuff that enables one to fulfill a contract, when it is not convenient, and you could get away with it.
2026-07-03
Y-OUR speech
The animals and A.I. round about
might chatter ‘bout the plausibilities.
In ages past (or coming) we could shout
and know in deeper ways real life that’s seized
and really lived, because humanity
has lived it, on this Earth that’s under hea’en,
beneath that thick blue curtain, which we see
each day that we’re awake to work as leaven.
While we make names, tell stories, and live with..
our Mum. Dad minded kids (while giving space),
contrived to let the scientific myth
have output that could help the human race.
By means of folk who’d take and implement
the insights and the ways that opened up
like children who walked boldly where wind went
to part the seas agnostic or corrupt.
These children came to know within their bones,
and nerves & muscles, sinews, tendons and
with oxygen in blood (that now atones)
as currency just now - as God had planned.
So from their lived experience they can
bring meaning to their conversations had.
Their list’ning is a gift, as hand shaken.
And when they speak a word, it’s not too bad!
But as that rock enjoined, they see their speech
as oracle of wise prophet of God*.
Then there’s a kingdom of priests who will preach/
proclaim the news on feet the King has shod.
Footnote
d* - “If anyone speaks, they should do so as speaking God’s oracles." (1 Pet 4:11, but see vv8-12)
2026-07-01
Aloha* & Marna*
Will we just try to "use" & quantify
the world around about to justify
ourselves as the great bosses who can get
our own way; when we want it? I would bet
that that's the way to squash & scrunch the world
and help it to be suffocated by
the ones in charge who only think to hurl
their power-bolts around. Don't even try
to steward or to care for precious things.
They only think of "precious" as in "cash"
or income brought. No birds that fly on wings
or plants around. They turn them all to ash…
Footnote
a* - aloha & mana are words from traditional Hawaii, meaning respectively something along the lines of: hospitality and participation in stewardship of the world, and the energy, motivation and commitment (given by participation in aloha).
Covenant*
Let now the offices that Adam bore*
of Prophet, Priest, & King bear fruit as well
in bearing of each fam’ly group. At core
relating as humanity’s no shell
but comes out when we keep ourselves in love;
creative and committed in “long hauls”
of not just putting up with things that “shove”
into our lives*, though other times they’re small
sometimes they seem to grow, because of us,
our presence seems to make the problem real.
And that’s the way it seems to be, no fuss
can make it disappear til we do feel
things pressing in and entering our lives -
In choosing not to live alone we let
a partnership begin. Husbands & wives
are learning these same things. At least I bet
that those who let love grow between them do,
as rituals allow for them to show
a tenderness and longing for their “who”
they’ll share all life with, and they’ll really know.
A partnership means “withness” in a way.
To partner with creative love itself
is greatest thing that I can do today.
And I will learn to be that kind of “self”.
Oh God, we love your patient presence with
us, in these jobs you’ve given us to do,
and also other times, with kin and kith.
We want to learn companionship from you.
Footnotes
t* - the stuff consistently spoken of as the motivation and glue in lasting covenants is KHESED (the Hebrew word meaning covenant love, loving kindness, eternal love, everlasting love, etc). A contract is a “Left Brain” image, or attempt to cover what functions it perceives of the “Right Brain” relational covenant.
e* - metaphor comment: to bear an office is the acknowledgement of an upward connection, that if we hold true to will enable our downward roots to bear and support us in our bearing of fruit in this middle section where we live most our lives - between the heavens and the earth, until we sleep in the Earth from which we were taken and given a heavenly breath.
s* - the ancient home-spun wisdom of James: “ When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realise that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become men of mature character with the right sort of independence. And if, in the process, any of you does not know how to meet any particular problem he has only to ask God—who gives generously to all men without making them feel foolish or guilty—and he may be quite sure that the necessary wisdom will be given him. But he must ask in sincere faith without secret doubts as to whether he really wants God’s help or not. The man who trusts God, but with inward reservations, is like a wave of the sea, carried forward by the wind one moment and driven back the next. That sort of man cannot hope to receive anything from God, and the life of a man of divided loyalty will reveal instability at every turn...”(James 1:2-12ff)
2026-06-30
Dig here*...
The worst waste is to miss a sign, and not
see all the good intent that’s been deployed
to help and aid, abbett, against the rot
that creeps to bring (depressed and quite annoyed)
us to our loved ones to blame & accuse,
instead of grateful for the good that’s poured
on us and all around about - infused
in life & love that we have somehow scored.
Thus heaven’s meta for a spirit world
that is to be embodied on Earth too,
and gifts a goal and path, a gate that’s curled
in wall and opens on a diff’rent view.
And Earth was pointing to something much more,
We want to start where we are “at”, but don’t
want us to finish there, at least not sure
of ev’rything we are .. , at this moment.
Have you learned how to tell the diff-er-ence
between a label and a signpost which
is pointing farther on, beyond a fence,
& maybe still a ways from where you’d pitch
your tent, or put your campervan up so
that you could sleep the night and then keep on
with tra-vel-ling the way that you will go
to get where sign is pointing. From here - gone!
This is the gift of metaphor to us.
A culture where a sign can still be read
and understood, without a lot of fuss.
At times we can’t be told - we’re only led.
Footnote
e* - The phrase "dig here" most famously connects to the tragic 1861 expedition of Burke and Wills. When the supply party abandoned the depot camp, they buried supplies and carved "Dig", or “Dig here”, or “Dig” with a method of pointing (maybe the letters were drawn pointing to a spot, or there was an arrow, etc…?) into the "Dig Tree," pointing to a cache. As I was told in Primary School history lessons, there were two instances when people hoped that the carving of “dig” on the tree would communicate something (to their party, but not to the local Aboriginal people, who could read many more signs & had traversed this land long before, but whose language could not be deciphered and understood as the various signs they hoped it would communicate): in the first instance the carving was seen as a sign post telling them what to do and when they did it they found the food, and lived on. This was life-giving and death averting, the other instance was when the same tree was used again for the same purpose months later, but with no additional marks or indications that it was to be seen again as a sign post, in this case they read it as an artifact of their previous saving and missed its use AGAIN as a sign. This instance was life-averting and tragically they died from lack of provisions. I recall this affecting me as a boy, determined to make any signs I left anywhere, to be (able, no, more than that) likely, to be clearly interpreted. (This was edited from an A.I. aided Google Search for “Australian Pioneers & ‘dig here’” to get dates & details, and my primary school history lessons. This story is told differently with different details on different web-sites. But this telling above seems to be in line with most of the facts cited. Interestingly language, is a complex set of signs. Many of their problems were from lack of trust & communication, and Aboriginal tribal attacks for the same reason. Yet where trust and communication existed, an Aboriginal tracker aided much, & one man, King, was kept alive at the end by local Aboriginal people, who led and looked after him for months until another rescue party found him.
2026-06-21
stepping out…
So look for good to celebrate today,
and talk about within the world around,
and even sing or whistle something (hey!
if that’s not “dis”-ing something sad you found)…
or leave a note, or write a letter of
appreciation when it fits or can
be made to fit. The world is better off
with lovely things or paintings. Be the man (\ A woman)
who highlights what is true, but good as well.
For, we give “airplay” t’what we talk about,
but maybe think of too; so don’t choose “hell”-
-ish stuff to emphasise, by speaking out,
imagining, and putting thought to plan
how we could multiply more hell on Earth.
I like the leadership of that HUMAN,
or SON of one, who came one around birth.
I s’pose that is the same for me as well,
and anyone within the same boat who
is listening to this song, would soon tell
if this applies to them also, and too!
So singing, playing music, speaking plain,
about whatever things are good & true,
will help the ecosystem to remain
& make a better world from what I do,
and choose what I will think and talk about,
but more importantly my acts in Time
& Space (for these are pow’rful, more than shout-
ing, more effective than a perfect rhyme)!