Holding his hand

(into the unknown)

---

There is a sense in which there’s much of God 

I have no clue about. I just don’t know.

There’s much that he’s experienced, a lot

in fact for me to learn from “tell and show”.

And sometimes diff’rent cultures may have some..

some diff’rent edges on aspects of the..

the culture of eternity that’s come

down close enough for us to touch and see

and learn some diff’rent ways of acting out ..

it’s culture that gives boundaries that make

for more of that creative love that’ll shout

or whisper to bring understanding 's slake-

-king of our thirst for knowledge which is best 

kept centred on my father’s will, and self

and when the task he gives me is a test

for everyone to see and know my health

in order to join in and work for good..

good purposes which I must learn (not hate!)

in rote ways, how to join in as I should

if I were not to stand out but relate

and then myself be understood as well.

For words aren’t all, but then God’s Word in past,

is what has come and saves us from the hell

we bring when we live our will first not last.

My grandson is my helper here today*.

He mirrored my responses as I’ve done.

He helped me see from distance what I say

and do. Thank you, my three-year-old grandson!

---

y* - I only understand about 50-80% of my grandson’s speech sometimes. Though he will boldly continue speaking loud and clear. “G” sounds come out as “D” sounds. Etc. I have to very carefully make it a fun game and not overdo it. For learning any culture is arbitrary, and his feedback loop is lacking with close family members getting >90% of his words. He can quickly lose motivation. Here,  I see me in him. Thank you for helping me see myself grandson.

---

Into the unknown

(holding his hand)

---

I am at peace, with knowing you yourself,

not just an understanding of some facts* -

capacity to model on a shelf

the thoughts and words and hopes and all the acts

of that Creative Love that gives language

as gift to help us model and to learn

and not be too upset if at this stage

of life our language still falls short, no spearn-

-ing of this gift because it’s not as great

as who gave it. I’m thankful for help on

the Way he walked, as small child in the state

of toddler hand-in-hand. His light upon

this small world where the  cosmos was lit up

by that one visit as a man who’s shown

us all a solid prophet interrup-

-ting all the plans of mice and men alone.

For we were never just another one. 

We’re made more like a Left brain hemisphere

that’s meant to work in tandem, but as “son”

in terms of who’s the boss. The Right is clear-

-ly in Authority, and this must be, 

for only it connects us to the world

that’s larger round about us. And now HE

has lived it out and called us to be hurled

out as ambassadors of this new/ old-

-est way of living which does not need food

& drink for that’s internally resolved

by HIS resources inside. We’ve been clued*!

---

Footnotes

s* - Psalm 131

d* - “These women looked after him from their own resources”. (Luke…); and he said “take, eat. Share among yourselves.” (Three gospels) “unless you eat.., & drink… you have no life in you” (John); “the words I have spoken to you are spirit and truth” (John); “who comes to me...rivers of living water will be springing up within them.” (John) a counsellor… this he spoke of the spirit who had not yet been given (?)

---

in Canberra (ACT)

---

God help your son to be a conduit for

your love that comes to him through light and air,

through humans who have smiled on him and more,

through your own heart that he's begun to share..

completing now the circuit of your pow'r..

the power of love that may look very weak,

help him inside to choose & not go sour

to let your love out in the acts that speak...

---

Jesus’s daughter,

(on the way to Jairus’ daughter)

---

Dear God, our father, you who knows us well - 

we show you how we are by what we do

and ask you to help us the Truth to tell

as best as we now can. Open to you,

and your creative options to learn love..

for we are small, and weak, and immature,

and made from dust as animals here gov-

earned by instincts that are not straight and sure.

We thank you that your own creative love

was breathed into the dust that is our lives,

& if you don't give wisdom from above

then we can’t be at all like Jesus Christ.

But the distinctive thing about that man

was he could clean us up from right inside,

our motives and directives, & he can

we’ve found and know that this can’t be denied

(of course it can if we choose our own world 

but) this is what your leader came to lead

us in, wherever we are (by you) hurled

to show off small and weak light’s quite quick speed.

And so, as James learned from his big bro. then,

we’ll learn to let your love light do it's quick

and active thing within your world right when

a list’ning ear is needed. I am sick

of quickly talking, frustrating inside.

I give this sickly self to you, again.

Please heal me. I will walk, if I can’t ride

with you, or else Lord Jesus, touch your hem*.

---

After a phone discussion with my daughter (who has made the second turning, to grow younger as the daughter of her father in heaven) on a set of wierd incidents that had the smell of supernatural involvement and testing to snapping point… (but that through help provided by God, and followed through with by her, DID NOT snap her, but that almost appeared to strengthen her). 

The second or third try, we gave up on the glitching phone, and decided to sing a hymn or Psalm that came to mind, where we were. This is the one that came to my mind and by this blog I am sharing it with you, daughter:

Draft 2 recording

---

Footnotes

m* - Mark 5:21-37

---

..Love your work!

(as witnesses of, & junior partners in it)

---

Oh God we like the way you let us work

beside you as "your little helpers" and

there's no way that we ever want to shirk,

but neither to walk not "holding your hand".

It seems we're more like one-year-olds, or two-

year-olds who must refer often to you.

But this is not an immature state to

grow out of, it's the forward way for new...

new-humans in a New Creation of

the Heavens and the Earth, where we are like

left hemispheres of brains that aren't impov-

er-ished by their connection to the right...

We're very happy learning here to look

and see the things that grieve your heart in time,

and let you be our comforter who took

the burr-den out of burden, and who'll rhyme

a resurrection with creation's good

(and seven times in that process you "saw

that it was good", by letting all that could

do partnership with you, do that, and soar!)

So we would like to join up more with you.

Our chief delight is working hard beside

you, and at your direction a task to

do shopping, knocking, coffee, or to hide

away and hang out with our fam-il-y

is so delicious, a delight of life.

And we thank you for letting us just be

your offspring, vasal, friend, close as your wife.

---

listening

(quickly, actively, livingly)

---

So ask more questions when I feel that urge

to differ, or to incredulity;

before I let myself express to purge

the world from ignorance or foolery.

I see I'm called to follow in Christ’s wake:

ask for recalling or interpreting,

restatement, or on what basis they make

conclusions such as what I heard them bring

there to the table, metaphoric’ly,

to add to all this conversation fare.

Before I let reactions out of me, 

I need to find out more, the When? & Where?

The Who?, What? How? and Why? of what I heard.

So letting them, in stages, spell out more.

For us to clarify not “give the bird”,

unless it is that dove that came before.

The dove, the homing pigeon, Noah sent

to bring back from the larger world outside

some news from all the places that it went

in flying round about. It sussed the tide.

Or else the dove from heaven coming down

and resting on him (not just shooed away)

and being welcomed, glad to have around 

a smaller weaker one willing to stay,

and just to softly coo into his ear, 

but also send him out to suffer well,

to serve as slave to all who would appear

and come into his orbit, whom he’d tell

that simple news to freshly, and then show

it off in all the habits of his life;

like what his little brother came to know

as quite distinctive, got him into strife!

---

the pazazz ...

...that one has!

---

The fun of teaming up with a great bird

(a being which can see beyond our sight)

is hard to put to word, but can be “heard”

through body language, acts that may, or might

communicate the energy it brings.

It’s more a “taste and see” yourself then know,

than theoretic-al com-pre-hend-ings.

Why even human friends surprise us. Though

you get to know their character somewhat,

and recognise their choices’ patterns as

the integrated higher life they’ve got

is here expressed, on Earth, with a pazazz.

And difference in the patterns keeps it fun. 

The ever-learning new things to adjust

as love delights to do, that good be done

to benefit another - not from lust.

But that the will of God (that’s good; God’s love)

be spread and made more concrete on this Earth

by wisdom that we get from God above

as we hang out with this bird since our “birth”...

our “birth” I say, coz we have not controll’d

our birth, we are more passive, well respond-

-ers, mirroring through our own nature doled

out to us. Our job is “take it beyond…”

Not “on our own” (we wouldn't have a chance

of knowing how to drive such complex stuff).

We’re offered partnership, coaching to dance

by none other than THE creative love

who put this world together at the first…

and partnership in this love’s creating

of more good here (my heart is close to burst-

-ing) is the reason that I want to sing!

So "thank you" to this great creative love,

KHESED* itself, is everlasting for

it is synonymous with YaHWeH-dove, 

and wiser than the serpents at the door.

It made them all, and gave us too the word,

capacity to hear, and then to speak,

but is itself more than we’ve ever heard

or seen with eye. Reality’s not bleak!

---

D* - KHESED is the Hebrew word for covenant love. It is variously translated or seen as steadfast love, faithful love, family-style-love,  and with YaHWeH God is based on keeping one’s own word, not for any higher reason, but as the higher reason to choose & continue on with any course of action. It is a kind of commitment for the good of the whole shebang, not just the self in isolation. (Thus it purposefully partners with as many as possible, to enable them to share in this goodness more deeply.)

---

Quick.., Slow.., Slow..

(..to listen..to speak..to anger)

---

So just to clarify, and too recall:

to here fulfill love’s hopes and plans for me

I must first love the One God, overall,

and then the images of him that be

here living, moving round about, they walk,

and something in us loves to well, relate

to see each other, hear our father talk;

yet some acts build up love, and some build hate!

Will I expend my energies “to hear”?

To really hear his words & thoughts, and his..

..his motives and his ways to bring good cheer,

that set our heaven’s constellations wizz-

-zing overhead - which if we’ll start to see,

we’ll start to recognise and feel home in.

And this brings on, in us, an energy

that slows, and calms, as well as "soaks up sin*”.

This quickness in our soul to listen big,

observe, and note with active energy 

what’s happ-en-ing a-round us, even dig -

for asking is a way of mining - see (!)

and active looking, listening is called

for in this world (where things are often hid)  

not just more passive open up - stand tall,

but moving round, and asking what folk did.

And letting then, that spirit of KHESED

(creative covenantal love) speak out

with words, to bind itself to what it said,

so “slow to speak” is fitting, there’s no doubt!

And “slow to anger” is an upshot too, 

for in this way of living that relates 

more than reacts (by physics laws that do

their thing by mechanis-im’s  measures, weights, 

& thus can only try to quite suppress

the equal and the opposite force which

is just in line with physics in this mess -

which happens when relating gets “the ditch”).

And yet emotive-anger has a place

within a world where hell has taken root.

As shame’s a thing that should show on a face,

if shamefull acts we’ve done, we'll “give a hoot”!

---

s l o w . . . .

to speak*…

---

If I am to be slow to spruik, to speak, 

to say a word to others, in this world,

it’s prob’ly gunna be ’coz I’m too weak

to come across “on top” of all I’m told.

Then I won’t feel so confident myself

in knowing what to say that makes folk think

that I am truly knowing, wise & health-

-y. No jokes with a surreptitious wink!

‘Coz my own ego will feel bruised and warn,

not fresh - to battle up the hill, like goats.

Oh give me love’s own impulses, reborn

as crucified “with Christ” must then denote.

So here I hear his call once more to track

him through rejection by this world, and then

some unjust suffering & death, then back - 

for forty days to hang about with friends.

And all this while I’m learning privately, 

to keep an intimate “romantic”* life

quite flourishing, through which I’m re-viv-ed-

-ly nourished ‘coz love thrives when it's in strife!

So in this interchange, not built on words,

but giving rise to many “in their place”,

with bridge between the beings formed unheard

‘cept for the groanings love works into space.

And this gives rise (in ya’ way, YaHWeH God),

to new and living ways to walk on Earth,

not trying to be bolstered by this lot

I’m sent to show your love* to, since my birth.

---

Foot notes

k* - as seen throughout human history, taken as a whole, the Creator God very rarely speaks audibly from heaven. And as James recalls his “big brother” Yeshua, and dote-ingly passes on to his other “brothers”: “My dear brothers, everyone of you must be quick to listen, and slow to speak…” (James 1:19)

c* & e* - it turns out that instead of love for the creative spirit (behind the creation of the whole of the heavens and the Earth) being somewhat romantic/ sexual in nature, it is more like romance/ sex has been invented to give us a humanly experience-able metaphor for that creative spirit’s commitment for the highest and best, most pleasing, kind of love, KHESED (covenantal, family-kind love, based on “keeping one’s own word”, and thus allowing a real option to the coercive, manipulative control kind of “power” this world only “knows”, because this world is like a human brain’s left hemisphere trying to play the role of both hemispheres simultaneously) to build a family which will share and expand the KHESED work on Earth.

---

BE quick* - “jump in” - listening!

(like God*!)

---

If I will not be quick to listen then,

and now as well, I'll turn into A.I. - 

dispensing facts and stories in a blend 

to keep attention on me as I try

to not bore people, yet they’ll fall asleep,

or walk away, from boredom or disgust

at lack of listening and hearing deep-

-ly those around me, brought by God, from dust

but breathed into by YaHWeH God himself..

the spirit of an oversee-er who

can influence for more disease or health 

within this world around, and Others too.

And what’s the thing that stands out in YaHWeH*?

I think it was “he IS, he IS*” - not “WAS”,

although he was as well, as people say

and always will be*. And that’s just be’coz..

..he didn’t just create, he keeps it here, 

within his mind and purposes: he keeps

his word once he has given it. It’s queer, 

he binds himself, is faithful*. Yet still weeps

or deeply grieves, when children go off track, 

and doesn’t just unwind it all while one

of them remains who would perceive a lack

of faithfulness in father (or in son).

He’s bound to his own children such that he

is quick to listen, to expend himself.

And slow to speak, and “slow to anger”. We,

in growing up like him, come to our health..

---

Footnotes:

k* - “In view of what he has made us then, dear brothers, let every man be quick to listen but slow to use his tongue, and slow to lose his temper. For man’s temper is never the means of achieving God’s true goodness.

21-25 Have done, then, with impurity and every other evil which touches the lives of others, and humbly accept the message that God has sown in your hearts, and which can save your souls. Don’t I beg you, only hear the message, but put it into practice; otherwise you are merely deluding yourselves. The man who simply hears and does nothing about it is like a man catching the reflection of his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, it is true, but he goes on with whatever he was doing without the slightest recollection of what sort of person he saw in the mirror. But the man who looks into the perfect mirror of God’s law, the law of liberty (or freedom), and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who sees and forgets. He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness.

26 If anyone appears to be “religious” but cannot control his tongue, he deceives himself and we may be sure that his religion is useless.

27 Religion that is pure and genuine in the sight of God the Father will show itself by such things as visiting orphans and widows in their distress and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world” (James 1:19-27)

H*  - “God said to Moses, “I am that I am.” And he said, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” [15]  God also said to Moses, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘The LORD – the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.’ [16]  “Go and bring together the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, appeared to me – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – saying, “I have attended carefully to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt, [17]  and I have promised that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ (Exodus 3:14-17 see especially the footnotes (a) in vs 14 of the NET version)

d* - God’s message to his people in their suffering: “ The Lord said, “I have surely seen[a] the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.[b] 8 I have come down[c] to deliver them[d] from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious …” (Exodus 3:7-8)

S* & r* - An in-family announcement given to Moses: “The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the LORD by name. [6]  The LORD passed by before him and proclaimed: “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, [7]  keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:5-7 NET etc)

l* - “...yet if we are faithless he always remains faithful. He cannot deny his own nature.” (2 Tim 2:13)

---

kids camping at our place

Please God help us to see the stables that 

you have prepared for your kids to stay in

with animals of yours whose king laid/ sat

in Mary's arms and manger with hay in..

 

My son ...

...dispise not the Lord’s discipline*

---

As “of the earth”, and also “of the wind, 

the breath or spirit of the very God”, 

amphibious, or hybrid is not sin

depending on relationships we’ve got

with both the heavens* and the Earth beneath 

our feet. For we could walk bowed down*, or crawl,

or lower still, could slither underneath

the legs of all, but we’re made to stand tall: 

we walk, skip, jog, dance, even run erect, 

yet need to bend our knees to move ahead. 

These oft repeated practices* help set

our whole selves to the right  spirit, as said

or maybe intimated, just before, 

we didn’t make ourselves (nor all the Earth).

We are not over all, we’re under more

than just the God who gives us breath since birth..

the other sons of God, not of the Earth,

right now are ruling us, until we grow

up big enough to come out* (a new birth?)

and then be ruling/ judging them; or so

we’re told in bits that slip out now & then*.

But habits* where we prostrate ourselves here

before the only wise God, help defend

us from that kind of pride that has no fear,

respect of God’s word to declare his will;

and listen carefully, to understand

but going that much more, & further still,

to act it out on Earth* - as is the plan*.

---

Footnotes

ne* - my son despise not the Lord's (your father’s) discipline, (fitness-regime, teaching, training)... (Proverbs 3:1-17 ff) and “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. [24] Never say anything that isn't true. Have nothing to do with lies and misleading words. [25] Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don't hang your head in shame. [26] Plan carefully what you do, and whatever you do will turn out right. [27] Avoid evil and walk straight ahead. Don't go one step off the right way.”  (Proverbs 4:23-27 GNBUK)

ns* - “the heavens” seem to be the seed dimension where core attitudes and models hover, not (fully) embodied yet on Earth… but the plan is “as in heaven, so on Earth” and we are portals meant to carry out and help bring about that will, in that way (of HESED love).

wn* - remember that lady who walked bent over who came into the Synagogue in front of Jesus, and what he did for her, and said about her? (Luke 13:10-17)

es* - it appears to me that oft repeated practices, become habits, of our whole selves (heart, soul, mind, and strength), trained body, trained emotions and thus trained mind… or in the words of a wiser one: “Without the aid of trained emotions the intellect is powerless against the animal organism.” C.S. Lewis in The Abolition of Man.

us* - Psalm 8; plus “the law” “given by angels” Acts 7:53), being a tutor to bring us to (and then help us to grow up to become like, the) Christ (Gal 3:23-4:11).

ut* - as in Romans 8:17-27 

en* - “we will judge the angels” (Paul to early Christians - 1 Cor 6:2-3)

ts* - like those spoken of by Jesus (or by God, or by Jesus’ little brother, speaking about his big brother, to his other dear brothers) to his disciples (disciplined ones) “watch & pray”, and “when you fast…”; “when you give alms”; “This is my beloved son; Listen to him”; “be slow to speak”; “be slow to anger” (Mark 8:31-9:13; James 1:19-27), … etc…or see Peter’s ladder (2Pet1:3-11) etc..

th* - again  “as in heaven, so on Earth”... our longing, requests, and our own actions (in partnership with God as our senior partner) are to be that the reign of God might come on Earth, as it is in heaven..

an* - “the plan”, might well be summarised in the 4 words of the title of a Christian Ethics text-book which I read bits of years ago. Its “thesis” - that the basis of what some might call Christian Ethics, others might say it is the direction all the narratives, commands, pointers,  reminders & encouragement are trying to take us (by hook or by crook). It could even be said to be an inexorable “Law” [{given Jesus’s use of it to both enemies and family when he said “you are just like your father, the devil, he was a murderer from the beginning…” (John), and “be … just as your father in heaven is …”(Matthew)}. I say inexorable, but this doesn’t preclude either that there is an off-ramp or an on-ramp, these two ramps are… existential facts (which are also metaphors for existential choices), and they are…  ? (hint: Jesus mentioned one to Nicodemus)]. The four words are: “like father, like son”. Other idiomatic phrases that communicate something like this might well be “a chip off the old block”, or “the spitting image of his/ her old man/ woman”.

---

“deep” LIFE:

understanding and love!

---

My love and my peace come finally from God, 

my worth and energy, thriving, from him.

And when you think of it, it would be odd 

if it were otherwise, for we'd grow dim

when we weren’t recognised, accepted or,

acknowledged by the others - light might fade.

But we are heirs of Christ with his “much more”,

who conquers by the love-light God has made

to shine, and when it’s dark  the light shines on,

it travels through the void quite easily. 

It travels light! And then, by God, it’s gone.

It’s sent! And then its smile (uncheesily)

is seen on faces where it lands, the truth

is that it has direction - always OUT,

into the dark, with energy of youth,

determined toddler, but without the pout!

Its energy goes with it where it's sent.

In that way it’s still “of” the  source it’s “from”.

It’s light, by nature. Light itself is meant..

- and shows up ev'ry-thing it lights upon,

but doesn't have much “push” itself, more “let” -

the situation now be clearly seen,

or understood, perceived, not to forget

so easily, and light is rarely mean

or heavy handed. Still, we know the sun,

from its distance to Earth, sources our life,

for plants store photons, sent & too begun,

& give us food and breath, in “all our strife*”.

---

Footnote

e* - “all our strife under the sun” repeated phrase in Qoheleth (e.g. Ecclesiastes 1:3;9; 2:17; 4:1).

---

The exception to the rule (of late)...

return to the beginning (love & faithfulness kiss)

---

Well what was happening to my old Dad 

and what was happening within him too 

when I was with him there for just a tad 

a week ago I saw what he could do

when he was not in panic, manic mode,

but sharing life in weakness and in pain;

he couldn't talk so loud or  long, he rode

the wave, confused, determined. Then again..

his son did not step in much to adjust

the outcomes, or to stop him pestering.

The son was honouring, as well he must

be if he’s not un-grateful, un-fitting.

So both, in strength and love of God relied,

and loveliness related in this world -

a little piece of heaven was espied.

Oh God I choose for that where I am hurled

by you the ever trusting, faithful one.

I, and my Dad with strength of God of love,

will learn to trust in you as your own son

who’d grow like his own father who’s above,

below, around each side, before & aft-

-ter too. Your wisdom & your faithfulness

we’ll use, aspire to (though we are quite daft

and often draw the wrong conclusions). Bless

me farther on, and farther in to you,

to grow old and to die well. God you showed

the later (& the former). May we too

fulfill your word to us, so you’ve not “blowed*”. 

---

Footnotes

d* - blowed up like a baloon, or just “hot air” blowing out in useless, meaninglessness.

---