Marty @ 40 yrs.

Marty what's on?
What's going down?
I know there's lots on
I don't see you frown.
Forty years rolled
but seemed just like ten
the last twenty told
of Uni, family, and friends
Disciples that arrived
with whom you shared your life,
Family that's thrived:
four kids and a wife.
You've bin a good friend
right through the years
as our way we wend
with gladness, sadness, and cheers!
Cheers to our big brother
who's teaching us to
live for God and the other
as love wants us to do.
(1 Dec 2002 AD)

Marty Watson-Nifty, Fifty.

No longer a pup.
Yeah? What's goin' DOWN?
Well, it's comin' UP!
Now Marty don't frown.
About to take OFF
So, Marty What's ON?
Ian says "That's unreal".
So how do U feel?
That's half a century,
and still going strong -
not on the bench. He
has played like a song!
FIF-ty whole ye-ars
he's lived on this earth
And still it appears
what he's really worth.
If you are with me,
then please raise your beer
Let's hear from these blokes
right here, a small* cheer..
MARTY

* Why small, instead of great? As I recall, there were people sleeping or something, that we had to be quiet for...8Dec2012AD

Prioritization, Comodification, Love, & Life!

When God is not my Number One,
what have I got? What has begun?
A World of rot, so “on the run”
that it is “shot”! It’s lost it’s sun! -
- its “days” are not; and “years” undone;
no warmth, it’s lot; gravity’s spun..
..off, with light’s spot. No future fun,
if God is not my Number One!

Not just “Number”, like a machine,
“Cool cucumber” know what I mean,
faking slumber, (not very keen).
Like the Rhumba, em-passion-ing,
or child’s slumber, very trusting.
I’m not his “jumbu- ck”, he’s shearing;
neither his “lumber”; he does “Naming”,
not just “Number”, like a machine!

Number One Love. - What God must be!
Born from above humanity,
“hand in a glove”- is “he” in “we”.
Since he is love he’ll act (in me),
he won’t just shove, but make me free
to do what cov- -ers a multi-
-tude of sins’ stuff, and to pay the
price to dis-cov- -er & set free.

To a sister - in the Messiah

How does it feel Shell-
to be fifty one?
Feel like an old gell?
Or still too much fun?

Truth 'bout "Feelings" said:
"They ain't the whole deal";
but truly they've led
folk,  to   see more real:

We're over the hill,
and now running down.
Let's enjoy our fill,
not pout, cry, or frown..

'bout what we CAN'T do -
when there's stuff we can.
I'd like to thank you,
your kids, & your man...

..for choosing to live
(with me) in God's rooms,
& helping my "sieve" *
remember the blooms..

The bloomin' flowers,
with stories & pic's.
Bodies lose powers,
but new ones are fixed!

And thanx Creator!
-of this here old earth!
- for all that's greater
since Yeshua's birth.
XXOO Paul.
* I've got a memory like a ..., like a ... (what is that thing, like a collander ?)

Mary Christmas...

Merry Christmas! (version 1)

Did you know that Christmas celebrations are birthday celebrations?
I think most people don’t, or they’ve forgotten. One step further, is to remember the mum.
Mary Christmas! Let me remind you about her.

What made Mary merry on that first Christmas?

Creator’s promise came true, what his messenger spoke,

“A child will come from you with no human father”.

What made Mary merry on that first Christmas?

When her time had come,

& her body broke,

first child was born

to Joseph’s missus.

What made Mary merry on that first Christmas?

The starlight broke through,

world’s story uncloaked

seen by the few

who kept awake, & a wild

What made Mary merry on that first Christmas?

Sky showed creator’s glory

seen by ordinary folk

amazed at the shepherd’s story

& the way they found the child.

What made Mary merry on that first Christmas?

Mary she mused

& something awoke

she recalled all this news

and thought deeply about it.

What made Mary merry on that first Christmas?

So Merry Christmas

Mary Christmas.

Merry Christmas

Mary Christmas.

“Don’t deny in the dark what you’ve seen in the light.”
Mary’s remembrance;        that’s what linked her with her past

& gave her presence for the future.

Luke 2:19: Mary remembered all these things she heard them saying, & thought deeply about them.

"The Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in it's k'nuff"# Malachi 4:2

May he be praised
- who gives us light!
That's he who raised
the Sun, of Right -

- with healing in
what falls around #
- it's garment's hem,-
-light rays that bound!

Can't thank enough
he who lets us
in tumbling, rough,
manner, though dust,

approach and "steal"
his healing power.
And yet calls "Who
touched me, just now?"

And listens while
our story comes,
calls us his "Child",
and scatters crumbs...

Not just some crusts,
but daily breath,.
not "gold" that rusts,
LIFE against death.

# the Hebrew Word "k'nuff" denotes either "wings" (thus figuratively "rays"?), or "hem" of a prayer shawl, onto which the tastles (tzi tzi) were to be sewn (Leviticus_:_).

Please pray for us
to listen well
(to God, and his
council), to smell..

..like him, to voice
the wisdom from
above in choice,
and plan (and "bomb")!

God's bods

God we join with Tim, praying

for his mate Thom, & brother

Dan, and his girl-friend Katlyn;

that their love for you smother

(and also give them ideas

to pull up) things that pull down,

that won't grow (through the years)

responses to your Love - all round.

Thanks for your life and your friend-

-ship growing in these folk now.

May it never, ever end,

and also deepen somehow.

Please also give our sister

Barbara, on that Blayney farm,

all your grace, & too wisdom,

to trust your voice, & your arm.

Amen.

Sue asked us to pray..

..Talitha and her,
3 places (?) each day
to speak out God's word.

Sue, we will now do

what you've asked us to

& all the day through

- as we're prompted to-

God please help these two

to listen & speak

with you all this week,

'n' so pass on your word,

your message ("absurd"

to this world's dead mind)

that more will enfind,

or more be enfound

in your wind-a-round-

be wound up & start,

or set sails (of heart),

to be empowered,

to grow en-flowered,

then losing them, fruit -

of God's paradise

(kingdom of) surprise,

where its last is our First,

& our Last will burst

the ribbon, & win!

Good God, bring 'em in!

Amen.

Annabelle Rose, do you suppose?

Annabelle turns 17

ANNABELLE ROSE THEN QUIETLY
slipped out of bed to listen to
the one who knows better than she,
and has shared his world with her too.

By "his world", I mean "in his mind"-
-all that he keeps there by thinking
of it, and by him it's defined;
as such it’s waking up blinking.

Annabelle blinks when she wants to,
and other times, right through the day.
Her sleep is one long blink and points to
a time when she'll be "tucked away".

The live story says: in the blink
of an eye, all who were asleep
will awake, and then the shin-dig
will begin; we’ll laugh and we’ll leap!

Sometimes she laughs and leaps now-days
in readiness for that great rhyme,
mostly she rises quietly, says
her prayers, and listens for a time.

She makes me recall that “Mary”,
the sister of Martha & Laz..
To Martha she seemed “contrary”;
but to Jesus, he said “She has..”

“..the one thing, that’s necessary;
- ‘n’ it will not be taken from her”.
So before she rose, that Mary,
she listened; and then did her work.

Jesus rose out of the water,
then Jesus rose out of the grave,
Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter,
and Jesus rose early to pray.

He came down once at his own birth,
God raised him forever since then.
Jesus rose up off this old earth,
and Jesus is Annabelle’s friend!

After a night at the Milestone again...looking at Matthew's version of this

Mark 11March

Tramp. Tramp.

He wa*lks into Jeru*salem

and looks ar*ound in the te*mple

then go*es away to hi*de

for the n*ight, tramp tramp!

*             *

In the mo*rning he, “on ro*ute”

to cle*ar the temple for a sh*am,

cu*rses a fig tree with no fr*uit!

(no fr*uit); tramp, tra*mp!

Clea*ns out the tem*ple, tea*ches the peo*ple,

ma*kes the lea*ders re*ally ri*led;

then go*es away to hi*de

for the n*ight,

tramp tramp!

* *

looks for free fo*od from a tr*ee

on the si*de of the ro*ad,

sleeps outsi*de of the cit*y

& ca*rries on (a heavy loa*d

on his ba*ck), like a soldie*r, wh*o long has mar*ched;

or a ho*meless bum: sto*mach empty, thro*at par*ched!

Next da*y his students see the tre*e

and mar*vel at the cha*nge.

He sa*ys “Have faith in God - (like m*e),

& forgi*ve, or be estra*nged,

estrang*ed fro*m your Go*d you'd b*e..”.

and those the*re surely sa*w

how estran*ged the leaders where from h*e

-who pu*shed them all the mo*re,

unti*l their motive:“fe*ar of man”, showed out- & fi*nally*

…..he pla*yed no mo*re their Que*stion Games of “La*w”.

Tramp. Tramp.

♪♫♪♫ This reminds me of a song we sang as kids: We’re on the homeward trail. Tramp. Tramp. Tramp. ♪♫ ♪

We’re on the homeward trail. Tramp. ♪♫♪♫ Tramp. Tramp. Sins forgiven, bound for heaven, going home. Tr-

amp, Tramp. Tramp. ♪♫ ♪ ♫ ♫ ♪♫ We’re on the homeward trail. Tramp. Tramp. Tramp. We’re on the home-

ward trail. Tramp. Tramp. Tramp. Sins forgiven, bound for heaven, going home Tramp, Tramp.

Tramp. We’re on the homeward trail. Tramp. Tramp. Tramp. We’re on thehomeward trail. Tramp

.

Tramp. Tramp. Sins forgiven, bound for heaven, going home Tramp, Tramp. Tramp.

We’re on the homeward trail. Tramp. Tramp. Tramp. We’re on the homeward trail.

Tramp. Tramp. Tramp. Sins forgiven, bound for heaven, going home Tramp, Tramp.

Tramp. ♪♫ ♪ ♫ ♫ Tramp. Tramp. Sins forgiven, bound for heaven, going home Tra-

mp, Tramp. Tramp. We’re on the homeward trail. Tramp. Tramp. Tramp. We’re on

the homeward trail. Tramp. Tramp. Tramp. Sins forgiven, bound for heaven, going ..

We're On The Homeward Trail | Action Songs For Boys And Girls, Vol. 2

We're On The Homeward Trail | Singspiration Gospel Songs And Choruses, Vol. 2

For a brother going through a hard time, & asking for prayer..

Oh, God you were there

in car (& on cross)

and we join this prayer

and we join this loss

as you have before

us, and still will do,

somehow to bring glor-

-y, though we eschew

humiliation,

and the pain too,

please give to Jason

your grace to be true.

Please keep him from harm

in adversity,

and from Evil's charm

to "pity poor me",

since you've made him rich

in what really counts.

Keep him in this "glitch",

doin' all of the rounds.

We know you're with him.

You were with Jesus,

as Romans whipped him.

And now he sees us!

Cassie, please help her,

and our Jason too,

take this adventure

as a cup, from you.

move on

Too slow I am, at what should
be quick, with responsive joy.
At times slow at 'being slow'
(to speak); been so since a boy.

My failings aren't THE problem
(unless I do make them so).
What keeps me a true goblin
not, is being willing to go!

..To move on, to go, from where
all my failings define me;
walk on THE WAY, up the stair -
anointed humanity!

And in THAT LIFE, I see much
that beckons & calls me on,
to turn back with thanks and such,
& break out into a song!

And THE LIFE of such an one
bears witness, like the rainbow's
colours, brought out from the sun-
-light's "white",  bringing "Ah" 's & "Oh" 's.

THE hidden TRUTH is shown real
and winsome at the same time,
by mist(teary-us)  congeal-
-ings, with an artistic rhyme.

If 'is name was Bob, or Ted
(instead of that which Joe named),
I wonder if they'd be said,
when folk failed, or felt ashamed?

Now, then! Christ! I need a wash!
Oh God! Jesus! Help! Do I
pray these as real prayers, or squash
them out as just empty cries.


Failing as "Water Walker"
is not, of all things, THE END;
it might be a very big foot-wash,
with good questions from a friend.

Maybe "wasting time" with God is WHAT GROWS FAITH..

FAITH

The images Jesus used for faith, faithful people, or faithful structures were varied, & included many peasant & homely analogies: salt, light, patches in clothing, & wine-skins.

Interestingly there seems to be a bias towards life in them. They are tending towards the organic, bodily or the relational. In the organic world, things are withering if they are not growing. “I tell you truly, if you have faith like a grain of....” and note what he says here, not “a grain of SAND” (though Abraham would have more descendants than “the grains of sand”), or “a spec of dust” (though Jesus warned about trying to take a “spec of dust” out of your brother’s eye, while maintaining a log in your own), he is talking about a “(living)seed” of faith.

Maybe faith is not so much a commodity, or utensil, as a growing living organic thing; like a cereal crop, or a mustard seed/bush, or a grape vine, or an olive tree, or a fig tree, a bride/groom (their relationship, & the celebration of it), or even yeast.

Have a look at these few renditions of Jesus’ prayer & faith, and his disciples’ prayer & faith at work… Mark 9:14-29

plus,  look at this other instance in Mark's Gospel where Jesus ties the concept of "effective authoritative commanding" together with "prayer" (Mark  :  ):

Now, here is Luke's rendition of that first event where the disciples tried to throw out an evil spirit "but they couldn't", and Jesus steps in and easily demon-strates God's power, (after some comments on having to put up with unbelief etc).



And have a look at Matthew's rendition... (especially look at what Jesus answers the disciples when they ask "Why weren't we able to get rid of it?"

And when the disciples listen to Jesus on pitfalls & problems & then ask him "Give us more faith" we hear from Luke:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: “Why weren’t we able to get rid of it?”

Is Jesus responding...

“YOU LET GO.
YOU LET YOUR FAITH STOP!
Instead of letting your faith grow deeper roots through this next level of difficulty, you let it be pulled out or chopped off!

God won’t do that, he can be trusted, & if you are trusting him, He will never let that happen to you - (without making an Exodus, a  “Way out”, a “Way of escape”)

though you may be tested even more severely than this  time when you had this bunch of faithless “Teachers of the Law” argue that you can’t do it & you don’t have the authority; don’t you remember me giving you authority, personally giving it to you. Take it & use it! You know what they are like with me, & what I am like with them. Don’t listen to their hypocritical lives! Though they claim to be teachers of the Law of Moses - the man of God, - they aren’t going to teach you to trust God, are they!

You listened to hypocrites instead of a tried & true, trusted friend.

You “planted” on the brake, instead of the accelerator!  

You started ok, but when the going got tough, instead of getting really going, you got out.

You found yourself losing faith in God, or in whether he’d really want to co-operate with you anyway, or in yourself as a co-operator with him, ..or something like that.

You found yourself giving up.

Now, don’t do it again! Start right now to make a change, to trust what I say...

& what I do,

& what I have done,

& what I will do,  

Trust God’s LIFE & love, trust my LIFE (& death too), my LIFE that can pass through death & out the other side, not as a mere shade of the previous life, but to conquer death & come out with a new kind of RESURRECTION LIFE (never to die again), & trust my love for you, to be enough for the impossible-est situation

and thus obey me -
that is how you will show that your faith is expressing itself in love.

You can still trust God. He brought me along in the nick of time (after I had wasted enough time with God & his servants in prayer, stood in God’s council, & strengthened my capacity to live by his vision of reality) to act decisively to save you from losing it completely, & to help pull you up out of the water (so to speak), so that you can have another go!

Be ready for it! Watch out, & be ready!

Comment: The story-let just prior to “The boy with epilepsy”, helps me understand a part of what Jesus meant by "this kind comes out only by prayer". In that story-let, Luke's rendition spells out what is probably clear to the Jewish mindset (when a leader & a few of his off-siders go up a hill all alone) that Matthew/Mark are assuming or "cultivating" by their not spelling it out.

The Children's Week-end Went Well!

Thank you God for hearing prayers

for such good things, as Jo said,

for each child who, unawares

of your work, slept well in bed.

You were there, while we were here,

you helped each group in their task.

I don't "get" how you bring cheer

so well; though we often ask..

.."How it is that you don't care,

that you stand so far, aloof?"

Help us (as your children, rare),

to recount our vision to..

..friends & family & such,

& the trees & flowers too,

with wild animals, so much

as their "priests" would do, to you.

Oh, that we would also be

prophets, of your word to them;

kings & queens who Rule & "See";

parents who would serve & mend.

And, as all you've made us, we

would like to say that you are

the one behind each good thing,

& who's let us help so far.

How you do it, we don't get.

But you do, & we are glad.

"Greatest Adventurer Yet"

is your name, & you're our "Dad".

Amen.

Dear Brother Jase!

God, help in this,

very hard place.

Something's remiss,

please give your grace,

until the bliss

- we see your face-

you can still kiss,

your small child Jase.

We live by this,

this is our base:

your breath, word, kiss;

our hiding place.

Your mouth to his

breathes living space!

As lungs release

(but they're defaced)

flowing gases

help him to trace

a loving-ness,

and please displace

what-ever is

(gets) in the way.

God help in this,

our (too?) hard place.

More proverbial wisdom

Deciding about aesthetics

God help us to spend

your time & resources

well for your kingdom,

by all means, & forces.

A response to God, with a mate..

SMS from Pete: Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  [Romans 12: 1b-2]

God bless you my brother
This really helps smother
Our old quite demented
And self oriented
Way of living on Earth
That's dogged us since birth.
...
God take this bag o' bones
make your music with it.
Sometimes they're quite strange tones,
like 'pipes played. Tho' hithert-
-to unheard of music,
may still make one home-sick.
To rebel 'gainst this world -
just being like others.
Yet, as a flag's unfurled,
some folk go 'gainst brothers!

Excerpts...

I was reflecting this morning that my wife & her husband

seem to be growing more different (not more bland).

I hope it isn't just that I am getting (sometimes I feel) grumpier.

The normal problems of life: 

opportunities to trust the Father for daily bread, 

or to fret instead. 

(which for me almost seems

to have nothing to do with the system I am in.

I mean, I think the system (though it is important, 

& can be more or less useful) is simply a servant. 

And if it doesn't serve well, then it misses out, 

because God will raise up another servant 

to feed his people (thinking of Elisha 

being brought bread by ravens,

not the "system" of the Nation of Israel). 

But if the best way of developing (& showing off)

his children is for their prayers to appear unanswered

for  40 days in a row, 

then GOD can see that no bread comes through,

or (like with brother Yun), that his child lasts 

for 50 or 60 days without bread. ...

either way, I get to be on an adventure with

the creator of the Universe, 

the Father (& Mother) of all folk

that, though it starts this side

of the "Great Divide" (a little creek?)

bounds over it and

goes on into New Heavens

& a New Earth - the LIFE of the God

which needs neither light, nor breath, food, nor drink;

and is all of those to us!

Yipee!

David asks for prayer

God, Dave feels overwhelmed&
there's mountains of stuff2do
Help him (not to build on sand,
&) wisely listen2U.
That his head will clear right up
to see what's really needful,
with body strong (not tied up)
and heart that's very heedful.
For X's sake, we ask U take
This prayer&make  him2wake.
Amen

What an adventure!

Oh God, our help & safe place,

we don't fully understand,

we want to learn, & not dis-grace

you, in these things at hand.

We remember now that it's

good to rely on grace

from God; not as selfish nits,

trusting Who's in THIS place.

For YOU are our defining

place to stand, though you're not seen.

You say that you're refining

your people, not just mean.

We pray that your own spirit

will help these folk see what

we need, stay in the stirrup,

give this ride what we've got!

We will enjoy with courage

the snorting & bellows

and give it back with spurrage

though we fall with our fellows[1]!

Maybe there's better ways to

tame this beast for it's best use,

but this seems now the place to

hold on tight & ride it through.

Even if we fall down hard

we'll roll quick away to save

what we can, with your clowns/guards;

your life runs past the grave!

Amen!

---

[1] See2Cor6  v1-13

Self Portrait

A Mark turns 21

When you feel like Cain,
think, and think again.
Rely on God's grace
often, any place!

Don't take for granted
what you've been given,
but see you're slanted
towards "Thanks", not "driven"!

Then your MARK will be
like John Mark of old,
telling THE Story,
growing very bold!

21 years old
is 3 times 7!
So be very bold,
live life from heaven!

MillyPilly'sKneeRe- Con-struck-shon

Milly k'pilly-ka bo
you are the girl who will go
a long way as the daughter
of Jesus, and you've brought a
sweet spirit, with fierce flow!
Let that Spirit flow to you,
and in you, and then through you!