2013-08-28

Get ready, go; to the garden show.

Thanks Chris for Breakfast
& coffee this morn'.
You are truly blest,
- though you look warn:


A lady to love,
and children "to boot".
Green thumbs, with a "glove"
of young sprouts, & roots;


- and gardening too,
as well as the fam.
I thank God for you,
& yours, you're the Man -


son of, who they say
has grown all that's good,
and noticed most days[1];
oh, that I too would!


Amen.

[1] "And Elohim saw that it was good" (not on day 2, but 7 times in a week)

2013-08-21

we need to wait and see.... what good things love will do.... so actively we seek... to see the face of you! (Matt5:8)

...EEG of her brain
and Doctor said she is
doing great...hearing's fine.
Pray for Ruth about
her hearing, Doctor said
we need to wait and see.
Her ears are completely
alright but she might have
same problem like the eyes.
Henry...


God, thank you for the news
that I think we've heard,
with blurring of our views,
yet this little bird,


this lovely little Ruth,
whose eyes don't seem to work,
is no less in your truth
and love, that doesn't shirk.


We pray for her each ear
and eye to work as you
(who made ears to hear
and eyes to see) would do


if this little girl Ruth
(though she's very small)
were to see your truth
and graciously walk tall.


Please heal, & create, still
all that will make Ruthie
shine with your Glorious Will,
that all this earth might see


the glory of the LORD,
our conqueror of kings,
who as your Truth & Word,
binds broken living things;


not ever as cynic,
but with splint, to heal.
May your grace flow quick
that life and love be real!


Amen.

2013-08-20

Summing up Deuteronomy! The Song of Moses (PART A)

[short URL: goo.gl/Ze7cMn ]

Low Earth and high Sky
hear these words of mine,
and listen closely
to what comes from me.

My teaching will fall
like large drops of rain
& water it all,
as dew comes again,

my words like showers
that fall on young plants
strengthened from hours
of gentle romance.

I will praise his name,
Yahweh is the same.
All his people will
tell his greatness still!

Yahweh’s (not so still)
ninja to protect,
all his methods will
be just and perfect!

Your God: faithful, true,
does what’s right & fair!
Unfaithful are you,
unworthy ’v ’is care.

Full of sin, deceipt,
grown as a nation
’z this  the way to treat
Yahweh’s salvation?

You act with less sense,
fools who do not know
which side of the fence
you’re from, or to go.

Your great creator,
-        made you a nation,
is no berater,
has a Father’s elation.

Think back on the past
from ages ago;
grandfathers you ask
’ll tell you, so you’ll know:

The Most High Assigned
the  nations their lands,
folk’s “lots” were defined,
“protectors” took stands;

but Jacob’s small flock
he chose for himself,
to be it’s high rock
and to be their wealth.

He found them wand’ring
out in the desert,
’bout to be squand’ring
life where it’s desolate.

Then he protected
and cared from them too,
daily inspected,
as such one would do.

Just as an eagle
that teaches it’s young
to fly so regal-
-ly catches each one





on it’s spreading wings;
’n before that hovers
with food, & proddings.
He led this novice.

No foreign god-sies
were helper to him,
no borrowed wad-sies
of debt did he bring.

He let them rule
& they ate and found,
rock honey (so cool)
and olives abound-

-ed, milk was plenty
and mutton & beef,
choicest wine, then he
gave best barley/wheat.

God’s people grew rich,
but rebellious too;
grew fat with an itch
to be stuffed with food.

They abandoned God
their own creator
and then gave the nod
to Johnies-come-later.

Their mighty Saviour
they rejected straight;
followed the flavour
of their evil mates,

ignored the family,
and rules of the house,
’nwith Father  angry,
said he was “a louse”.

Made Husband  jealous
by whoring around;
her web was zealous:
more new men were found.

Strangers that knew not
her background & life;
empty hot-shots,
would not make her “wife”.

When Yahweh saw this
he was overcome
and rejected his
own daughters & sons.

“I’ve no longer got
help for them,” he said;
“and I will see what
then happens to them,

those stubborn unfaith-
-ful people. With their
made-gods who are fake
my jealousy flares.

So I will now use
a made-nation (fake),
to light up their fuse,
to them jealous make.

My anger will flare
& burn the earth,
reach Sheol, & where
  mountains come to birth!

2013-08-18

miss ta walker?

The good that Jesus Christ called “God”
through hell & high water,
is walking, and has always trod
with his people, they’re his daughter.

It’s like there are two kinds of folk
who live throughout the Earth
-  and I don’t mean the “sheila” / “bloke”
dichotomy, for what it’s worth –

I mean the kind who’re “open up
to what they were made for:
it doesn’t matter: tiny bub,
or a hundred in the shade, for

they’re like God’s kids, his child-er-en,
his own daughter or son,
whether new-born, or two, or ten,
he loves them (and he’ll discipline)

-not in that harsh, embittered way-
but still enough to learn
the worth of all they do or say;
they learn respect, and they won’t “turn-

-on ya”, and then just be diff’rent,
they get God’s character!
They’re “open up” to love and when’t
causes pain, they still barrack ta

see it win. They have confidence
and know the mys-stur-y
of love that is it’s one defence,
won’t throw it out for just what’s seen!

These folk come in shapes and sizes,
cultures - all seem diff’rent,
but the thing that each one prizes:
what eternity’s culture’s meant!

It means that all power and glory are
by God owned, and on loan,
instead of “We are the STAR”,
they want God’s light of love more shown!

The others have already died,
some grieving has been done;
but plans of God are now being tried
to raise them up, each one.

Mean-while God’s still brooding, weaving, 
walking throughout his world.
“Looks” have often been deceiving,
half (his grieving) has not been told!

Jesus told us his secret plan:
to hide within the weak,
the smallest, slowest, of human-
-ity’s face, is from where he’d peak.

We’re used to looking up to ’mpress
not down to beneath us;
so he who’s real, to real-ly bless
uses this ruse to bequeath us

his blessed image growing up
within our hearts & minds
and beings, that by showing up
will rule his world in ways divine.

I want to give more airplay to
the stories of these ones
who let God look on this world through
the eyes of his daughters and sons.

I want to walk just as he walks
I want to see as he,
to listen as he does (and talks),
let his story be told in me!

And to this goal I know I’ll slow
-ly keep on moving too;
a walker only, but I’ll go
on day-by-day walking with you.

Not only with self-discipline,
but with your true coaching,
one day, I’ll be the kind of man
that can handle man’s reproaching,

or human praise, and not become
sep-ar-a-ted from you,
and your care, in that christened ONE,
who walked the dusty streets then too.

Please now again, as long ago,
come walking in some skin
and bones, and let me see, please show
your world to me from eyes within.

.

2013-08-07

God's@work in Anna's Uncle & Aunt who don't believe him (and might think they can't)

Amen, dear God
your work in Len,
and Hannah's got
them further than

they'd ever be
if it weren't for
Anna's listening
which shows you're more

than they have seen
in life, so far
These books have been
good help; so "Ta" -

to your word,
and your daughter
may't be they've heard
your spirit's water

running somewhere,
so they now get
thirsty to share
a draught, and bet

their old life on
the better yet,
and come on strong,
lest we forget -

what you have done
in each of us -
You've really won
us from "just dust".

Thank you.

Remember, don't forget, what is true, let it into you!

After looking at the the stories of Abraham being led by God into new things: from polytheism, into worshiping Elohim;  from being a wandering Aramean, into being a landed people (including from a childless old couple into a small nation), and in the process from slavery into being free-people (under YHWH). Then looking at the stories in the times of the Judges, the people of Israel did ok while there remained some alive who had personally witnessed the miraculous events of the Exodus; after they died the people became fodder for the Caananite culture & religions which claimed ownership & inside knowledge of "The Land", that these newly freed people now found themselves trying to farm etc.

Then we retired for the night deciding to read (since it was the 7th) chapter 7 of Proverbs. We noted that these were not Proverbs proper, but the first 9 chapters were an injunction to seek Wisdom & understanding, so that you could then be in a position to use the Proverbs well. Read the chapter. Then Ian & I took the first 5 verses & noted how it fitted with the need of the time of the Judges, for parents/teachers to teach their child(ren), to help them see the importance of their learning, & to recall & live it out. Also reminded us of Jesus's similar statements to his "children". We tried to make it more memorable for ourselves, to digest it creatively, so we tried to turn it into a poem-ish thingo:

My son, remember what I say,
never forget what I tell you
& you will live, if you obey!
Take it, make it what you chew;

as  you keep things out of your eyes,
keep my teachings with you always,
& keep them with the things you prize.
Treat wisdom as your closest mate,

and insight as your dearest friend;
together they keep you away
from all the wives of other men,
from women who seduce their prey!

(it kind of fits to a tune like... "I've looked at love from both sides now, from up & down, & still somehow...")

2013-08-02

God’s Gracious Gift to his children, formed into a Nation; of Ten "Words"

It was fun for me the other day (in OT studies at Canowindra, with Russ Hodge & the Canowindra students) trying to put the ten ideas involved in the ten commandments into one (hyphenated) word each. The Jew's apparently know them as the Ten Words. Then afterwards I tried to just see how each one connected with the BIG PICTURE & expressed it, even at the expense of surpassing the word limit. Here is what I came up with:



One!  -is the I AM, Yahweh;  Honour  Yahweh  as  god, as No.1,  as  God the only One!
2. No technological images to worship! (They miss the most important thing about Yahweh - LIFE. The only allowable images of Yahweh, are those living images created by Yahweh & procreated by us, in fulfilling God's mandate to us)
3. Honour God’s name! (Names are important & linked to the person, at least through language, which must be important in linking us with our father & with other humans & with our own humanity too)
4. Copy God’s  use of time, & energy; (his priority of regularly celebrating not only his work, but his friends/family,)   Sabbath.
5. Honour your earthly parents (who are meant to mirror and concretize God’s authority/ relationship to  you).
6. Dishonour not the other sex, nor your word to one, or all (nor the covenant relationship of a man & woman leaving their own father & mother & being formed into a new family unit - by God).
7. Dishonour not the right to existence of  an image of God in God’s world (as though you yourself could choose whether another image of God should live on God’s earth or not. For who made you a ruler or judge over others?).
8. Dishonour not people’s capacity (as images of Yahweh) to rule over the stuff (things & places) of God’s world (since God has given us such authority).
9. Dishonour not your neighbour’s nearness & trust (since it is God who ordained the boundaries of our existence in time & space; and you know more about your neighbour who lives beside you trusting you. You are responsible for that knowledge, to use it to bless, not curse, your neighbour).
10. Dishonour not your own lack of things (in general & in particular, even though you have the capacity to change many things, there are some things you are simply stuck with - or without) at God’s ultimate discretion; since Yahweh (not others, or our own self,) is our god, our number One!

2013-08-01

Ten WORDS

It was fun for me the other day (in OT studies at Canowindra, with Russ Hodge) trying to put the ideas involved in the ten commandments into one (hyphenated) word each. The Jew's apparently know them as the Ten Words, also noting that 10 times God speaks in the Creation story. Then afterwards I tried to just see how each one connected with the BIG PICTURE & expressed it, even at the expense of surpassing the word limit. Here is what I came up with:

God’s Gracious Gift of Ten Commands


One  is  Yahweh;  Honour  Yahweh  as  No.1,  as  God!
2. No technological images of Yahweh!(only living ones created by him & procreated by us, in fulfilling his mandate to us)
3. Honour God’s name! (Names are important & linked to the person, at least through language, which must be important in linking the human race too)
4. Copy God’s  (use of time, & his priority of regularly celebrating not only his work, but his friends/family,)   Sabbath.
5. Honour your earthly parents (who are meant to mirror and concretize God’s authority/ relationship to  you).
6. Dishonour not the other sex nor your words to them (nor the covenant relationship of a man & woman leaving their own father & mother & being formed into a new family unit - by God).
7. Dishonour not the right to existence of  an image of God in God’s world (as though you yourself could choose whether another image of God should live on God’s earth or not. For who made you a ruler or judge over others?).
8. Dishonour not people’s capacity (as images of Yahweh) to rule over the stuff (things & places) of God’s world (since God has given us such authority).
9. Dishonour not your neighbour’s nearness & trust (since it is God who ordained the boundaries of our existence in time & space; and you know more about your neighbour who lives beside you trusting you. You are responsible for that knowledge, to use it to bless, not curse, your neighbour).
10. Dishonour not your own lack of things (in general & in particular, even though you have the capacity to change many things there are some things you are simply stuck with - or without) at God’s ultimate discretion, since God is One!.