Samuel is list'ning.. well..

Well Sam the Man is growing older still,
and though you tell me that's the way of men
upon this Earth - has been, and always will
be, here in time, the years add on again.

Sam, don't grow old in ways that mean you won't
still be a child, and laugh, and share yourself,
your inside thoughts and feelings. See you don't
grow old and sit yourself upon the shelf!

-  unless that shelf is where God puts you to

communicate his love and mercy with

dramatic creativity (& truth):

Ezeki’el, and Hanani*, and “kith

& kin” of prophets, sent to this ol’ world,

like Jeremiah, Micaiah^, and John, ...

quite often into prison they were hurled

and left upon a shelf, while “life” went on

about them (though the people who were “out-

-side had no inkling of dimensions more)

before the “TARDIS°”, God was still a lout

(compared to many standards, we adore)!

A shelf within his TARDIS is the best.

But better still, is when he’s in there too!

And those adventures there, leave all the rest

behind, in Version One of what he’ll do.

So take your lead from Version Two of Man

and his mates who were faithful to the  truth,

and love that poured upon them. He began

a new way forward, starting in his youth!

---

*   “At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: ‘Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen ? Yet when you relied on the Lord , he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.’  Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.”. 2 Chron. 16:7‭-‬10 NIVUK

°  from a T.V. show called Dr. Who. The TARDIS, which could seem as small as a phone box, was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside.

^  Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, ‘Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?’ Jehoshaphat replied, ‘I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.’ But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, ‘First seek the counsel of the Lord .’  So the king of Israel brought together the prophets – four hundred men – and asked them, ‘Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?’ ‘Go,’ they answered, ‘for God will give it into the king’s hand.’ But Jehoshaphat asked, ‘Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can enquire of?’  The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one prophet through whom we can enquire of the Lord , but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.’ ‘The king should not say such a thing,’ Jehoshaphat replied. So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, ‘Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.’  Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing-floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, ‘This is what the Lord says: “With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.” ’ All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. ‘Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,’ they said, ‘for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.’  The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, ‘Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favourably.’ But Micaiah said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says.’ When he arrived, the king asked him, ‘Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?’ ‘Attack and be victorious,’ he answered, ‘for they will be given into your hand.’ The king said to him, ‘How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord ?’  Then Micaiah answered, ‘I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, “These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.” ’ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?’ Micaiah continued, ‘Therefore hear the word of the Lord : I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. And the Lord said, “Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?” ‘One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, “I will entice him.” ‘ “By what means?” the Lord asked.  ‘ “I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,” he said. ‘ “You will succeed in enticing him,” said the Lord . “Go and do it.” ‘So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.’ Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. ‘Which way did the spirit from the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?’ he asked. Micaiah replied, ‘You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.’ The king of Israel then ordered, ‘Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son, and say, “This is what the king says: put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.” ’  Micaiah declared, ‘If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.’ Then he added, ‘Mark my words, all you people!’ 2 Chron. 18:3‭-‬27 NIVUK