de birthday boy!

So “Happy birthday!” now, old man, to you.
This day I should recall, from other years.
It caught me by surprise this year it's true.
I'm glad that when each morning's sun appears,

our neighbours near are you and your lady.
I'm glad of opportunities to share,
& scheme, & dream, become a team, fam'ly.
God, I remember your good plans to care

and furthermore to grow us up, become
much more than we'd imagine, leaving these
old ways for dead, the best is yet to come.
So we are given hope in ev'ry breeze.

Each wind, the spirit that brings rain (or not),
the breath of this old earth, and of ourself.
Each turn of Earth around the sun's bright spot,
brings closer to our coming out in health.

And though you're fifty six years old today,
if Jesus’ way of seeing things is used,
you're “fifty six years young”, I think he'd say -
within a cent-u-ry you will have snoozed!

But until you do rest in peace - asleep,
each day's another chance to share his life,
and learn in God's good world, to have a peep
at what he's doing now. His power's rife.

The pow-er of the rule of God right here,
the will of God that's done - on Earth, as Hea'en,
may it be seen more in your life this year,
& even more for you're young “fifty seven”!

The prayer of a man in community

Don't want to stay

where I am now.

I want to pray

throughout the day.

Not just the kind

of special time,

but all day find

I'm in your mind

in such a way

that then you grow

in work and play,

in me, to show

responsive love

that means I share

with you above

-and everywhere-

and every way,

my life and friends,

so you could say

there are no ends,

though still begin

-each innings must-

with breaks at night

for sleep and such

but not to get

away from you

it's more to let

you more into

my life and self,

in mind and heart

my body's health

is all, in part

designed I see

to grow full life

right here through me

like we're your wife,

to let you be

more stable than

your love in me,

-  to grow this man,

and this, also,

community

to come to know

as fam-i-ly

this greater god

who leads us on-

share what we've got

with ev'ryone.

focussed attention on which dimension? -that's seen, but unreal; or unseen, but real

So we fix our eyes not on what we can see but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (PM Version)
... ... ... ... ... 

So we fix our eyes
not on what is seen
(that is at first sight,
things that just have been)

but on what's unseen
(which may've existance,
but might still as dreams
come in the distance).

For what these eyes see
(well, gen-er-al-ly)
is temp-or-ar-y 
- unless they're lucky.

But what is unseen
(though some's imagined)
can e-ter-nal-ly
come-in, be present...

poor listener, poor learner, wood worker

The very poorest human is most  bless'd,

as human babies, poor of all instinct,

can't pick themselves up, and fly from their nest,

or forage for food, walk or talk, or wink!

To those so poor at knowing what to do,

and how to do it, in what way to be,

their very helplessness can be a clue,

and indicate that heritage is key!

These very helpless, must learn ev'rything

from parents who will help them so to do.

At first these babies cannot go, or bring,

unless their parents help, then train these who

are poor in instinct of the spirit realm,

who with live parents look, & laugh, and learn,

depending on their love that's at the helm,

and sometimes getting NOT, for what they'd yearn.

And if they hold to be their parents’ child,

and learn their language, culture, and the rest,

they'll grow to understand, and not turn wild,

and may inherit all their parents’ best.

And you are loved more than you’ll ever know

by someone whom Messiah called “Abba!”

Vast wisdom is to walk with God below

and bear witness to truth and also love.

With grace to be prepared to answer well

to anyone who asks about your faith.

So I look to The Lord my God and shall

learn from him how to listen, learn & laithe.

---

Blessed are those who are poor in spirit and realise their need for God, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.  Matthew 5:3 (PM Version)

You are loved more than you will ever know by someone who died to know you! Romans 5:8 (PM Version)

Walk in the wisdom of God as you live before unbelievers, and make it your duty to make him known. Let every word you speak be drenched with grace and tempered with truth and clarity. For then you will be prepared to give a respectful answer to anyone who asks about your faith. Colossians 4:5-6 (PM Version)

As for me, I look to The Lord, I wait confidently for God my saviour, and my God will certainly hear me. Micah 7:7  (PM Version)

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Good afternoon.

And Happy Christmas to you and to yours.

I'm thinking of my family now because
ol' Father Christmas (more than Santa Claus)
on that first Christmas day  displayed his cause;

which somehow woke a family up at night,
with pain and crying, labour and delight,
and grew that family with a little tyke...
a household, not their furniture or Might!

The present of the Father was his child
to all the world, his presence unbeguiled,
a love that would keep showing as it styled
itself upon the love of "God the Wild".

The One who's only wise, the One who's Love,
whom proud men would despise, and kick, and shove,
on whom God's spirit rested like a dove,
the "khesed*" of the Father up above...

came down and then was present to this race,
this rat-race where we "live" within God's space,
if "living" be what happens in this place;
oh that is what I call amazing grace.

So Father Christmas, Lady Carol too,
I offer up a prayer by means of you,
a prayer of thanks for what he came to do,
and more than that what he brought into view

within himself, when he bore witness true,
to your whole house - your children are your due,
your payment, and your glory, treasured "few",
and none who come to you, you will eschew.

---

* khesed (Hebrew)= loyal faithful love.

Gregs ain't dregs!

Oh God, please step in for our brother Greg,
he doesn't seem to be in a good place.
What can we do, or say? We only beg
you to bring him your (discipline and) grace.

Oh God please help this Grego, your young son
to open up his heart to you just now,
help him to end well, not just to've begun,
and show us any way to help somehow.

frantic, panic..

The seeds of death within me are in haste.

Not "good death" that will wait, and rest in peace,

but stealing, murder, and destructive waste,

and restlessness that strives and will not cease.

The whining of this thing brings no good wine

from harvesting of fruit and treading well,

these bags of skin would all stay on the vine

to not lose their identity, or smell

of being lost inside a fam'ly tree,

this giving blood to make the wine vat full;

they want their DNA in ev'ry seed

to be traced back to them, but they would pull

right back from tracing their own heritage

from all the line that gave their own to them.

Thus their hypocrisy has no courage,

this kind of death and fear must be again

quite simply faced and slain, and full rebuffed.

Denied a place to trace it's fears and play

around as though no god could see enough

developed or created in a day -

which for such god might be a thousand years

(and each of them might be another day).

God's time's not full because of likes or fears,

such time is full when love has had it's say!

And when the Earth is ready to hear more,

and when I'm dead to my own kingdom's growth,

I see that he'll bring out what's been in store,

the fullness of his time, will show his trothe.

---

Discussion over dinner!

Oh God, please help us through this day till then,
to see what you would think (& say) again.
And please save me from reactivity,
to more reflect your creativity.

Shell Gall !

Well here we are my little sister. Wow!

We're none of us at sixty yet, but "Geeze!"
We're past that “halfway mark” somewhere, somehow,
most prob-ab-ly that is... - been like a sneeze!

And yet it almost seems to be a life-
-time taken to get where we are just now.
And precious stuff has come and gone - with strife,
but I would like to take the time to bow

before you, whom I've only known to be
determined to speak true, to try to love,
to jump into adventure where you see
it happening - if you could. Yet, a dove

who'd try to be a messenger of peace
while not just glossing over troubles where
they are. You've flown from where you were released,
and come back with an olive twig to share.

I'm really looking forward to this next
bit of the large adventure that we're on.
I know that there will be bits that will test
us to our very core, then we'll be gone.

As babies from their womb-world all around
(where they could never see their mum or dad)
important aspects leave, which fall to ground -
no more umbilical-placentas had.

And all our weak imperfect loves mature.
Our care for others will be true in deed.
The growth of God's good love will be the lure,
the fruit, but also too, the tiny seed.

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hesed= loyal love/ lovingkindness

The mountains shall disappear and the hills be removed. But Gods loving kindness will never depart from you. Neither will His covenant of peace be removed. Says The Lord who has mercy on you. Isaiah 54:10 (PM Version)

The mountains shall disappear 
the hills may also vanish.
Gods "hesed" is ever near
to you his promise of peace 

in cov'nant will be honoured.
This is the message from him
& he won't turn back from it
for his mercy's not a whim.

PW & DMcL

God sways....

God's ways.…

God swipes.…

God's wipes.

In fact God has a kind of “Dad-joke” sense of humour:

‘Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for offering sin. Hosea 8:11

God's “chosen ones”, are not those he has put on the invitation list, or called on, or invited. They are those who actually came. They are “the chosen”! Those who have chosen to respond to God's faithfulness, generosity, and celebration of goodness, by joining in with things in God's world with the same spirit, or attitude, or aim and goal that God has.

They are not subjects of the King, they are children of the King, they are now emulating his approach to life, learning from him how to behave, how to maintain, how to live, they walk in his ways, and thus are being trained by him how to live as a “god”, ruling over his world as an over-lord, gladly under our own over-lord. The community grows…

---

Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land:

‘There is

no faithfulness,

no love,

no acknowledgment of God

(knowledge of

• God,
• the ways of God
• the laws of God
• the gifts/ plans/ hopes/ love of God)

in the land.  …

There is only

cursing,

lying and murder,

stealing and adultery;

they break all bounds, and

bloodshed follows bloodshed.  

…

my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

…

‘Because you have rejected

knowledge,

I also reject you

as my priests;

because you have ignored

the law of your God,

I also will ignore

your children.

...

The more priests there were,

the more they sinned against me;

they exchanged

their glorious God

for

something disgraceful.  

‘They will eat but not have enough;

they will engage in prostitution but not flourish,

because they have deserted the Lord to give themselves to prostitution;

old wine and new wine take away their understanding.

My people consult a wooden idol,

and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.

A spirit of prostitution leads them astray;

they are unfaithful to their God.

Hosea 4:1‭-‬2‭, ‬6‭-‬7‭, ‬10‭-‬12 NIVUK

---

Jesus’ summary of this phenomenon, of God looking for a responsive faithfulness, before doing more mighty deeds, and to dub them “the chosen”:

‘Consider carefully what you hear,’ he continued. ‘With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more.  Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.’ Mark 4:24‭-‬25 NIVUK

https://appallinglife.blogspot.com/2018/08/fleaced-wedding-feast.html?

https://appallinglife.blogspot.com/2018/11/jesus-parable-of-great-feast-luke-1415.html?

---

Having a good day?

Txt from PW: Well bro, it doesn't feel good. I've been coughing and spluttering every hr or so...

---

Oh God, the healer of all who've been healed
within your world. Sustainer of all life.
I'm asking you to act as you've revealed
yourself in Jesus, who joined in our strife,

and yet commanded things for others well.
The fever and the wind and waves, and tree,
and unclean spirits who had come to dwell
in people, so to steal, destroy, and bleed.

The unclean spirits  weaken and would kill,
against the life that God is giving still.
The Lord, he longs to walk, and always will,
with weary ones, to take our loads untill

we walk within his world, as he too walked,
while holding the big hand of Father God,
and letting nothing leave us scared or balked.
We trust you and would tread where he has trod!

---

Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with him:  whoever claims to abide in him ought to live [just] as he lived. The New Commandment.
1 John 2:4‭-‬6 NIVUK

a response to such goodness

I give thanks to The Lord, for He is good, for His loving kindness endures forever. 1Chronicles16:34 (PM Version)

I give thanks to The Lord,
for He is good,
His loving kindness will
endure until....

I give thanks to my head,
who created,
who's teaching me to love
from high above,

yet who has come below
to clearly show
how to live thankfully
and thus be free.

---

Some meetings now before we meet

God help us please, with meetings round the place,
to use time well, and look to see the trace-
es you have left around us all about.
And thus to see your good works here worked out.

---

Ephesians 2:8‭-‬10

Another bro is crook...

Oh God please heal that brother there from all
the sicknesses he's got, give him your grace.
Please help the kids and his wife not to fall
away from trusting who helps most, in case

they hold their own desir's, and won't let go.
Please send your people, to put face to name.
Your love would see that they could always know,
or bet at least against that sick'ning shame

& guilt, and all that cynicism too,
which will not wait till your help comes at last,
and will not trust that you know what to do
much better than all those who stand aghast.

I let you know, I'm fearful for them Lord.
So now I s'pose you've prob'ly given that
sense to me. Anything I can afford
to help these kids and parents? Can I act?

I'm starting off with talking to you now,
and maybe then I could ask Sister, Bro.,
"What has been hap'nin'? Anything, somehow,
that could be done to help? What do you know?"

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