Reflecting in that Act(s) 15

The counsel from the council @ Jeru-

salem helped clarify important stuff.

God's people get anointed as those who

are now accepted by this God; enough

to let us know that we will have to too,

accept God's other children as our fam-

-il-y, that is "our siblings". Me & you

are now the sons & daughters of "I AM".

Since "the anointed one" is what means "CHRIST",

now his fam'ly are too "anointed ones".

If God accepts them, now that will suffice, 

since in this family we're the "daughters/sons".

And we look to our father who's above 

all others, & we listen to his word:

& want to copy what we see of "Love"

enacted by this God both "seen of heard".

Acts 15

Friendships and commitments erode

 

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Yes, let us look to God, the source of hope.

Who's overcome the cancer - anti-love,

and given us his word, on breath to cope 

with all the worst. We've got a line above.

Reception to the centre of all stuff,

all matter, and all life, & love and care

that matters, and that helps when times get tough.

My God I'm glad that you're  both "here"  and "there"!

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intrusions or creative fusions?

 

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God please make this a blessed time for all.

May she and babes, and Dad and Mother too,

reflect your fam'ly attitudes and call

out that from one another, straight from you.

And make each one, and Bro. there in that mix,

more hungry for the love that is your life,

and growing to express it, not just fix

up problems. We'll join with you - as your wife.

And then as fam'ly, married into yours;

to take our part, extending all your clan.

Expressing, with our faults, & all our flaws,

the love that knows no barriers, by plan.

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En-abling

"Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord . But Abel also brought an offering – fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.  Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’  Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.  Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’  The Lord said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.’  Cain said to the Lord , ‘My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.’  But the Lord said to him, ‘Not so ; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no-one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the Lord ’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Genesis 4:2‭-‬16 NIVUK

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I can not make you into anything, you know!

Or do you know that really? For this world insists

on "making" as the method that has pow'r to show

and tell, so folk will come on board themselves enlist!

Yet two things are entwined themselves within that view,

and help is needed to untangle them. Please God!

The last thing is the 'end' - the thing we'd like to do,

unless we clarify, assumptions prick and prod

and we find we've been herded, and just stayed a goat.

So if you stop and read that phrase again real soon,

can you then see how two mindsets could read or float

the same words? One would be a curse, and one a boon.

…so stop and read and then perceive, receive. See! La! …

So, one would tell the people what to do, and make

it happen by this telling mechanism thing.

This makes the one who tells "in charge" and they then bake

their food, or bricks, themselves as a consumer-ling.

Impatience might result if things aren't up to scratch,

for in this system, teller's will must then prevail

with people as with things, monistic, here's the catch.

And boasting could result, for we know "truth can't fail".

The other mindset (from above) that says or reads

those words themselves to make an end both good and true,

would tell some news, or story to some folk, which leads

a flock of sheep by knowing names, and calling too.

And who will come on board, will be who is received,

for both enlist themselves. Their deepest will be done.

The messengers God sends, like John, will then recede.

We're called to partner with our father, like his son. 

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Helping hope heal

 To: The Administrator of kidney transplants.

Thank  you for organizing all this, and for organizing the bulk billing too.

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Know you are helping people's quality

of life, by talking through important things,

and making a straight path to help folk see

the next step forward. You are giving wings

to "angels unawares", you're helping Life,

and further still, you're working there for Care,

amidst uncertain days, with certain strife,

community is built, and answered prayer

of folk in need, with folk who've got way more

than is required, for just "such a time

as this." You're growing something destined for

not just some living cells, something sublime.

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Setting O' Mark (short version - 12 verses)

Lyrics:

1. The other side of Earth, right through the globe 

from here (where we live in this Great South Land), 

a figure once emerged; grew up and strode 

through life with high distinctions - and demand! 

2. Distinctive thing about this world for him,

is that it's made by One who loves, and we, 

reflect this One together, bright or dim-

ly, & with high or low fidelity.

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3. His take on all the discipline and rules

was: Value only comes to them from Love.

- and not just words (ubiquitous in schools).

Love's actions take a diff'rent path to shoves.

4. 
   

5. It works, to say "We're made to love" by God. 

That's "made" but not as bricks without consent. 

We're made to choose, he's given shoes, we're shod 

with news that all undos that way and "bent". 

6. 
   

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7. This story is the glory of that One. 

It happened on this Earth not long ago. 

Our year today bears witness to this son 

of true humanity. Here's what we know: 

8. In Middle-East, in Palestine, about 

2000 years ago - not long at all -  

and when technology of Rome could shout 

that its new strength was what now made the call,

9. by roads, and bridges, iron - swords, & nails;  

with crucifying fear, it made, & shoved! 

(From God comes quite another way, with sails..  

..from parents children learn, because they're loved!). 

10. 
    
11. 
    

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12. 
    

13. our story happens in this "Empire" where 

when people want to get on the same page, 

they'd speak in Greek, the tongue of daily care; 

though Rome had won, since Greeks lost their engage-

14. 
    

15. ment. Isræl's Jewish state was "occupied" 

- by Rome, allowing them to then retain 

their own "religion", if they'd still abide 

by Roman rules, pay tax, and bear their shame. 

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16. Yet villagers spoke Aramaic still,  

the language of the ruling “Empire” from 

before the Greeks took over. So they will 

use bits of all those languages in song. 

17. Within a hundred years Pap-i-as wrote 

that "Mark, as Pete’s interpreter, wrote down 

as many things as he recalled (of note), 

which he had heard from Pete's…" tales told around.

18.  With MARK's old story (from that Cent'ry.. "First" )

comparing versions, looking at parsed Greek, 

on Internet, we've come here with the worst 

of Spoken Word you prob'ly heard this week!  

19. 
    
20. 
    

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Vote on best tune to you, in comments below

Tune 1 with piano

Tune 2 with guitar

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to "let" and "not let"..

 Listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,

    for he speaks peace to his faithful people.

    But let them not return to their foolish ways. 

Psalm 85:8 (PM Version)

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Oh God, we see the choice you've given us. 

To choose to not allow ourselves to be

returning to the bother and the fuss

of living life as branches off their tree.

As either monkeys, or as branches, that

attempt to live a life "out of their tree",

we find ourselves all anxious, thin or fat,

our lives are flat out being; we're "at sea",

or floating all adrift, instead of ground-

ed. Set up's can provide and fit like gloves,

or else they can de-stable. So I've found

at least, and then I live this life with shoves

in this direction now, or that one then.

I need that constant source for thriving life,

Not that there won't be times of lack, or when

I have more than I need. Sometimes  there's strife!

But if I, as a branch, connect to trunk

of tree, or vine, "re-sourced" I find I'm strong.

I used to think, I've found that I have thunk,

that that would be quite boring. I was wrong.

A strong and stately tree, with roots quite deep

to under-water that is flowing past,

is one of those analogies to keep

in mind, from other stories that stick fast!

The point is here not listing, falling down,

but more a list-en-ing that's sucking up

the life of trunk, that's earthed within the ground

of being, and from there, life more erupts.

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Twenty twenty vision

 

of 'er ...

Katrina Ellen, well here goes! And here's

another one gone past - one of those years.

And I would raise my cup of wine, say "cheers".

And that's what you do for me, it appears.

You are the cup, your love is wine, you bring

on joy and laughter, and you bolster up

some things that sag, you help us all to sing.

As little ones grow bigger, life erupts.

Your friendship that would choose against the grumps,

deciding to do life with thanks & smiles,

to let them then go deeper than the slumps

and still to teach yourself new things - in piles.

You have been faithful to your marriage vows

(not that you haven't found it hard at times).

And you've helped me become a man who bows

before the father of us all, and rhymes

with what He's doing - He is into meet-

'er, and poetic Dad jokes, and Dad rhymes,

and so I'm loving learning thus to greet

ya and share bits of all these quite rich times.

We're learning, so it seems, as young pups do,

to gnaw on bones, and suck the marrow out,

yet not to be as rough as spite wants to,

restrain from those old ways that puff and pout.

And you are my delight, I love your zest

for life, and love, and kindness, and for rest.

I know, for I have tasted, had a test,

and this ol' cheese grows on towards The Best!

Paul Walker

Thursday 17 September 2020

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live a life of love...

Oh God, please help us, in our blindness and,

our foolishness, & sometimes lack of strength,

to keep on growing love. We understand,

if you don't, then we're surely doomed at length.

w a i f .. o r .. w a r d ? !

As long as you will love and be cre-a-

tive, then your destiny's "to rule the world".

That verb "to rule"'s a trap for fools. A "way" 

to give life, or to get. One sucks! One's hurled!

So if you're feeling hurled, you're on the right

track. Giving life, as seed within the ground

will surely lose its "right" to hold on tight

to what it's learned of life just hanging round.

No single individu'l is the goal, 

but one-ness in a deeper, stronger way,

as ONE in purpose, or one greater soul,

or vision of creative unity.

This calls for losing small wills that compete,

a kind of torch'rous death must be gone through,

and we must TAKE the knife, the nails, complete-

ing all this process. Every 'me', and 'you',

that ever would be born of the I AM,

and disciplined by our own rabbi: Christ -

who christened this true way of life, not sham,

& then received his tick, more LIFE, suffice

to say, not just the best we could have dreamed;

life indestructible, that can't be beat.

Though it be beaten bloody, as it seemed,

it takes it all, for it can stand the heat!

It's bigger, and it's born of God's own sperm.

A seed within the womb of this whole world.

When time is up, it knows it's going home,

or coming out, for all will be unfurled.

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Great-full

We thank you God that you are bigger still, 

than all our hopes and dreams, and that you will

keep growing us, in knowing love and joy 

and peace within the trouble that your boy 

kept warning us about, to not forget 

that in this world we would have troubles yet 

this is the time and place to surely trace 

the meaning of your love, that makes a place 

for all your children to learn so to choose 

for faithfulness and hope & love of who's 

been made to here reflect the one who gives 

all love and life that's live, and really lives!

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for giving the benefit of the doubt

This is a kind of poem to the sky,

or personality within this world.

We've had some hard times lately, you and I,

that's if you're not the monster who is curled

within my own self, and in other folk.

Each monster there is centred on each self.

It's easy when I look, to see! No joke!

I've  also seen some source of higher health.

When people let their pride deflate and say

"I'm sorry, for my thoughtlessness just now."

"I did not mean it to come out that way - "

or worse still, "- at the time I did! - somehow."

"I don't want things within my world to go,

or keep on going that way, if I can

have anything to do with it." I know

a boy within my class… more like a man,

who said that to another boy "passed week".

The other fellow, somehow thought the best

of what he said, and how he tried to speak,

and said he'd side with what was just expressed,

instead of that boy's hurtful sentences.

And they made up, were friendly once again.

Each adult in the room, whistles or says

that something good just happened 'n our class then.

Each boy then knows it too. We celebrate.

The boys get "ticked off", by an adult up 

on whiteboard, for our choices on that date.

We saw a laval goodness just erupt!

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