ol' mate

ol' mate

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Found this ol' mate on way to Gosling Creek 

today and strangely didn't hear a squeak

out of him, but alive, not well, to speak

of body, but his spirit seems quite meek.

He asked by signs for me (& maybe you)

to pray for him to keep looking up to

the one he's trusting even more to do

as he has said - to help folk to renew

their minds (and bodies). Books he showed me there

do testify that gladly he's aware

in fresh ways of his need to not just care,

but keep on choosing well. He asked for prayer.

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Ol' mate is here alive; not well at all,

in ICU with dozens of these leads

& tubes into him, from him, some not small,

both down his nose & gullet. Still he reads,

and lets these folk help him to heal up, and

get rid of this infection in his lung,

One day I reckon he will talk, and stand

again and sort out some of what is bung.

.. (t.b.c.)

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intimacy - 6

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Well God, that person's yours; and not just mine.

We wouldn't be relating otherwise.

Relationships of siblings may be fine,

& helpful for their growth. I won't despise

the sisters/ brother in my fam-i-ly.

But thinking broader than my life and friends,

apparently can help me kind of see,

or understand, and make a "meaning lens".

For brothers/ sisters may relate quite well

and learn from one another,  be friendly,

but these relationships, as most can tell,

were not the first they had. This seems to be

quite helpful to acknowledge, for me now.

It's using things of life as metaphor,

a picture, model; if this helps somehow,

feel free to join with me to see some more.

For siblings (& then friends) weren't first of all.

They weren't foundational, but  secondare-

ry things. And thinking bio-logical,

adopted, step-; whichever shoes we wear

we see that daughters/ sons come in before.

And then the siblings find each other there,

and get to learn to share, take turns, and more.

But hopefully, before that happens, care,

provision, and a deep relationship

that models (for the secondary ones),

has grown. And I don't want to let that slip.

The greatest rule* for daughters and for sons.

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*  …, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’

Matt. 22:34‭-‬40 NIVUK

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intimacy - 5

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Oh God, give me more love, responding to

your own that's lavished daily down on me.

I see that if my Love-dispenser's you

it's better than the options that I see.

But what if Love ain't a commodity?

Like, what if it's a plant that grows in soil?

A garden to be cultivated? Zshee !

A partnership with God - where I can toil,

but needn't, for somewhat it's like desire,

but part of the whole deal is "eat the fruit" -

not speshly as command, but as a fire

needs fuel, so in a sense that's our need too.

Thought comes to me that you were really pique-

ing human in-ter-est in gardening,

to learn to be a gard'ner - care for, seek

the good of God's good world, to even bring

our own de-sire rightly to the thing,

but under God who does such  gracious stuff,

to covenant, to even learn to sing,

to celebrate. We have more than enough!

Except in this one so important thing -

the giving, passing out, of love around.

I have received much more than what I bring

and owe a debt of love. May such abound!

And this is where I started out before,

well, nearly, for I must join right on in.

But also I need/ want you, even more

to help me where you can, in this, to win!

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intimacy - 4

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O God you're true, if every man's a liar*.

You keep your word, you're faithful, you uphold

the universe. Your word moves, to  inspire,

to give to others "being", which is gold.

At least one set of be-ings I've met would

be given more by you, if they'd receive

and grow this gift (in partnership with Good) -

the promise of "much more", if they'd believe…

They'd have to let this God lead on, and go

for walks with him to share his kind of life

& love with him  it sounds a "steal" I know, 

but having children is his big deligh!t.

And raising kids from cell to woman/ man -

that's what you'd spend your life, and word, and breath

on doing - this not only 'coz you can,

you love it, and would do it to your death -

but since your life was here before all things,

and death is a late-comer to your show

(brought by the very ones you gave being

so you could raise them more). I think I know!

You'll do away with Death. Wow, what a step

it seems to us, since death is our "sure thing".

The possibilities have shifted, leapt

bounced forward, if you're the Dad, who sings

sweet songs to get inside our hearts and hopes,

while we're still in this womb world, & can't see

your face at all, and though we're small, and dopes,

you understand, and love. Please walk with me!

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*  responsive love conceived this line of thought.. 

The troubadour announced it and explained 

to folk who knew some literature by heart 

(from it analogies were drawn, and tamed)

his reasoning was teamed, right at the start,

with a responsive love, that won't coerce,

but lets folk come on close, though they're corrupt,

in order to spread more & to disperse

the seeds of this good life, till they erupt -

as they are wont to do. Creative life

has magic in it deeper than just spells.

That word which you have heard around is rife

and works still 'coz it sits, it hears, and dwells.

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intimacy -3

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How does the word HELPER* work with GOD?

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God, YOU'RE my helper*, during my house-work,

with insulation, cladding, as a mate.

With flashing, you've been helping me not shirk,

and sit and think each piece out, then create!

I feel your smile, when I commit and act,

the doing, with some thoughtfulness behind

it, noticing that little things impact

the whole, and must be given their good time.

Each little tiny thing, if overlooked,

can skew the lot, and grind it to a halt.

I have to honour little ones. I'm hooked

with your creative thoughtfulness. It's salt.

Instead of that insulting way of life

that treats all as a power-play to gain,

as though that's why one has a pet, or wife.

But you rejoice to be my help in pain,

and need of ev'ry sort. That's when love shows.

With nothing in it for the lover 'cept

to mirror more the love that really knows,

and not just intellectu'ly. It's wept

with those who let it share their life as friends.

It shares itself, and listens, for it's kept

them in it's heart. Who knows if  friendship ends?

I'm tasting from you all this good, except

that I'm so immature in that love.

I need to learn from someone how it works.

If you don't mind, I'd like for your sweet dove

to land and enter in, and then just lurk.

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*   The same Hebrew word for "helper" (Ezer,  pronounced “ay-zer.”) is used in Genesis to say that God made Eve to be a helper fitting for Adam, and in the Psalms that celebrate God as a helper in times of trouble. An interesting discussion and list of all it's occurrences in the O.T. in this blog post.

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Texts2friends

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One got COVID.

God, please help him in this next week to rest

himself in you, our healing Doctor best

best known as the creator  of all blest

self-healing bodies and our new ones next!

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2 had an important meeting that went well.:

Oh thank you God for helping these two who've

been working in this way with Love & Truth.

Still God we need your help to forward move,

and thank you for the good that has been proved,

and when things change please stay right in the groove

that's in our hearts the home of you, which you've

now called your temple (house of God), how smooth!

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Folk tonight i found how to make Signal my default sms app, so hope to be able to tune in daily, or at least more often, with this group. Sorry for my sometimes inappropriate sharings, because I haven't kept up with what's going on in your lives at times.

Oh God, please help me better learn to love,

& listen to your sons and daughter whom

you've sent me to, & too sent from above.

Please make my small heart bigger, with more room.

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intimacy - 2

 

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God, when you enter into me, joy comes.

When you are with me here, yourself, and I

would be responsive (your joy never numbs

but other pleasures/ pains seem naught beside),

then things go up a notch, and colour comes

to black and white worlds. Gotcha, or your i-

con, in me now. Implore you "More than crumbs,

I want to live on you, have you inside

me. You're the meal itself, in ev'ry sense;

sustaining food for life, my cup as well.

And I want to enfold you, hold you, hence

when your iconic Christ is Lord, I dwell

in love, with love, and would learn from this way

of living quite alter-native to "free"

(if by that I mean "on my own"), I say

"I want you over, under, within me."

But "freedom" is the word I want to use!

A bondage to creative love, that brings

more health and sanity. I gladly choose

to lose myself in ev'ry word he sings,

and dance he dances, kindness that he shows,

and yes his suffering that is as well - 

the secret truth, as ev'ry mother knows.

And here you've got my little heart a-swell...

you got me writing poetry at night.

Responses to your proven good, kesed*,

provisions, and much more than just a bite!

I'm learning to live what they call "Bless'ed!"

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*  the Hebrew word kesed (link refers to a blog that explains it, and gives over 30 instances of it's use), sometimes transliterated chesed (where the "ch" is pronounced as in the English word chemist), or hesed, is a major term used in the Hebrew bible to refer to the loyal-love, or loving-kindness, or steadfast love, which as some of the psalms repeatedly remind us, is working in every part of our stories to weave them together with his story, and that undergirds all creation, & itself "endures forever". It is about this that Paul quotes, or sings, or composes the song in the Greek language of the New Testament about the Most Excellent Way, "Love" that he sees as being incarnated in Christ (referred to by Christ himself, then by early Christians, as "the Way". Whose followers or disciples could be described as "followers of the way"), and that seeks to be responded to, and incarnate itself in us. [eg. Genesis 24:12, 32:10, 39:21; Exod 15:13; 20:5-5; 34:6-7 ... Psalms 13:5; 25:6-7; 36:5; 63:3; Psalms 118 &136; Prov 3:3; Isaiah 55:3; 63:7; Jem 9:24; Lamentations 3:21-23; 1 Corinthians 13 (in context)]

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