A blessing for two travellers

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God bless these two as they go off, with you,

& help them too to be blessings to who

they meet & greet and sit near on a seat

that even hard times will bear fruit that's sweet.

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Twenty twenty-four, two babes (Eb, & Poppy), and then one more..

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Happy birthday Sam. 

We love you a lot.

You are the kind of ram

who takes sheep-life you've got,

slowly spreads it more

where it will grow and thrive

(known from times before)

till there are more alive

who are not goats, but sheep

who live in partnership

(humanity's own bleat,

instead of just it's lip)

So as with sheep in flock

with shepherd over all

this day we would be shocked

If you weren't standing tall.

But there are times we know

to bow the head, submit

to something that’s a blow

& then to learn through it

whatever is most apt

(sometimes it’s just to shoot

a trust-look, as perhaps

a sheep does when its mute)

We look and see & learn

how son can be with Dad,

then gladly take your turn,

to move to Joy, through Sad*.

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*  Remembering the truth that AA has uncovered, and depends on, and finds dependable: “The best is yet to come!”

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’s’p l o t …

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My God, a lot of tiny little things°

have come together in these last few days

To help me see and feel like you gave wings

to this idea of walking. Your displays

of love and faithfulness are clear to me,

but prob’ly not so startling to the world,

I see a kind of style. A sense of free-

ly given humour, dry and terse, and curled

within each little point that helps it point

in ways that turn my gaze in gratefulness

up, high above me glad of help anoint-

ing all these serendipities that bless..

this tiny life, who's choices seem so weak,

and frail, but also good to be around.

I can’t deny the good you seem to speak

into existence in this self same ground.

I see it’s like each human life’s a “plot”;

but Dad-like you just cannot help yourself,

you have to use each word to say a lot…

dimensions, um things open on the shelf…

because the envelope’s addressed we know

already, dressed and combed and looking good

a letter is around, and might well show

up, options are emerging. Or they could.

A plot’s a story line, or gardenbed, 

or else k’niving to see overthrown..

a leadership, relating, that will shed

more light, in spite of ev’rything that’s known.

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Notes

°. No rego for car. Learn to trust re. Transport.

°. Time to catch up with mate before leaving town

°  and tyre and time from work

*. Tutoring time

°. Neighbour collecting gear

*. Walking partner's text missed

°  credit card buying tickets, but no cash

°  categories stretched for bank accounts

°  tickets failing with PayPal with lack of funds

°. Work coming to provide for hole after hols

°. Friends in other town recalling arrangements spoken

°. Daughter and son-in-law come to live with us allowing me to walk

°. Daughter asks last night “What are hopes from walk? - varied but focus on "with creative love"

°. Intros of name via "negative space" at school last 3 days

°. Seeing the Dad-Joke side of God’s Word to us via COJ-02 recently, and at school with outro, and new schools with intros, and being both Dad and now Grand-dad at my home.

These plots are growing crops, depending on 

the seed that has been planted which attests

to have more time in ground; that so cling on

displaying DNA that manifests.

But all so lives are also thereby tales

with plots that twist and turn surprisingly,

relationship grows up, but also fails

to be quite static, or to still the sea.

The troubled sea, that rarely will be calm,

but sometimes is, that’s just before we’re stormed;

each thing or person often plots to harm

a ruling, or a ruler, I’m informed.

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Fasting from God's preferred perspective...

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Fasting from living just like an animal (i.e. being run by our desires & our pleasures; & instead learning to be fully human as God made us to be i.e. living by the Will of God ...Looks like fasting as God envisions it, does even more than "amplify your prayers"; God says he'll be saying "Here I am"... "Anything else?" And giving us amazing names & reputations...

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‘Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: 

• to loose the chains of injustice and 

• untie the cords of the yoke, 

• to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not 

• to share your food with the hungry and 

• to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – 

• when you see the naked, to clothe them, and 

• not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? ,....

‘If you do away with 

• the yoke of oppression, with 

• the pointing finger and 

• malicious talk, 

10 and if you 

• spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and 

• satisfy the needs of the oppressed, 

....

‘If you keep your feet from 

• breaking the Sabbath and 

• from doing as you please on my holy day, 

if you 

• call the Sabbath a delight and 

• the Lord’s holy day honourable, and if you 

• honour it by not going your own way and 

• not doing as you please or 

• speaking idle words, [14] ...

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

‭Isaiah 58:2-14 NIVUK‬

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to bear with-ness

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Oh God, I start to see a little more.

Each day I wake more gifts from you await.

Like game where often I find treasure stored

for me to stumble over, and to take.

And all the while I’m learning to (by choice)

to choose to live in partnership with you

co-pilot who’s a vet’ran, you’ll rejoice

when I give it my best shot, but don’t do

that thing of “taking over” as the one

who knows it all, and doesn't need a hand

(It’s you who’s choosing partnership for fun

and I’m in real need, else I can’t stand).

I seem to just forget you heaps of time.

Though looking back, I wonder “Maybe I

am learning to reach out, to find, sublime-

ly - You’re still here, just waiting. Now I sigh,

recall that you’re my best friend, and let goo

of all my frantic grappling, and relax.

And let you snuggle closer. Snuggle too

as babe to Mum. And stop my heart attacks.

I’m made with these responders in my soul,

to you, your will it flows into me as

I do the discipline, the quiet goal

of sitting at your feet, not “chuck a spazz”.

And then each thing that’s needed at the time,

as you help me to see the view from where

you are above, and I perceive what’s mine

to do (with you, I’m trusting, always there).

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Mind set, Out comes …

reflecting on a SisterStory, in the light of World-View/ HiStory..

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A Love that’s not there ’s a force for despair

(a breakdown in the fam’ly-ness of us).

Negating good that’s come to us, to share

it’s essence, and it’s source. There’s no more fuss

of love’s delighted, celebrating life.

It’s all transactional & business like.

The kind of  business mindset, which loves strife

just so it's competition might be spiked.

Oh God how do you see this world of yours?

How do you cope with us - self-centred pricks?

Our violent ways of taking; making laws,

to make the people act - by force - and bricks

that hem the people in by walls, to cut

their options, and curtail what can be done

(sometimes that strategy can help folk, but

at other times, it eats up all the fun

& joy of life - it seems to dissipate,

to leave a kind of anxious, worried, mist

instead, to fill the gap that’s left of late

when whist’ling Laughter left, with her big sist-

er - Joy from sharing good (the more) around.

It’s like it’s not the goods that help at all - 

unless they are a sign-post for where’s found

their Source. We’re each a conduit, here installed

to spread the word, as humans are wont to;

it’s in our highest nature so to share.

Reflecting on a Higher Love that’s true.

To live, while looking UP, above the air.

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Lord God, Lord Jesus

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Lord Yahweh, he’s the God who IS, the Lord. 

Lord Jesus you’re the Lord & god of me;

because, like Thomas said to you+, afford-

ding ambiguity(?), we watch and see

his stumble-ing attempts to put in words

to mere human being what should not

be said, unless you orchestrated his 

experience, so that emotion in 

the moment, could lead him to knowledge of

the holy one, the holy thing that was

borne here by Mary, born in fact, like us,

who did such wondrous things. Therefore because

of them, when he saw you “then risen up”,

he maybe too foresaw “death swallowed up”.

So I, like him, lift up, and praise, exalt

your name, but since Man is just one step down

from God*, we find it hard to much exalt

your name Lord Jesus, in between the two.

So maybe then like Thomas’s words salt-

ed with the fire of love, ex-per’n-cing you

who activated perfect faithfulness.

We honour you, revere you, our ref-uge,

our shelter from the storm, & shade from heat,

as hen gathers her chicks, and seems so huge

compared to them. You tower over us.

Our shroud, our sheet, our veil is torn away,

so bridegroom would destroy his bride's own veil

and wipe away our tears of disgrace.

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Footnote

+   “A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” (‭John 20:26-29 NRSVUE‬) [when Jesus says “Have you believed because you saw me…” he is obviously not talking about believing in the concept of some particular take in “the Trinity”; he is talking about Thomas trusting him to have conquered death and to be a leader worth following..  Thomas’s response (esp. in the light of Isa 25), shows that Thomas now does, and he recognises Jesus’s faithfulness (& graciousness) to himself (Thomas). Who else is this gracious? 

*    “..  what are humans that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?  Yet you have made them a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.  You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet,” (Psalms 8:4-6 NRSVUE‬) & from the translators’ footnotes of the NET on the plural “them” and the reference to “Man”, here translated “humans” we have: “Psalms 8:4 Of what importance is the human race, tn Heb

"What is man[kind]?" The singular noun א ('enosh, "man") is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race. that you should notice tn Heb "remember him." them? Of what importance is mankind, tn Heb "and the son of man." The phrase "son of man" is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12. that you should pay attention to them, tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God's characteristic activity.”

When understood, this simple device is seen to allow the psalm’s poetic nature to refer simultaneously to a singular and the plural. the N.T. book of Hebrews takes up this point, and applies it to Jesus individually (though it might just as well go on to apply it to “his body” as we shall be on earth plural or singular too).

Bibliography

1]  Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.

[3] Therefore strong peoples will honour you; cities of ruthless nations will revere you. [4] You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall

[7] On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; [8] he will swallow up death for ever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. (‭Isaiah 25:1, 3-4, 7-8 NIVUK‬) Etc…

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moving right along

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Well, thanks for all your help dear God, today.

It was a lot of fun to walk with you

into an unknown school and class, to say,

(but more than that to listen, learn to do

what will make me a servant of those kids,

and fam-il-ies which send them to that school)

..to say the kind of slow things that love bids

it's children do to turn talk from a “tool”

to help manipulate & change the world,

to make it as we see fit so to do,

a tool that helps us leverage what’s curled

in ev’ry human round, near me & you;

into a way, a path to travel down

to learn together, as we walk along,

to interact, and ask, with smile or frown,

& so relate in ways that sing their song.

And so, this way of being slow to speak

is kind of like a trust that God will act,

it might not make strong all that has been weak,

but partnerships to serve it will impact.

I saw it in myself this very night,

a part of me that wanted to relate,

you didn’t let it get snuffed out of sight,

and out of mind; so deep desires sate.

You helped the candle flame leap up in song

responsive to a person in the room

it makes for others who might come along.

Your words in me fanned this small flame to boom.

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