s l o w . . . .

to speak*…

---

If I am to be slow to spruik, to speak, 

to say a word to others, in this world,

it’s prob’ly gunna be ’coz I’m too weak

to come across “on top” of all I’m told.

Then I won’t feel so confident myself

in knowing what to say that makes folk think

that I am truly knowing, wise & health-

-y. No jokes with a surreptitious wink!

‘Coz my own ego will feel bruised and warn,

not fresh - to battle up the hill, like goats.

Oh give me love’s own impulses, reborn

as crucified “with Christ” must then denote.

So here I hear his call once more to track

him through rejection by this world, and then

some unjust suffering & death, then back - 

for forty days to hang about with friends.

And all this while I’m learning privately, 

to keep an intimate “romantic”* life

quite flourishing, through which I’m re-viv-ed-

-ly nourished ‘coz love isn’t killed by strife!

So in this interchange, not built on words,

but giving rise to many “in their place”,

with bridge between the beings formed unheard

‘cept for the groanings love works into space.

And this gives rise (in ya’ way, YaHWeH God),

to new and living ways to walk on Earth,

not trying to be bolstered by this lot

I’m sent to show your love* to, since my birth.

---

Foot notes

k* - as seen throughout human history, taken as a whole, the Creator God very rarely speaks audibly from heaven. And as James recalls his “big brother” Yeshua, and dote-ingly passes on to his other “brothers”: “My dear brothers, everyone of you must be quick to listen, and slow to speak…” (James 1:19)

c* & e* - it turns out that instead of love for the creative spirit (behind the creation of the whole of the heavens and the Earth) being somewhat romantic/ sexual in nature, it is more like romance/ sex has been invented to give us a humanly experience-able metaphor for that creative spirit’s commitment for the highest and best, most pleasing, kind of love, KHESED (covenantal, family-kind love, based on “keeping one’s own word”, and thus allowing a real option to the coercive, manipulative control kind of “power” this world only “knows”, because this world is like a human brain’s left hemisphere trying to play the role of both hemispheres simultaneously) to build a family which will share and expand the KHESED work on Earth.

---

BE quick* - “jump in” listening!

(like God*!)

---

If I will not be quick to listen then,

and now as well, I'll turn into A.I. - 

dispensing facts and stories in a blend 

to keep attention on me as I try

to not bore people, yet they’ll fall asleep,

or walk away, from boredom or disgust

at lack of listening and hearing deep-

-ly those around me, brought by God, from dust

but breathed into by YaHWeH God himself..

the spirit of an oversee-er who

can influence for more disease or health 

within this world around, and Others too.

And what’s the thing that stands out in YaHWeH*?

I think it was “he IS, he IS*” - not “WAS”,

although he was as well, as people say

and always will be*. And that’s just be’coz..

He didn’t just create, he keeps it here, 

within his mind and purposes: he keeps

his word once he has given it. It’s queer, 

he binds himself, is faithful. Yet still weeps

or deeply grieves, when children go off track, 

and doesn’t just unwind it all while one

of them remains who would perceive a lack

of faithfulness in father (or in son).

He’s bound to his own children such that he

is quick to listen, to expend himself.

And slow to speak, and “slow to anger”. We,

in growing up like him, come to our health..

---

Footnotes:

k* - “In view of what he has made us then, dear brothers, let every man be quick to listen but slow to use his tongue, and slow to lose his temper. For man’s temper is never the means of achieving God’s true goodness.

21-25 Have done, then, with impurity and every other evil which touches the lives of others, and humbly accept the message that God has sown in your hearts, and which can save your souls. Don’t I beg you, only hear the message, but put it into practice; otherwise you are merely deluding yourselves. The man who simply hears and does nothing about it is like a man catching the reflection of his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, it is true, but he goes on with whatever he was doing without the slightest recollection of what sort of person he saw in the mirror. But the man who looks into the perfect mirror of God’s law, the law of liberty (or freedom), and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who sees and forgets. He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness.

26 If anyone appears to be “religious” but cannot control his tongue, he deceives himself and we may be sure that his religion is useless.

27 Religion that is pure and genuine in the sight of God the Father will show itself by such things as visiting orphans and widows in their distress and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world” (James 1:19-27)

H*  - “God said to Moses, “I am that I am.” And he said, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” [15]  God also said to Moses, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘The LORD – the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.’ [16]  “Go and bring together the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, appeared to me – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – saying, “I have attended carefully to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt, [17]  and I have promised that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ (Exodus 3:14-17 see especially the footnotes (a) in vs 14 of the NET version)

d* - God’s message to his people in their suffering: “ The Lord said, “I have surely seen[a] the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.[b] 8 I have come down[c] to deliver them[d] from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious …” (Exodus 3:7-8)

S* & r* - An in-family announcement given to Moses: “The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the LORD by name. [6]  The LORD passed by before him and proclaimed: “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, [7]  keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:5-7 NET etc)

---

kids camping at our place

Please God help us to see the stables that 

you have prepared for your kids to stay in

with animals of yours whose king laid/ sat

in Mary's arms and manger with hay in..

 

My son ...

...dispise not the Lord’s discipline*

---

As “of the earth”, and also “of the wind, 

the breath or spirit of the very God”, 

amphibious, or hybrid is not sin

depending on relationships we’ve got

with both the heavens* and the Earth beneath 

our feet. For we could walk bowed down*, or crawl,

or lower still, could slither underneath

the legs of all, but we’re made to stand tall: 

we walk, skip, jog, dance, even run erect, 

yet need to bend our knees to move ahead. 

These oft repeated practices* help set

our whole selves to the right  spirit, as said

or maybe intimated, just before, 

we didn’t make ourselves (nor all the Earth).

We are not over all, we’re under more

than just the God who gives us breath since birth..

the other sons of God, not of the Earth,

right now are ruling us, until we grow

up big enough to come out* (a new birth?)

and then be ruling/ judging them; or so

we’re told in bits that slip out now & then*.

But habits* where we prostrate ourselves here

before the only wise God, help defend

us from that kind of pride that has no fear,

respect of God’s word to declare his will;

and listen carefully, to understand

but going that much more, & further still,

to act it out on Earth* - as is the plan*.

---

Footnotes

ne* - my son despise not the Lord's (your father’s) discipline, (fitness-regime, teaching, training)... (Proverbs 3:1-17 ff) and “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. [24] Never say anything that isn't true. Have nothing to do with lies and misleading words. [25] Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don't hang your head in shame. [26] Plan carefully what you do, and whatever you do will turn out right. [27] Avoid evil and walk straight ahead. Don't go one step off the right way.”  (Proverbs 4:23-27 GNBUK)

ns* - “the heavens” seem to be the seed dimension where core attitudes and models hover, not (fully) embodied yet on Earth… but the plan is “as in heaven, so on Earth” and we are portals meant to carry out and help bring about that will, in that way (of HESED love).

wn* - remember that lady who walked bent over who came into the Synagogue in front of Jesus, and what he did for her, and said about her? (Luke 13:10-17)

es* - it appears to me that oft repeated practices, become habits, of our whole selves (heart, soul, mind, and strength), trained body, trained emotions and thus trained mind… or in the words of a wiser one: “Without the aid of trained emotions the intellect is powerless against the animal organism.” C.S. Lewis in The Abolition of Man.

us* - Psalm 8; plus “the law” “given by angels” Acts 7:53), being a tutor to bring us to (and then help us to grow up to become like, the) Christ (Gal 3:23-4:11).

ut* - as in Romans 8:17-27 

en* - “we will judge the angels” (Paul to early Christians - 1 Cor 6:2-3)

ts* - like those spoken of by Jesus (or by God, or by Jesus’ little brother, speaking about his big brother, to his other dear brothers) to his disciples (disciplined ones) “watch & pray”, and “when you fast…”; “when you give alms”; “This is my beloved son; Listen to him”; “be slow to speak”; “be slow to anger” (Mark 8:31-9:13; James 1:19-27), … etc…or see Peter’s ladder (2Pet1:3-11) etc..

th* - again  “as in heaven, so on Earth”... our longing, requests, and our own actions (in partnership with God as our senior partner) are to be that the reign of God might come on Earth, as it is in heaven..

an* - “the plan”, might well be summarised in the 4 words of the title of a Christian Ethics text-book which I read bits of years ago. Its “thesis” - that the basis of what some might call Christian Ethics, others might say it is the direction all the narratives, commands, pointers,  reminders & encouragement are trying to take us (by hook or by crook). It could even be said to be an inexorable “Law” [{given Jesus’s use of it to both enemies and family when he said “you are just like your father, the devil, he was a murderer from the beginning…” (John), and “be … just as your father in heaven is …”(Matthew)}. I say inexorable, but this doesn’t preclude either that there is an off-ramp or an on-ramp, these two ramps are… existential facts (which are also metaphors for existential choices), and they are…  ? (hint: Jesus mentioned one to Nicodemus)]. The four words are: “like father, like son”. Other idiomatic phrases that communicate something like this might well be “a chip off the old block”, or “the spitting image of his/ her old man/ woman”.

---

“deep” LIFE:

understanding and love!

---

My love and my peace come finally from God, 

my worth and energy, thriving, from him.

And when you think of it, it would be odd 

if it were otherwise, for we'd grow dim

when we weren’t recognised, accepted or,

acknowledged by the others - light might fade.

But we are heirs of Christ with his “much more”,

who conquers by the love-light God has made

to shine, and when it’s dark  the light shines on,

it travels through the void quite easily. 

It travels light! And then, by God, it’s gone.

It’s sent! And then its smile (uncheesily)

is seen on faces where it lands, the truth

is that it has direction - always OUT,

into the dark, with energy of youth,

determined toddler, but without the pout!

Its energy goes with it where it's sent.

In that way it’s still “of” the  source it’s “from”.

It’s light, by nature. Light itself is meant..

- and shows up ev'ry-thing it lights upon,

but doesn't have much “push” itself, more “let” -

the situation now be clearly seen,

or understood, perceived, not to forget

so easily, and light is rarely mean

or heavy handed. Still, we know the sun,

from its distance to Earth, sources our life,

for plants store photons, sent & too begun,

& give us food and breath, in “all our strife*”.

---

Footnote

e* - “all our strife under the sun” repeated phrase in Qoheleth (e.g. Ecclesiastes 1:3;9; 2:17; 4:1).

---

The exception to the rule (of late)...

return to the beginning (love & faithfulness kiss)

---

Well what was happening to my old Dad 

and what was happening within him too 

when I was with him there for just a tad 

a week ago I saw what he could do

when he was not in panic, manic mode,

but sharing life in weakness and in pain;

he couldn't talk so loud or  long, he rode

the wave, confused, determined. Then again..

his son did not step in much to adjust

the outcomes, or to stop him pestering.

The son was honouring, as well he must

be if he’s not un-grateful, un-fitting.

So both, in strength and love of God relied,

and loveliness related in this world -

a little piece of heaven was espied.

Oh God I choose for that where I am hurled

by you the ever trusting, faithful one.

I, and my Dad with strength of God of love,

will learn to trust in you as your own son

who’d grow like his own father who’s above,

below, around, before & aft-

-ter too. Your wisdom & your faithfulness

we’ll use, aspire to (though we are daft

and often draw the wrong conclusions). Bless

me farther on, and farther in to you,

to grow old and to die well. God you showed

the later (& the former). May we too

fulfill your word to us, so you’ve not “blowed*”. 

---

Footnotes

d* - blowed up like a baloon, or just “hot air” blowing out in useless, meaninglessness.

---

friend's @ a work related conference…

---

Yes, God we thank you that you've sent them there, 

as really doing things that should be done, 

and part of that's the friendship that's aware

of bigger friend who's here with ev'ryone!

---

!

!

holy carelessness

of the eternal NOW…

---

In tastes I've had of this (or in my dreams)

when this makes sense, describes a state that’s real..

the most important thing right then, it seems

is no longer “get ready”, so the feel

or focus, is not future, but the fun

of living life right now, in right rela-

tion with all those around here “under sun*”;

or as the Christ’s Ambassador might say:

“as much as is now possible, as far

as things depend on you, that is from your…

your side of your relationships, you are

responsible to live at peace, and more,

to now allow for thriving to be birthed,

not just with friends, but enemies as well*.”

He got that Way of living on God’s Earth, 

developing relationships ’gainst hell,

from you know who, who was himself the true…

true model of all that he said, himself.

So as that Paul himself was wont to do,

I bow before this Master of True Health.

And understand, in bowing down (by choice -

not in self-serving weighing of future

recompense or payments back in poise

or fashion then accorded) - Here we are…

right in the holy carelessness of that

Eternal Now, where God himself - my breath,

my food & drink, quite freely comes to bat

in partnership as blasphemous as death.

---

n* - life “under the sun” is a term used by Eclessiastes to refer to life on Earth as we know it, without much knowledge of & therefore reference to heaven

l* - Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them… . If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.(Romans 12:14-21)

---

cadarva "larva"

(or "from above" Love)

---

There is a chance for me - ’coz every cell, 

within my body has your written word

of life and love, and wisdom, who can tell -

your great amazing way is like absurd-

-ly good, and wonderful, above our “might”.

Your ways beggar belief.

’ don’t have a clue!

I’ll trust you even though I'm not too bright,

’n it  doesn’t honour you much when I do.

But here I am just trusting your good word.

I think that’s good and right, because you keep

your word, and that’s what  keeps all hell deterred,

along with death and pain - what makes folk weep…

And keeping your own word’s your kind of love,

not as a needy “I desire..” thing,

but my real needs fulfill, as “from above”

you look, and see, and know. You are the king!

The king of love, provision, & request

(from me, for my own good, to help me sing,

bring gladness, pleasure, power, and the best

of disciplines that come from treasuring). 

Your ways aren’t of the dirty predator*.

But disciplined yourself, you help me learn

good manners and to think (as editor*)

before I speak, or act, or welcome, spearne,

allow others to “do their thing” dispense,

with me, to me, or me to them as well

(somewhat, because we have some influence).

You bring the smell of heaven, not of hell!

---

Footnotes

*r - Thinking of the models of an honourable man and woman, enmeshing each other in all of their lives, each for the advancement, development and growth of the other, as a good marriage becomes over time -

compared to & contrasted with -

the abusive use of another when they have less power or influence, portrayed by men like Jeffrey Epstein with his massage payments and his Island, affecting women from the USA and England, and Monsieur (Dominique) Pelicot with his drugging, sedation, and hiring out of his wife in France;

& their methods being contrasted with the methods of a very powerful creator who only interrupts our rulership when asked to do so. e.g. the Psalmist’s words, followed by the prophet Isaiah’s words spoken back, from God to his people:

“Teach me your ways in such a way that I will be enabled  to, and in actuality will, go in them.. (PLW after Psalm 86:11 etc)

or 

O LORD, teach me how you want me to live! Then I will obey your commands. Make me wholeheartedly committed to you! 

(Psalm 86:11 NET, for Hebrew and others, link to Other English translations) 

“Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?’ declares the Lord. ‘These are the ones I look on with favour: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.

[4] so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring on them what they dread. For when I called, no-one answered, when I spoke, no-one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.’ [5] Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word; ‘Your own people who hate you, and exclude you because of my name, have said, “Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy!” Yet they will be put to shame.

[10] ‘Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her. [11] For you will feed and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance.’ [12] For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will feed and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. [13] As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.’ [14] When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.

[18] ‘And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory. [19] ‘I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations – to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. [20] And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord – on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,’ says the Lord. ‘They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels. [21] And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,’ says the Lord. [22] ‘As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so will your name and descendants endure.” (Isaiah 66:2, 4-5, 10-14, 18-22 NIVUK)

---

at work in the ruins

(in this world, but not of it..)

---

Oh what a privilege to share new life

with people who will work along with who

made this whole Universe, with all its strife,

and complex e-co-sys-tem-ic stuff too.

And how’d’e-do ’is greeting -  with a “Hi!”?

o’ ’lo? which must go up or down to reach

each person. I must pull my head in, try

to not just entertain or even teach

but be “of benefit” to all, in all

I do and say (and even think) towards

the people I will contact, to not fall

into the habits of machines, but gods

who, though they're foetal, and not even “out”,

but still “in secret”, inside this great womb,

can start to make some choices - not to pout,

or tantrum! They’re part of the  anti-doom!

So, yup! There’s always trouble in this world*.

And we’ll be quite involved in it, right at

the centre. Often times we have been hurled 

right at it; God’s response team’s sent for that!

For crucifixion trouble, maybe Jo-

seph, with his “first-born son” foll-ow-ing sure.

And many others later with Nero.

For Peter all its horror was ignored.

For being thrown to Lions, there was Dan.

Then cent’ries later “Christ-i-ans” in Rome.

For dog trouble: St Patrick, Paul, (a man

the other year) in Thailand, Steve at home.

---

Footnotes

*  “...you may find your peace in me. You will find trouble in the world—but, never lose heart, I have conquered the world!”” (Jesus, to his disciples; John 16:33, and see other translations here, especially the NET’s footnote on Thlipsis)

---

---

Newly

imagined!

---

Oh God, to learn to think, in truth, help me

to do the practice, needed to assess,

to be in touch with your reality,

and less affected by appearances*!

You’ve given me the tools of trade I need,

to be a human - being here on Earth

in eco-system* which can fairly bleed,

in body* with changed blood-flow at its birth.

And offered then to share your wisdom too,

in fact it seems you’re very keen to. So

not hanging back, not scared of what we’ll do,

you’re lovingly determined t’help us grow.

And your determination to just bless,

I rarely see on Earth these days except

in settings of a fam’ly, where duress

is not just leaving angry folk bereft.

That real determined love that "digs in" for

the long haul, and for keeping its own word,

and not ’coz its desires made that call,

but ’coz it chooses to - in that absurd

‘ly supra-rational, but human way,

that doesn’t come to us from lower down,

or modelling, as A.I. does, or  say

the hemisphere* that’s left, without the crown.

But as we learn from more mat-u-re ones,

what love and patience is, and humour too,

we grow more human as we play for fun,

and dance instead of march. And ‘old’ grows new*!

---

Footnotes

s* “You are righteous, O Lord, and your judgments are right.” (Psalms 119:137); “You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. [16] You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand idly by when the blood of your neighbor is at stake: I am the Lord. [17]  “You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. [18] You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:15-18); “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (John 7:24)

m* “ecosystem” can stand for our Earth, seen as a whole Ecosystem, with all its interdependence, and diverse beings and interrelatedness, OR our individual bodies, with on average, its 29-36 trillion very varied human cells, and who knows if it is a similar amount of bacteria, fungal, protozoan, and algal, not to mention nematodes and flukes, & insects etc.. that relate together within each body 

y* “body” can mean each individual human body ( which may be seen as a whole universe that each of us rule over in a god-like supreme-being way, OR ELSE the body of the human family, or for followers of Jesus, as I am, the body of Christ, both of which are made of a much smaller, though still a large number, of individuals. Each of these labelled groupings having lost much of its working towards a bigger common goal or order of being.

e* the left hemisphere of the single (two hemisphered) human brain, that relates data to its virtual reality or internal model of the world that thereby allows to to understand complex events and predict likely future ones, but which also needs to be able to be overridden or vetoed by the other ("right") hemisphere which relates us to the actual world at large.

w* in the words of Yeshua’s Ambassador (Apostle) Paul: “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For our slight, momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen, for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NRSV)

---

Growing up!

(starts with bowing down)

---

Dear Father, I am sixty six years old.

So now, in one more year I can retire.

Thus by most counts, I wouldn’t be too bold

to think that I’m a grown up. I’m a sire.

I’ve sired 6 living offspring on this Earth.

And have begun to learn to love from you.

But in that sense, I've hardly grown since birth.

And “Quite Mature” ’s a title I'd eschew.

Because  I'm learning how to tell the truth.

And hearing my own self-talk now I know

what you have always known - you don’t need proof!

Compared to your age, I'm still foetal. So

this makes sense of what Jesus said about

the reign of God belonging only to 

those who are little children. None are louts

or adolescents, adults with the view 

of centuries, millenia or such.

I have to start my growth by learning truth

in inmost parts, in spirit*, heart’s own hutch

for living treasure, inside my tent “roof”.

So as a little child I call you now: 

My Abba, Daddy, truest one who knows:

what ever’s worth the knowing or somehow,

whoever will be loving, where love grows

within them as a plant grows in the soil.

The seed of God’s been planted in this soul*

and as it grows the ground is like to boil,

& give birth then, a crop that makes more whole.

---

Footnotes

t* “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. [11] Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. [12] Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me… .

[17] My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. (Psalms 51:10-12, 17 NIVUK)

l* “No-one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.” (1 John 3:9 NIVUK);  “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures for ever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:23-25 NIVUK); “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:4 NIVUK)

---

 

with your spirit

(fill me - as your balloon)

---

Oh God you are both wise and good, and know

me well (with even hairs upon my head).

Your essence, attitude, motives that show

in all your acting and withholding, said

to be the spirit of the only God,

well of the one defining what “God” means;

the first, and primal, pioneer who’s got

defining rights, for love’s mind often teems

with possibilities that multiply

(and exponentially), till out of sight.

You can not hold it down. Well they did try!

We're talking here of light on a dark night…

It’s out before you put the lid back on, 

its oscillations are too numerous

to count in one life time, and then it's gone

and as it goes, it makes more universe

and fills it up with possibilities,

keeps on allowing us to more become

in line with all your spirit’s hopes and dreams

and wishes, which when spoken don’t make numb;

or do but in such do’s communicate 

the love that’s underneath on which we thrive.

The love that swallows impotence and hate,

and knows the purpose that we are alive.

And IS it too, because we are offspring

(the tiny foetal “children”) of Yahweh.

He is the reason that we truly sing,

or celebrate, or speed up, or delay*.

---

Footnotes

y* - e.g. creative love leads people to be (& to choose along with it, to become more) quick (to listen), to be slow (to speak), and to be slow (to anger)... (See James 1: 19-27)

---

His word is MORE..

(both more personal*, & more enduring.. 

..than the Universe)

---

Oh Lord you’ve given us such lovely gifts

and promises*, all backed up by your word.

The presence of yourself’s at top, and lifts

us up to heights, but handles "down"  absurd-

ly well. When “Lifted up*” as Nathan said

the son of David would in future be,

to reign as king un-ending. Jesus shed

another meaning, more macabre that he

then understood [in light of history’s

developments in keeping human slaves,

instilling fear as chief of strategies

to keep the status quo, so none behaves

in disobedience to master’s will*

(that’s culture’s dictates as it does its job,

and those who found they’d rule the culture ‘til

they thought that with no pain they'd get “on top”)].

While he, as little child, lived underneath

his father’s will, completely doing all

his father willed, though clearly he’d bequeath

his own desires, quite openly, to fall

in line, behind, in ways his father led.

His naked motive pow’r would not coerce

but only love, ‘first God, then like -” he said, 

- "his neighbour", act to help them choose, disperse-

-sing more the scent of heaven on the earth.

to live a higher life in partnership

with such creative love that gave us birth

and gives all* “goods” & services yet s(h)ipped.

---

Footnotes

al* - after writing this, I said to my ~5yr old  granddaughter something like "God is the most amazing person I've ever met!" to which she responded with patronage and a twinkle in her eye for this chance to fix up Grand-Dad's ignorance: "God isn't a person! He's just a god!"; to which I responded... "Ah, he must be a person! - because we are his children!"

s* - “He has by his own action given us everything that is necessary for living the truly good life, in allowing us to know the one who has called us to him, through his own glorious goodness. It is through him that God’s greatest and most precious promises have become available to us men, making it possible for you to escape the inevitable disintegration that lust produces in the world and to share in God’s essential nature.” (from 2 Peter 1:1-11)

d* - The prophet Nathan’s words to King David, from God: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (from 2 Samuel 7:1-17); and then Jesus’s prophecy/ commentary on his own future, being raised or lifted-up “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. [32] And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” [33] He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. [34] The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” ” (from John 12:23-50 plus Mark  ch8, ch9, & ch10)

will* - for an indication of how crucifixion was developed by  the Empires, societies, and cultures of the (Mede’s & Persians, Phoenicians,  and) Romans to keep order in their realm(s) see the first chapter of Tom Holland’s book “Dominion”, from which book this quote is given: “A myth, though, is not a lie. At its most profound—as Tolkien, that devout Catholic, always argued—a myth can be true. To be a Christian is to believe that God became man and suffered a death as terrible as any mortal has ever suffered. This is why the cross, that ancient implement of torture, remains what it has always been: the fitting symbol of the Christian revolution. It is the audacity of it—the audacity of finding in a twisted and defeated corpse the glory of the creator of the universe—that serves to explain, more surely than anything else, the sheer strangeness of Christianity, and of the civilization to which it gave birth. Today, the power of this strangeness remains as alive as it has ever been. It is manifest in the great surge of conversions that has swept Africa and Asia over the past century; in the conviction of millions upon millions that the breath of the Spirit, like a living fire, still blows upon the world; and, in Europe and North America, in the assumptions of many more millions who would never think to describe themselves as Christian. All are heirs to the same revolution: a revolution that has, at its molten heart, the image of a god dead on a cross.” (Tom Holland, Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, quoted in Good reads quotes by Tom Holland) & “In a city famed for its wealth, Paul proclaimed that it was the ‘low and despised in the world, mere nothings’,34 who ranked first.  Among a people who had always celebrated the agon, the contest to be the best, he announced that God had chosen the foolish to shame the wise, and the weak to shame the strong. In a world that took for granted the hierarchy of human chattels and their owners, he insisted that the distinctions between slave and free, now that Christ himself had suffered the death of a slave, were of no more account than those between Greek and Jew.” (Tom Holland, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind)

all* - all good gifts [e.g. “But every good endowment that we possess and every complete gift that we have received must come from above, from the Father of all lights, with whom there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency. By his own wish he made us his own sons through the Word of truth that we might be, so to speak, the first specimens of his new creation.”(James 1:12-27 esp vv 17-18)]; but, our experience of the good things in this world starts with our birth, followed by a “re-birth”, since a birth “from above” is also another birth, a second birth, or a new birth (coming, as it does, in time, after our ‘first birth’ our ‘old birth’, as Nicodemus rightly indicated, - from our mother’s womb). [e.g. “But when the kindness of God our saviour and his love towards man appeared, he saved us—not by virtue of any moral achievements of ours, but by the cleansing power of a new birth and the moral renewal of the Holy Spirit, which he gave us so generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour. The result is that we are acquitted by his grace, and can look forward to inheriting life for evermore. This is solid truth.” (Titus 3:5-7)]

---

love's faces

---

You are the source of all the love I’ve known.

And all the food in this world, I believe,

is your creative love displayed and shown 

in avenues of edibility.

Veluptuous and varied: sweet and sour,

strong and crisp, and crunchy, bubbly too.. ,

can all be lovely gifts at different hours

or contexts. For you know us through & through.

Responsive to initiatives from me,

You are: my senior, wiser, & more a-

-ble, seeking partnership as way to be.

The only thing unmoving, clearly sta-

-ble, is your HESED, strong and pure, deter-

mined, minded to grow me to be like you,

that your creative love be so inter-

preted,  on Earth in ev’rything I do.

And all the gifts you've poured this way I see

are gifts of fam’ly love to grow kids strong.

And given for the best to grow in me

and you, and help us too, to both “belong”..

be long in suffering - that good may come 

(not only when it brings pleasure to me)

but even when it breaks my heart, ..& some

things don’t feel good; I'll stay and over-see 

that all is good (again) for thriving of 

the whole she-bang, and which we will be long-

ing for its good to multiply: “tov tov”

as partnership is harmonized in song.

---

Today’s lesson

(for me..)

---

One lesson that appears to come is strange.

I need deep wisdom to decipher well

its meaning as pertains to me, arranged

by God himself to help me clearly tell..

So help me God to draw clear insights from

this evidence, as seen in Mark and Mike,

and Adam our progenitor Golem,

and what my wife has said to me tonight

about my making gen’ralizations

or proverbs from each story that I hear.

She said they sound like “morals” for nations

& makes me sound The Judge, so it appears.

It turns her off, she wants me quiet then.

I wondered if I said “I’m trying to 

here understand a principle for when

we’re put in charge, so we’ll know what to do.”

But now I see that doesn’t fit his word:

“Man, who made me a ruler or a judge

who’s over you?*”, was what one fellow heard; 

but John heard that the Father would not budge,

“he’s given judgement to his very Son*”.

It may be that he changed as people heard

it diff’rently, from diff’rent hopes begun

inside a person's head, expressed in word.

So I might need the Father’s wisdom fresh*

for ev’ryone I interact with here;

And that makes sense, for love will always mesh

in loving ways, with each one to appear.

---

Footnotes

?* Luke 12: 

n* John 5:22-27

h* James 1:2-9

---

Help!

---

Oh God I like the way you help, and that

you aren’t so very pushy; though you made

us up, and maybe just because we're flat

& hardly 3 dimensional, you bade

us to grow up to love with all our selves,

and pass that love along to others too,

you knew we’d need integrity and health

so we could multiply love, not just do

what comes into our heads, to tax it (as

we pass it on to others) for ourself;

for that’s against the nature that love has

- to trust the Universe, not fear with stealth.

You don’t try then, to make us do a thing;

you want us to discover and then choose,

and even ask for help to trust and sing

in presence of my enemies, all who’s

not for me and for honouring my life.

For Love’s an overcomer, it makes worlds,

and overcomes all nothingness and strife.

To trust it is to trust where you are hurled

so as Yeshua trusted in desert-

-ed places, when he needed food & drink,

that God, his Father would see (though he’s hurt)

that he would not be harmed (- as God would think).

So I will trust, and not give way to fears. 

And let my pains and troubles in this womb

not count for more than what seems, or appears,

and let you be the judge o’er death & tomb.

---

flow (take 2)

---

My heart, I see today, is like a cup,

and it can carry water from a well

to my lips, and to any who look up

for help, & then whom God rigs against hell.

A sip might be the whole of what’s their need.

But cells like ours need water to survive,

so often they need more, each word and deed

can cup the water to their hands alive.

But they need water (& I too, no less)

to well up in their beings - all un-clocked!

The cup must lose its bottom, and be stretched,

become a hose, or portal that’s unblocked.

Reflection is requir’d to lively learn. 

Here water helps (when steady, in its flow)

reflect a face, and see disgrace, & yearn

for better looks, and helps wash clean, I know

b’coz it's helped me many times: to drink,

to wash, to cool, to see back or reflect,

& then to help those others on the brink 

of lack, or failure, to change course, deflect.

And ev’ry win (in stages) helps resolve

to grow. The wind resistance helps to train

obedience, that’s out of loyal love.

That helps us to move forward, once again.

And then to top it off, God’s eyes (in pairs)

see worth of whom they worked hard to obey.

He hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but softened theirs,

through doing will of God (in Christ), I'd say.

---

think of Jesus’ disciples feeding with (a flow of) food (‘bread’ could just mean food) [Mark 6]

---

flow...

---

---

as in heaven, so on Earth... a "cup" of living (=flowing)  water?

---

My heart, I see today, is like a cup,

and it can carry water from a well

to my lips, and to any who look up

for help, & then whom God rigs against hell.

A sip might be the whole of what’s their need.

But cells like ours need water to survive,

so often they need more, each word and deed

can cup the water to their hands alive.

But they need water (& I too, no less)

to well up in their beings - all un-clocked!

The cup must lose its bottom, and be stretched,

become a hose, or portal that’s unblocked.

To live well as a human is to learn

and that needs time and focus to reflect.

And steady water flowing helps me yearn

and gives to drink, to cool, to see, deflect-

-ing/ softening the skin and nails (and heart?),

and washing clean as well (that is a lot!).

The opposite of still, can be an art-

form that will call out ev’ry thing we've got!

And washing out a hardness of the heart,

and stubbornness, and dullness, was a storm;

with wind that made it harder to impart

obedience from spirit clear though worn.

But then creative love itself stepped in-

to situation, onto water top,

and walked along as though he’d often been

for strolls like this, and would he ever stop?

---

Mark 6: (think the feeding with the flow of loaves…)

---

ever heard Ed shearin'?

You ever heard Ed Shearin'? It's a pretty big do, they say.

All the light show and machinery (& sheep?)

Step up! Owe nothing

 - except love!

(which you only pay out, because you - accept love!)

---

Before I met a mate for a coffee, I had time at home to have a cup of tea, and observe, hear, think, act out and understand good ways forward. We meet to share our thoughts and choices over the past week. How good has this simple habit been! (Alerting us to other, more basic, helpful habits too!)

---

---

Today I seemed to see how love can grow.

I know the case of how it can die back:

with kinds of hardness that a heart can know

when all of life is comfort, with no lack.

And somehow in the art’ries (where life flows)

the lack of lack, brings hard’ning, not much flex;

ta heart must pump the blood both fast and slow

sometimes, and yet be ready for what’s next.

And love’s the only thing that has these both:

the power & the will to cover up

(with band-aid-like capacity to know th-

- at healing’s from inside & then erupts.

And I, as just an animal, can not

learn love, except to copy what it does;

for love takes two to tango. One be God.

His partner is the flow’r, (where bee does buzz).

And living in a partnership is the

ground-breaking way of life, like jump from sing-

-gle celled amoeba… right up to multi-

to multi-cellular big living thing. 

And with this partnership as ground beneath

our feet, to walk upon - provide support,

to teach us how to love, & to bequeath,

contribute, not just take - us back to naught

we'll bring creative options into view.

Creative love invites, so I will too,

so learn to sit, and cover for all who

fall short. I’ll simply let them also choose.

---

Helping our children (& their parents), to grow to “Men” & “Women” (as is fit)!

---

The stories that we share each day, each hour

are programing the hardware of our hearts

to treasure things perceived, for story’s pow’r

can point, and help direct the stops and starts

of our attention. This is  currency

we pay with time of life, and focus too,

not just the focus of the eyes of me

and you, at front of head (where we have two -

to give us each experience of points

of view that differ, and can benefit

the whole, in ways that help us, this anoints

us crowningly, with depth perception’s bit

that helps us fit the lace in shoe eyelet,

(as well as similarities and diff’-

-rences they bring to views, that often get

forgotten, though they are to us a gift.

-  As are the stories we live in each day.

A store of stories let out hour by hour,

“..at least when we are conscious" you might say,

but stories still affect us by their pow'r 

with dreams that come at night when we go “out..

“out to it” - with the halo story leaves, 

and beckons us to further any doubt,

or take those fears for real, for story weaves

a web, to catch us in, for ill, or good

(directions we are heading in ourselves,

will then) affect our kids, as well they should

the pow’r of invitation grows deep health!

---

less-ons

(& more offs)

---

So listen up and ask good questions now;

you’ve spent enough time spruiking in your life.

And you’re a bit like Peter who somehow

thought that he had to talk to process strife, 

but also good amazing things as well*.

It's good that he at least thought more of acts

than just of speaking out. More “show” than “tell”.

But both can stop the list’ning which impacts

our mode of being in this world. Our hope.

So this is what I hope can be a way

for me to keep on growing less a dope,

& more in line with wisdom, as that say-

-ing goes that James reminds his little bro’s

of, that his big bro. modelled in their house*.

“Be quick to listen!” which is I suppose

statistical in nature, more a douse

in waters cold, to my desired response

(to say what comes to mind, just as it does).

And learn to be more patient, less a “ponce”

(entitled, unrestrained, while still quite fuzz-

-y in my thinking. Not sure what will build

them up, but saying something anyway.

I think I need some “Selah*” times, that will

develop spaces. Even just to pray.

And be here as your mouthpiece, just as Pete-

-er said to those who speak out loud to folk:

to speak as though we speak God’s Word*, replete

with Moses's words on prophets*, not as joke.

---

l* Mark 9:1-15; Matt 17:1-13; Luke 9:28-36

e* seems to be a musical interlude mark within the Psalms; maybe a break in the lyrics for an instrumental? Or as the Amplified bible puts it “pause, and think calmly on that!”

d* “Whoever speaks, let it be with[b] God’s words.[c] [1Peter4:10; NET](see 1Peter 4:10-11; & especially the footnotes above in the NET, if you don’t read Greek)

s* “I wish that all God's people were prophets”. (Numbers 11:29)

---

….given for you* - (4…

...sustaining….)

---

“You feed them” he had said before, to those

disciples when the “many” came, in need.

But he knew “other food*” as he’d disclosed

while talking with them after well-side lead.

That food was to obey, live in the will 

of whom God put above ourselves, recall 

that person.. which means  to remember, fill

my mind with what they said, but that’s not all..

it’s also to take on, live out, extend,

in choices that we make, on Earth, the spir-

it, attitude of faithful love, as friend

takes on some aspects of their friend. Hear here!

You are the source of all the love I’ve known.

And all the food in this world, I believe,

is your creative love displayed and shown 

in avenues of edibility.

Veluptuous and varied: sweet and sour,

strong and crisp, and crunchy, bubbly too.. ,

can all be lovely gifts at different hours

or contexts. For you know us through & through.

Responsive to initiatives from me,

you are: my senior, wiser, & more a-

-ble, seeking partnership as way to be*.

The only thing unmoving, clearly sta-

-ble, is your HESED*, strong and pure, deter-

mined, minded to grow me to be like you,

that your creative love be so inter-

preted,  on Earth in ev’rything I do.

And all the gifts you've poured this way I see

are gifts of fam’ly love to grow kids strong.

And given for the best to grow in me

and you, and help us too, to both “belong”.

---

u*  Mark 6; Mark 8; Mark 14; Luke 9; Luke 22; Matt 14; Matt 15; Matt 26; John 6; 1Cor 11.

d* Jesus the vituous Jewish Rabbi meets a Samaritan woman at the bottom of her  pecking order, and will not be sidetracked from his job of revealing YHWH God to her (John 3; especially noteworthy when compared to the main story in the previous chapter (John 2) where Jesus meets with a chief teacher of Israel, one of the Sanhedrin where Jesus clarifies the need to be born freshly - from above), and Jesus’s words to his disciples when they bring food for him, back from town: “I have food that you don’t know of”.  …&... “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me, … to finish the work he gave me to do.”

e* John 5:19; 8:29,38,47

D* HESED is the Hebrew term, used throughout the Hebrew Bible to mean family love, covenant love, loyal love, loving-kindness, steadfast love

---

….given for you* - (ThREE)…

...trees in garden paradise….)

---

“You feed them” he had said before, to his

disciples when the “many” came to find

out if he smelled of Yahweh’s ways, & biz-

nus, though his message spoke what’s on God’s mind.

And then he’d turned those words into a truth,

by breaking down the process into bits

bite-sized, and then by feeding them in cooth, though fam’ly ways (when they just “got the shits”).

Cash seems the bottom line, but it is not.

When things come to a point, don't look for it.

In this case, look for food. And count the lot.

And bring it back to me. I’ll do this bit.

Since you have not, just yet, grown up enough 

to mean it, when you’re tired, feel unfulfilled,

full of yourself (you don’t sustain, taste tough).

I’ll show it to the God, we’ll trust he willed

for us to not just die here, now, and thank

him for his own provisioning, as he

sees fit to make it work. He is our bank.

And river bank, to walk along as we

in cool of eve’ning, take time to rethink

on days we've seen, and what they’ll mean ahead,

Beside the waters stilled enough to drink.

He gives the bits to them to give. All fed!

And so they really do feed them themselves.

And still he takes the metaphore some more.

As God’s the Father who  wants strength & health…

so we as nursing mother have our chore!

---

u*  Mark 6; Mark 8; Mark 14; Luke 9; Luke 22; Matt 14; Matt 15; Matt 26; John 6; 1Cor 11.

o* John 5:19; 8:29,38,47

---

….given for you* - (2…

...redeem many….)

---

“You feed them” he had said before, to his

disciples when the “many” came to find

out if he smelled of Yahweh’s ways, & biz-

nus*, as his message spoke what’s on his mind.

And as he’d also warned them much about

Messiah being king in godly way -

not as the kings of this world use their pow’r

to “make” folk do their bidding, to display

the universe within their head that has 

the top dog getting all the best treatment;

but as a king of God’s musical jazz

get’s written notes as records - they’re not meant

to justify, or be the only play

we have with notes and tunes and riffs & song.

His melodies unbidden come to say

“Can I please help more goodness come along?”

And riffs are heard and played with, echoed on,

a band of good musicians learn to hear

potentialities for righting wrong,

or what’s been left behind, it loves to cheer!

And give their bit to make an offering

to all the people who might love to build

up humans, who are creatures who can sing.

Sometimes a chord is struck. No one is killed.

But sometimes in this world, as it is still,

there comes a one embodying the muse,

and antipathic forces as they will

must seem to win, before they really lose.

---

u*  Mark 6; Mark 8; Mark 14; Luke 9; Luke 22; Matt 14; Matt 15; Matt 26; John 6; 1Cor 11.

s* John 5:19; 8:29,38,47

---

….given for you* - (1…

...for the many….)

---

“You feed them” he had said before, to his

disciples when there’s “many” who had come

some distance looking hopeful of some biz-

nus indicating heavens’ presence. Some 

(or nearly all?), of these many then sat

at his insistence in rough groups where they

felt right at home with God’s green grass as mat

near lake-side, kids came back from swimming hey!

He takes the food available, they found,

and looking up to heaven, blesses God,

as Abraham’s descendants on the ground

would do each meal, for all the food they got.

He doesn't take for granted food and drink,

nor think that all exists to serve his needs;

but just as parents work & as they think,

he’s here to serve. It’s God’s word that he heeds.

The word of truth and love that thinks and serves,

and mother-like, whose body is the home

for unborn child, as bones,  muscles and nerves 

are growing to enable life to come,

and after birth her body is the source

of food & drink she offers to her child,

and helps it to imbibe and suck of course

because that way they bond in way that’s styled

as love and care. But in this case he lets

disciples (students/ children) be involved

and gives the food to them, to feed who gets

it, miracles of God* are then evolved. 

---

u*  Mark 6; Mark 8; Mark 14; Luke 9; Luke 22; Matt 14; Matt 15; Matt 26; John 6; 1Cor 11.

d* John 5:19; 8:29,38,47

---

….given for you*….

(life offered …)

---

“You feed them” he had said before, to them,

two times when there were “many” who had come,

a distance looking hopefully to when

they might be healed and wholely welcomed. Some 

(or nearly all?), of these who served him well

responded that their stash of cash could not

extend to feeding so many, (I smell

some competition) - but his heart’s been got..

at. 'gets them looking, more simply, for “food”

(their cup can be filled up from lake, a lot).

Their stash of cash ignored (not to be rude),

their first task is “find out how much you’ve got”.

And then he leads the way, in thanking God!

In blessing the creator who sustains

us ev’ry day through food and friends. This spot

in time and place he’s using as he trains

them into partnering with such a One,

and reminiscent of the wilderness..

their wanderings in tribal  stories come

to wondering what God just did to bless..

them with some food (and also cups of drink).

Sustaining them with “what was that?” - that stuff.

And how that worked, and formed, and fed? I think

he wanted trust and wonder, not just “tough”

word-definitions, mechanisms and

containing it within our model worlds.

He watched what God would do*, to understand

how life might be sustained where they’d been hurled.

---

u*  Mark 6; Mark 8; Mark 14; Luke 9; Luke 22; Matt 14; Matt 15; Matt 26; John 6; 1Cor 11.

o* John 5:19; 8:29,38,47

---

KEEP YOUR NERVE*!

(tuned into your head*)

---

My feelings are all over the shop Lord,

I just about feel cowered down to Hell.

The tiling under house is getting bored

with so slow changes; car’s not doing well.

We* haven’t learned to keep things going and

we’ve specialised in our small tiny bits,

so there’s not many who can understand

the big picture who doesn’t pick at nits.

Though “pick at nits” is just what must be done,

if things are very lousy round about.

Not “pick at knits” which,  though it may be fun,

unravels much hard work and leads to doubt

of whether it was worth the effort, and

leaves lots of strands which have to be disposed

of - somewhere, or they trip you - understand?

We need your wisdom fresh from you, enclosed

in flesh and blood, so we can interact

with it and also be a conduit for 

it in your world, as you planned so, in fact

I choose to never live apart, ignore 

it. Wisdom is my need, I need to know

not just an answer, but approach to take

and how things work. It doesn’t always show. 

But how & who to ask? What cake to bake?

I now recall 2 Peter*, & old James*:

& “ev’rything that’s necessary* for 

our lives on Earth ..” as humans, (not just shames)

and “ask” when wisdom lacks, don’t just ignore.

---

E*  “But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!  So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord's service is ever useless.” (1Cor 15:57-58)

*e "We.." ie. my culture, my society in the Western world - first quarter of the 21st Century...

d* 1Corinthians 11:3; 12:12-27; Colossians 1:18; 2:19; 3:15; Eph 1:22-23

r* “God has bestowed upon us, through his divine power, everything that we need for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue. 4 The result is that he has given us, through these things, his precious and wonderful promises; and the purpose of all this is so that you may run away from the corruption of lust that is in the world, and may become partakers of the divine nature. 5 So, because of this, you should strain every nerve to supplement your faith with virtue, and your virtue with knowledge, 6 and your knowledge with self-control, and your self-control with patience, and your patience with piety, 7 and your piety with family affection, and your family affection with love. 8 If you have these things in plentiful supply, you see, you will not be wasting your time, or failing to bear fruit, in relation to your knowledge of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. (from 2Peter1:1-11, NTFE)

s*  “2 My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, 3 for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure. 4 Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all. 6 But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind. 7-8 If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord.” (from James 1:1-8; GNT)

*y  Jesus’s words to Marta: “Marta, Marta, you are anxious and worried about many things, But (only) one is necessary…” (Luke 10:38-42, especially verses 41-42 CJB)

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on waking up 4..

 (for)

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No other purpose, but to just respond

to love that shakes a shoulder, helps me up, 

with habits (not to wee in bed - no pond)

or just my failings with setting a clock

(alarm, for yester-afternoon with snooze).

The point is that your thoughts of me all day

alarm me, are not fitting One whose shoes

are big as yours are - unless love will pay

attention to beloved one - “unsized”.

(I hear, just now at 4:30 or so,

a 9 month old who’s happy babbling, wised

up, using his new syllables° “..to go”;

and unaware that his tummy that talks

to him with growing hunger is what grows

his mother's bond with him who never balks

at being open with who really knows.

But this is knowing, as Right Hemisphere

of brain can know, relation’ly, HESED*.

Committed to one’s growth both now, and here,

as well as what’s a-coming up ahead.

If there is any way that I might give

you pleasure (though I hardly can believe

it’s even possible to think and live

that way) I want to find it. Not to leave

you high and dry, because you let yourself

relate to me so intimately and

allow me to join with the source of health

and life, and let pain help me understand*.

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° saying contentedly  "um, um, um", and "add add add"  but which after maybe 15 or 20 minutes grew in strength to be wailings then screams.

D*  HESED is the Hebrew word for the tender love of husband for his beloved wife. (In some ways always a surprise to both, because it is always fresh and new, living and growing, bringing futures & possible beings into being-ness, focused not on old past occurrences between them, but on fresh experiences and delights for the whole new being being born of the two becoming one). It is eternal love, loving kindness, steadfast love, covenant love, etc, as Jesus the Christ of God disclosed to his Ambassador of his New Kingdom (Paul)... it is really only this kind of love that is eternal, with faithfulness and hopefulness being simply its clothing in this world.

d*  thinking of sonship (= discipleship), and that prophetic insight into the relationship of YHWH and the Servant of YHWH expressed by Isaiah: " He wakes me up every morning; he makes me alert so I can listen attentively as disciples do.^[c]"(see Isa 50:4-11)

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the spirit

(embodied in the public Paul Kelly- whom we saw last night)

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The way you work throughout this world un-nerves

and topples all the pow’rs that think they are

so big and mighty, that they’ll hardly swerve

so someone else might not be shrunk or barred.

Communicators who think of the ones

they’re trying to communicate with, for

some purposes which work like Dads with Sons

or Mums with daughters (neither less nor more),

to aid and to abet, to partner with, 

in such a way that has no apron strings

but only more enablement of kith

and kin alike, have more contributings,

more givings out, provisioning and smiles.

More smellings of the roses, so they’re close 

to garden/ growing metaphores. And while

some others might “count up” before disclose-

zing what they think to do, so they won’t shed -

in terms of what maintains, protects, enhance-

ses, their own world created in their head.

These ones are like the One, who loves to dance,

not just because they’ll save or it will pay,

without thought of what come-backance erupts.

They “count up” not for what others would say

or even think, they want to finish up!

So this whole big shebang is better off,

that’s even if they’re never famous or

a household word, or honoured, or not scoffed 

at. These ones hardly ever are a bore!

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the concert

(40yr Wedding Anniversary 2026)

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Our kids (& their families) chipped in to buy us tickets to the Red Hot Summer Tour Concert near Newcastle, 24 Jan 2026. The artists were the singers and bands of Kasey Chambers, Jess Hitchcock, The Cat Empire, The Cruel Sea, Missy Higgins, and Paul Kelly. An amazing trip from Orange where we lost a front shock absorber about half way down and had to travel the rest of the way (there & back) at greatly reduced speed, listening to a Sci-fi Fantasy Novel. Stayed at an AirBnB, then off to this amazing concert before 11am, back around 10pm… lovely Indian food both nights. 

This is my visual record (no audio recordings allowed) of the concert with impressions and people caught with finger/ thumb drawings on my phone… and some little quotes to recall, differ with, think on… consider…

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1299EAB02qEyTRaGaZWRpDsyHYqqUYXka

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ap-parent-ly..

a teacher…

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[Reading through Matthew till today’s passage: ch13:1-33]

Jesus is a Rabi (and is known as "Teacher") & father (he says "My daughter"..., "my son...", & "my children"). It is  interesting how Jesus takes everyday occurrences, and people, and events (a woman putting yeast in the family dough before cooking their bread), as well as weird abnormal irregularities (an enemy secretly sowing tares in a king's wheat crop) to indicate what the reign of God is LIKE. (as we are Earthly LIKENESSES to the self existent one.).. 

Jesus really is steeping himself and his communication in the product of those scriptures...  

This is the job of all teachers/parents.

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Oh God, please help me (I’m in those roles too),

to follow Jesus (this likeness to you) 

he’s my exemplar in all that I do

this day, this week, this year, this life anew.....

I’m growing younger over many days

to be a small child in my father’s world

where very rocks, and plants, & trees display

some diff’rent aspect each, to where they’re hurled

within a Universe, where I’ll rehearse

the lines and stanzas I am learning now

if they are helpful, for he has dispersed,

as he sees fit for purpose, and somehow

(as junior partner in amazing job)

our meaning & enable-ment that now

we really can join in, as we are lobbed

into this circumstance. We often (bow,

or) look up to the sky. Horizon is

the metaphor for more than what is sensed.

For further worlds\ dimensions are the biz-

nus of the human race, and recompense

for portals (as we are, & know he is).

A mother’s the participating “room”

for portalling of matter in a “whizz”

(9 months of atoms whirling in a womb).

A father is surrounding them with love,

provision, understanding, skills, and trades.

A teacher imparts wisdom “from above”.

And each continues walking…  sometimes wades!

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to know

.. as we are known

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My Father, Daddy, Papa, or Dadar,

I'm really glad that your knowledge is strong,

and deep as your love is for who we are

as children of you. Your suff’ring is long.

Your wisdom is what keeps our Universe

ad-he-ar-ing together, moving you.

Our wisdom has more often a perverse

attempt at ownership, de-si-re to..

be honoured by the folk we hear & see.

In words that Matthew told  from your true son* ..

we know that this will please your way to be

above, but also in this world in one

way (or another?). Maybe there’s not heaps.

The way that he embodied on this Earth

the walking from the pow’r which always keeps

pursuing, for undoing our whole birth.

And hiding, in the crowds and other spots

where he perceived they would not dare to look,

or just could not perceive (their sight was not

so great that they could see outside a book).

And looking for what God is looking for,

what he desires, what pleases him, is what

would “turn him on” to do a “Show/ tell” or

to just be glad to be Dad to a god°!

And find his children - resting in his care.. 

they are the ones who listen to his voice

& follow when he moves, & also where.

So they are those who  secretly rejoice.

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*  “At that time Jesus said, ‘Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned. [26] “Yes, Father, this was how you were pleased to have it happen. [27]  “My Father has given me all things. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”...

[Matt 12: 6] “I tell you that there is something here greater than the Temple. [7]  The scripture says, ‘It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices.’ If you really knew what this means, you would not condemn people who are not guilty; [8] for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

[12] And a human being is worth much more than a sheep! So then, our Law does allow us to help someone on the Sabbath.” 

[15] When Jesus heard about the plot against him, he went away from that place; and large crowds followed him. He healed all the sick [16] and gave them orders not to tell others about him. 

[18]  “Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, the one I love, and with whom I am pleased. I will send my Spirit upon him, and he will announce my judgment to the nations.

[28] No, it is not Beelzebul, but God's Spirit, who gives me the power to drive out demons, which proves that the Kingdom of God has already come upon you.

[30]  “Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is really scattering. 

[39]  “How evil and godless are the people of this day!” Jesus exclaimed. “You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of the prophet Jonah. 

[42]  On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and accuse you, because she traveled all the way from her country to listen to King Solomon's wise teaching; and I assure you that there is something here greater than Solomon!

[50] Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother, my sister, and my mother.”

(Matthew 11:25-27; 12: 6-8, 12, 15-16, 18, 28, 30, 39, 42, 50 GNT)

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