2day we remember

Hap Happy birthday
Sam-u-el Lewis
Twenty years, today!
Glad you came to us!

Dad n Mum XXOO

Jo turns ?? today!

Dear sister Jo

what do you know?

On this fine day,

TwoSeven - May!

(- is it Arndell?)

Who cares to tell?

But something good

is where it should

be, in this world:

His flag's unfurled^[1]!

Your cross took up^[2],

drink from his cup^[3].

The cup of pain?

Old-self disdain^[4].

New-self in Christ^[5],

meets him in tryst

secretly^[6] grown,

now loudly groan^[7],

like He in prayer

“knew” God was there^[8].

Like him in not

playing with "rot"

or puffy yeast^[9].

Pray for the least^[10]!

For deaf and mute

He'd look & shoot

up a glance/prayer,

'n' speak God's word there^[11].

He has long stayed,

and then has paid^[12],

for you his daught-

-er, your life's fraught

with ad-ven-ture

and Jo, when sure

you're his small girl

you quietly curl

up right near him^[13],

He, with his “whim”^[14].

Keep in his love^[15],

borne from above^[16]!

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^[1] Both a) he has visited & claimed his spoils from this world (Colossians 2:13-15), and b) in Jo’s life, she owns him, and is not ashamed to bear his name (1 Pet 4:15-16 ), and his shame (Heb 13:12-16).

^[2] Unless you take up your cross (-daily, Lk 9:23), deny (give up all rights to) yourself, and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. (Mark 8:34)

^[3] Can you drink from the cup I must drink from? - We can! You will... (Mark 10:38-39)

^[4] Unless you take up your cross, deny self, and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. (Mark 8:34)

^[5] “In Christ”, you are a new (wo)man! (Ephesians 2:14-18; Colossians 3:8-11), made as part of a new creation (2Cor 5:17).

^[6] Secret things noticed by Jesus’ God. (Matt 6:1-18 When you fast..., when you pray..., when you give…)

^[7] Hebrews 5:7-8

^[8] Even when Jesus felt God not to be there, Jesus could ask him why he wasn’t there? (Mark 15:33-34)

^[9] Mark 8:11-15 - He gave a loud groan,... walked out & left them,... and warned his disciples against their “yeast”.

^[10] You will deny 3 times that you know me… But I have prayed for you… (Lk 22:31-34) and “what you do for the least of these, you do for me” (Matt 25:45)

^[11] He gave a loud groan, looked up to heaven, spat and touched the man’s tongue and said “Ephatha” -Open up (Mk 7:32-37)

^[12] You are not your own, you have been bought with a price, the life blood of Christ…(1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:23)

^[13] Remember Mary sitting at his feet cf Martha busy doing jobs… (Luke 10:38-42)

^[14] To stop and ask “Who touched me?”(Mark5:22-36), to say, “No, we won’t go back into town, we’ll go off around Galillee” (Mk 1:36-38), to wait for another three days after he hears of his friends sickness near death (John11:1-6 )

^[15] Jude 1:20-21 “Keep yourselves in the love of God”, Jesus (Jn 15:9-14) “remain in my love…”

^[16] The Greek word anothen can mean either “from above” or “again”. Jesus said unless you are “born anothen” you cannot see the kingdom of God.(Jn3:3 in vss 1-12) What was the word anothen meant to mean here? The riddle is spelled out later in the same chapter when John-the-Washer said “he who comes anothen is above all… the one who comes from heaven is above all”(Jn3:31). In this poemish thingo, it is both his love that is “bourne from above”, and you who is “born from above”. Live out your birthright, dear Jo.

RISE UP! GROW

Who’s been appalled,
whose name's been “smalled”,
needs not some leaven,
to enter heaven.

Need not "up-puff"
to be "enough".
The Father's heart
knows we must start

with what's extant,
not what is not.
He's jubilant
when we stop 'rot'.

Rot's outward showing
can make things look
like they're growing
(don't be mis-took).

Mould, like the mange,
can bring on change.
Change that's from growth
's deeper than both.

Aut-o-mat-ic
life - God gives things,
grows (not static)
things like new wings.

For yeast will mound 
the dead seeds, ground; 
But live seeds rise, 
from ground to skies! 

O God, your seed;
Your Life (not greed),
Your Word (my steed),
Your Breath (my need),

I secretly
now take in me
- as she, beloved,
takes seed, love "shoved",

and grows a child
within her mild
accepting womb
(be it not tomb?),

from where it must
emerge with thrust
into new world,
where it be hurled.

But then she holds,
and then embolds,
that little one,
daughter or son.

And do so you,
I see, in me.
I’m glad your True
Love quite sets free!

4myBrother'sBrotherWithAttitudinalChallenges

 Let's call him "Man". 
 
God, who has made us;
or rather, who is
making us for your
New Creation, - His,

that's Jesus', your
boy - I ask you for
your other boy, Man
(true, he's my brothor).

Please  keep creating
wonderfully good,
that/there New Man-hood,
to love as he could,

if he were truly
your very own child.
Your dreams, unruly
to us, seem so wild!

Don't stop for that rea-
-son. Please keep on more.
(Oh bro. kill that trea-
sonous bloke from before!)

God help Man delight
in nothing but You,
in everything (in
You), 'nall that he do.

Amen.

A GENDA of Music and Games

Lovely,        enjoy
God's gifts / envoy -
to you,         of them;
through you, for when
great games   and fun
bring shames "undone",
and bring    up Life,
Love's thing 'gainst strife!
Name, then   play roles;
helps when  slayed souls
forget           Love's fun
and  work's  become

ho-hum / hum-drum.

KATRINA, BEEN A... A MUM WHO'S COME...

KATRINA, BEEN A

(great mate to a glad  “dad”)

 - A MUM WHO'S COME

TO LOVE, NOT SHOVE,

AS WE      NOW SEE!

MOTHER's DAY

SEEMS HERE TO STAY.

WE'RE GLAD YOU HAD

4 GIRLS, 2 LADS,

BORN TO ONE DAD.

THAT'S NOT TOO BAD!

NOW IS YOUR TURN

TO LIVE    & LEARN

AS YOU     NOW DO,

WE WANT  YOU TO

JUST CONTINUE.

YOUR JAW   IS SORE

BUT U     STILL BORE

YOUR WORK, DAIN'T SHIRK!

BUT THERE IS MORE!

WHEN SOMETHING COMES

IN MAIL FOR YOU,

YOUR PATIENCE HUMS,

AND THIS WILL TOO!

YOUR TWENTY FIRST,

OF MAY, THAT DAY,

FOR BEST OR WORST!

Love, from Han, Gil, Soph, Pete, Mill, Sam,    

                   Bell, Paul (& others in the wings)

A mate is crook/ but Doctor took/ precautions to/ help bring him through

God please heal Daniel
of what has gotten him
so low, like a Spaniel;
to overcome and win.

Not from being Super-
Man, but being his mate,
gives strength 2 a trooper
who knows his mate will wait.

Somehow in your company
the bad gets turned around.
A doctor like who's come for me,
keeps two feet on the ground,

and head in the blue-sky
where the breezes blow.
And so, we'll still try
to follow him below.

Amen

Bro, you right to go?

R u still ok
-4pm today
at the Banjo P.
Memorial - Library?

Paul, the very small,
learning to stand tall!

He got the trot s:(pretty shitty)

Old mate, dear bro.
How do U go?
R U alive?
Will ring in five.

Can B quite bad:
more than a tad
long of the trot-
-s; mucks up a lot,

e-lect-ro-lyte
ballance, despite
all other health.
Guard this, God's wealth.

Answer me if
U're still not well.
I'll, help you sift,
'n give you a bell!

Pee-Double- You?
PW.

A CRAYON ON HIS HEAD... CAN SIGNIFY WISDOM

At the library, Saturday,
waiting for a friend.
People come & pass that way;
some run, some walk, some wend…

Partners holding hands went by,
children with their dads,
scooters, skateboards, bikes, and I
must have noticed “heads”.

Maybe some redheads, and black,
curly like an afro.
Brown & black hair holding hands.
All hair-kinds we know.

Then a pair of “twins” came through.
Not really twins you see.
In years gone past it wouldn’t do
what now it did in me.

It seemed like a high-lighter
had taken to each head.
Or even something brighter,
yet regal, and bless-ed.

A pearl crayon on his head
matched the same on hers.
I wondered if the colours bled
each year as life occurs,

and wanted, as I grow old,
to grow in what would match
such a crown of pure white-gold;
O, gracious-wisdom hatch!

In response to Sam's praise of good songs...

How good to hear
goodness, appear,
and savoured. We're
helped. With you cheer!

Hearing you brings
some sim'lar things:
image with wings,
which happy, sings!

Sam, you've helped me
again appre-
-ciate songs we

sing when happy,

or sad/ lonely.

Lift eyes and see

ears hear that we

have, with mouths free!

Thank you to all.

now from this Paul.

I'll stop my stall,

and start to fall

down. And then call

for help in all

my work, to crawl

back to his "shawl"*.

I've been appall-

-ed at how small

the Great-Good-Hall

shrinks in my world

to be a stall

that hocks with gall

what's free to all

who heed his call

God you've striven,

and you've given

good from heaven.

We say thank you.

And all you do

which we see too

makes us glad who

've been given YOU!

* prayer shawl, with a knaff (hem).

It just ain’t happening ... (Part 12 - of 12) ...

It just ain’t happening ... (Part 12 - of 12) ... faithfulness, wisdom, & prayer...when the miracles don’t come. Mark ch9v14-29 (to open in a new window, hold control down as you click the link)

 

Time to make a response to what you've learned & post it here as a comment :

I'll have a go too. 

(Hint: First, read through Mark ch9v14-29, again & let it affect you as a message from God, in the light of it's back ground, then...

... we'll see what happens)

PW

She asked for our prayer... .. She was finding things hard... .. Glad he's with her there, while we're in our yard.

I love you Milly,
and appreciate
your lovely frankness,
though feeling silly
to negotiate
sadness or blankness.

Don't fret those feelings,
fretting's the problem
(Milly my daughter),
it's counter healings,
and like a goblin
it dain't like water:

dain't like pure drinking,
dain't like clean washes,
dain't like good mourning.
Drink cool, pure thinking,
remember the Toshes,
and Jesus' warning

'bout; those who now laugh
(better his comfort),
and those "together",
they won't have prayed half
nor sung like Mumford
& Sons. Our tether

can be what trains us
to look up, beyond
our capacity,
and he who blames us,
through that tree-wand,
to who sets us free.

It just ain’t happening ... (Part 11 - of 12) ...

It just ain’t happening ... (Part 11 - of 12) ... faithfulness, wisdom, & prayer...when the miracles don’t come. Mark ch9v14-29 (to open in a new window, hold control down as you click the link)

 

Final remarks:

Various OT references^[1], & an earlier pericope in Mark’s story (Mk 6: 1-13) help us form a picture of the Jewish mindset^[2] which was likely to see Jesus’ power to heal as an expression of God’s wisdom: “What’s this wisdom that has been given him that he even does miracles?” (Mk6:2). In the light of this, & also Jesus’ wise responses to this unclean spirit’s tricks, another commentary on this pericope - again pulling together both “faithfulness” & “prayer” -  might well be James’ admonition:

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. (James 1:2-8).

 

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^[1] Gen 41:38-39; Exod 28:3; 31:3-5; Deut 34:9; 1 Sam 18:14; 1 Kings 2:9, 3:9, 7:14; Proverbs 3:13-19

^[2] from the Jewish Encyclopedia we are told that  Wisdom is “...the mental grasp which observes and penetrates into the nature of things, and also the ability skilfully to perform difficult tasks.” And from an article on The concept of wisdom in the Hebrew Bible – A comparative-philosophical analysis: “In the biblical context,... the phenomena of wisdom and understanding and/or knowledge often appear in parallelism: For Yhwh gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Pr 2:6) ... The blessing and cursing for keeping commandments (Deut 28), and the moral interpretation of Deuteronomistic history assumes that wisdom and actual successful living go hand in hand. …”