Matthew 7 D)'ya think...

When others open doors for us they're wings

to help us get to places we just would

not otherwise have hope to get. No strings

that we can pull, can bring some kinds of good!

“D’you know of any parent who would dish

their hungry child, who asked for food, a plate

of rocks instead? Or when asked for some fish,

what parent gives a scorpion or snake?

If you, imperfect as you are, know how

to lovingly take care of children and

give them what’s best, how much more ready now

your Father in the heavens to who'll stand

and Ask of him? He'll give more than you can

imagine, gifts of wonder to those who

will Ask him, and then will not “take for gran-

ted” what they're given, but say then, “Thank you.”

Then Jesus gave a secret way to live:

“In everything you speak on Earth, and do,

be careful to treat others (and to give)

in THE same WAY you’d want them TO treat you

(not “you” as you are now today, right here;

but “you” if you were living in their skin,

& had their sense of humour, and were reared

like them, how would you like them to begin,

and treat you in the middle, n'at the end);

then that's The Way To treat them, Jesus said,

the essence of the teachings that depend

on all the Law and Prophets that are read!

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Matthew 7 C) the way things work in a world founded on relationship...

So once you think of people more than things,

the deepest and the loveliest of gifts

is “something” like a spouse, or child, who sings

for joy, or gladly/sadly, thus to lift

some one or share their sorrow which  must be.

And “Asking” is the way to boldly live

in real relationships where folk are free

and you are open - then love wants to give.

But you might have to Seek to find the gold,

and learn to know the nature of what's sought,

to know the kinds of places, or be told

by others who know more, or who have brought

such presents, as in games of “hide and seek”,

or Easter eggs all hidden round the place.

For when you know your father's love, and peak

because you trust his love, and will not trace

your fears further on, more than his care,

Yeshua says that you will have that “shock”,

delight of one who looks, then finds somewhere.

But he goes further yet, and says to Knock

(not just to Knock things over, in a rush)

and then the door, he says, will opened be

(by one you may not see, who may be hushed)

for you. For he acts more than you can see.

He has our kind of fam'ly in his mind,

& says persistent Asking “brings on”  things.

And Seekers will discover as they find.

Who Knocks, instead of barging 's given wings!

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Matthew 7 B)-yond-er material world..

“And who would hang their earrings on a dog?

or give their holy things to canine pets?

Don't throw your pearls to pigs, or one big hog,

they'll trample them, and they won't be impressed.

They’d turn round soon and tear you into bits.

This shows how much they’d be  indebted for

a cob of pearls, they'd think that you’re all twits,

and so you'd be if you'd not listened more.

There might be more that I could learn from this,

I said to God one Sunday in the park,

He didn't disagree, or else dismiss

this as a foolish thought, thunk in the dark.

I wondered if I'd other options find

for “making friends” of dogs and pigs & more,

scenarios with food, came to my mind,

might be as said of “..courses”, “horses for..”

I'll have to get out of my skin, to theirs,

and understand their life, not as “my own”.

So look and listen, even come to share

some things, till I know how they feel at home,

and what they like, or couldn’t stand at all.

So I will see what Jesus saw when he

said that above, ‘bout unclean an-im-als.

And that leads to the next bit, now I see..

As well as look, and listen, seek to know,

you'll have to do relating, personal!

You'll Ask “of people”, or “for people” .. Yo!

And Seek a person out, Knock on their door!

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Matthew 7 A)nd Paul da Walker

Refuse to be “The Judge” of others, and

a judgment won’t be passed on you, as well.

For tables will be turned, & the same stand-

ard that you’ve used to judge the others shall

be used on you, no inconsistencies!

The measure (and the stance) you’ve had for them

shall measure you, your attitudes used free.

So, why would you then focus on problems

that someone-else might have, who is quite near,

yet fail to notice glaring flaws in you?

How could you say to friends, ‘Now it appears

that there is a small problem in your view...

...Here, let me show you where you’re going wrong,’

when you are guilty even of “much more”?

You’re speaking hy-per-crit-ic-al-ly strong,

when weakness might have saved you what's in store!

A hypocrite! That's what Messiah said

and went on to explain the forward way:

“Acknowledge first your ‘blind spots’ or you're dead,

and deal with them” (that's like what he would say)

Then you might have a chance of dealing with

the ‘blind spot’ of your friend, once you have showed

your deep commitment to routing the myth

of your infallibility. That's code

for really being more like God had dreamed.

That is a great incentive for the folk

who watch on, gives them heart, and hope that teamed

with God, there's re-creation of a bloke.

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communicating not berating...

The way forward for me in communication:

Listen, Respond, listen, respond, be patient (slow to anger, and abounding in loving- kindness)!

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Oh God, I know that you have spoken true,

but now I find I am confused with stuff,

and friends, and people all around me who

might think that I am quite “together”, tough.

But if they were to see me weak and warn,

and feeling quite forsaken, on my own,

I could imagine they would prob'ly yawn,

and recognise a failure as they're shown.

But if I am in fact a failure here,

it's not a bad thing for them so to see.

And yet I find that part of me's in fear.

There seems to be quite diff'rent parts to me.

I don't want them to put some “air-as” on,

to treat me like an invalid that needs

some special help. What is that based upon?

Is that my pride, that can't be like those seeds

which lose their own identity and fall

into the ground, then buried underneath

could never be identified at all

(which would let them keep kudos, and bequeath

their help to folk in their own name, for fame)?

I wonder. It's a possibility,

that maybe I am building up a name

for myself, as in Babel. God help me!

And so you did for them, with smaller groups

of people who were bound by culture’s ways

and languages, though it might seem like hoops

they had to go through, yet confused each prays

in language understood by the great God,

and smaller groups of people on the ground.

This shrinking of communities seems odd,

until you understand what they'd have found:

to understand; that takes a lot of work,

and only love will put the effort in.

It helps us pinpoint who, like God, won't shirk,

& shows us up, & down. ‘Coz love will win!

It listens actively, asks questions too,

then gets involved (it's already knelt near)

responds as it is fitting so to do

if patient love was casting out all fear!

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my identity ...

holding on to my son-ship, living as a son joining in with his father's work..

(Owning it, instead of Earning it)

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Well, will I live “in Christ” the true human?

In 30 years he learnt, and he obeyed

the “dad” and “mum” whom God had chosen him,

then cared for fatherless, and widows made

when men were killed by leaders who had pow’r,

as Herod did at Jesus birth they say.

He knew this general place, and knew the hour.

Yeshua paid, and helped who lost their way,

because already he had seen himself

a living son - within his father's world -

of God who made us (from his Earth), his wealth

we are, his treasure, his children thus curled

in this womb-world; we're meant to “go out from

it” into bigger worlds much less constrained.

To live “in Christ” 's to view all God's Kingdom

as all this realm, to be under his reign!

-  and keep oneself from being corrupted

(with this old world's idolatry and ways

that keep our “walk with God” interrupted),

determined to make peace, to see God's face!

And I choose now to live in this new way

kept for the life his new creation brings:

denying self and my own cross to take

up, following the footsteps of our king's

life. Take his spirit, listen to his prompts

to thoughtful faithfulness, & love, & hope,

responsibility, & boldness plomps

me right “in Christ”, and I'm glad he can cope!

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Can I learn to love?

God I can't learn to love within this “hell”

- I turn your world into it - without you.

Now I remember, “He did all things well.”

He's brought a way, so I don't have to do

old ways of “living” anymore at all.

He's saving me from all that I eschew -

to live alone and deaf to your true small...

small whisper that comes through your world into

the mind of me, within the or-din’ry.

You don't just own what we call “Acts of God”,

The world of God, with pairs of fish at sea,

and seed that's sown, can multiply a lot!

And that's an “ev'ry day” (in time and space)..

a .. “miracle”, where your life is at work!

It has that glory-power, that is based

on wooing, and empow'ring not to shirk!

The power of the “automatic” seeds

that change & grow, & not ‘coz farmer knows

how it all works - he mostly pulls out weeds.

I'd like your love to be in me what grows!

Maybe that is a hint that I can take,

to pull out weeds, or habits of the snake:

the jealousy and pride that I can't shake

without your help to master, or to break!

You are the whisperer who knows his job,

and knows creation round about, they tell

of mastering wind, waves, trees, demons (“Mob”,

or “Legion”), fevers, donkeys. Me as well!

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Oh,O! What now?

Oh shock, did I awake then fall again

asleep (that's after turning alarms off),

and miss my mate, who'd come to drive me, when

I said that I'd be ready, not forgot!

Just yesterday, I said I'd do a task

for this good mate (to text some info to

him). Patient was he. Thrice he had to ask.

And finally recalling, I could do

it. Simple task, to find some info. then,

just text it to him, yet, more int'resting

or urgent things displaced it, so again

t'ove done this shows I am a “flakey king”!

Oh, No, I've got some hours up my sleeve.

No need for panicking at all just now.

I could return to sleep, and just believe

that my alarm will wake me up somehow.

And, since my picture of this world, my view

sees deeper than technology, and me,

a person, like my mother, father too,

who's on our side, and wants us to be free!

-  and can be trusted, even when all else

is done an' dusted, he'll cover my back.

He loves technology, and what it spells

to help his kids like me, of love, not slack-

ness, or pre-occupation, forgetting.

Oh I will stop and follow now that thread.

As I do that, I find that it’s letting

me act, & then return to sleep in bed..

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Today's response

My Daddy I’m awake, & yours today.

Please do with me whatever you want to,

and save me from the sin of “my own way”

that doesn't try to join with what you do,

but arro-gant-ly wants you as my slave,

a genie to do all that I would bid.

As though the world waits on my nod, or wave,

in short, as though I'm “Dad”, and you're my “kid”!

This is the sad affliction that i've got,

yet you have patiently, in love, denied

my tantrums, expectations for “what not”,

while caring for me better than I cried

out - in my fear of failure and demise.

Oh God, the medicine I must take, this bloke,

is what that prophet says before he dies,

that washer fellow, who helped ready folk

for when you God, in Christ, would visit us.

He got us clean and true so we’d hear it,

at least be able to see without fuss,

receive all God's good gifts in the spirit

that they were given - building, love, unceased!

Well anyway his statement is mine too,

that “He, must be exalted; I, decreased.”

My O.D.D. needs someone who's like you

who's patient and will teach me, but not let

me live by all that claptrap in my mind,

& help me really live, to place my bet

on truth, in truth, to heal you sometimes bind.

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blessed to bless

Then Jesus said "Bless-ed are you when folks
insult you, persecute you, and make jokes/
say evil things against you 'cause of Me. 
For your reward in heaven's great - you'll see"!

..........

Jesus said "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.Be happy about it!! Because great is your reward in heaven".Mathew 5:11-12. (PM Version)

Diff-i-cult-ies

Well, God help us to sit quite quiet and true,
and take whatever happens with your grace.
& thank you for the problems that you do
allow to come upon us, to displace

our false dependencies and pilons that
hold us above when "shit happens" below.
We'll look for joy ahead beyond the "splat",
that's even if we sink. You really know!

You know your people who have run to you,
you listen to their cries, that's what you do!
You know that we get scared and sometimes blue.
And yet you love, and help us to grow true!

Humans, Her and His story...

I’d like to remind you of the beginning of our story:

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“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”    

So,  the scriptures say then that:

God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”   Gen 1:26-29 (NIV)

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THE PLAN

In the beginning, after making plants

and animals, good God decided thus:

“Let us now make our images! Perchance

a house, or dynasty, that rules like us..

…that's over every, and all live creatures

that move about our world, the whole bang lot.

So God then makes the humans from humus,

together, male & female do the shot

of making up “Ad-arm”, the spit of ’im-

-age old God, they though were brand  spanking new,

and had his imprint on them, bright, not dim!

The plan was that if creatures wanted to

see what this “spirit” God (invisible

to mortal eyes) was like; they’d look at this

Humanity, One, “indivisible”

To see them, was to see him - oh what bliss!

Together male and female (with offspring),

were in God's mind - an image of The One.

God wanted them to be at one with him,

and too, be one together - oh what fun!

The Heavens and the Earth were to be One,

the “tabernacles” were where they'd unite.

What could not be straight looked at, like the sun;

could energize, and then enable sight.

This God invites the Adam & the Eve

to be a partner with him bringing in

a world of beauty, flourishing, to weave

with him, extend from where the garden's been.

They were to care for his world as his reps,

his representatives on earth, to rule

as he would, on his own behalf, he kept

somehow not seeing them as just some fools.

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THE TRAGEDY

He wanted them to learn wisdom from him,

not working it all out, just on their own,

but when temptation came from under them,

they broke their partnership - were left alone.

A creature which God meant for them to rule

so tempted them to not look up to God,

as source of all their wisdom, they were fools

who listened while God's creature gave “the nod”.

So tragically, they fall. Temptation wins.

They will create not as a part-ner with

this God, but quite apart from him who spins

the web of life, they bring on that "death myth".

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THE HOPE

And to this tragic scene, a ray of hope
breaks though, when God done curses that old snake;
a human will be born who'll really cope
by looking up to God - live for his sake!

“I will cause hostility 

between you and the woman, and 

between your offspring and her offspring.

He will crush your head, and

you will strike his heel.”

This human in the striking of snake’s head
will be himself struck on the heel by snake.
It looks like poison will still make him “dead”,
but God’s wisdom can make the dead awake!

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