Learning to be qui-ick....

God give your grace
to us so we
will show your face.
This is our plea.

Your face, like ours,
has two big ears.
Listenin' for hours
before your tears.

You give your rain
to wicked too.
They stand to gain
from what you do.

Yet you don't mind
they are your kids,
Surely we'll find
some hit the skids,

and turn around,
turned into lambs,
zombies unfrowned,
(that's what I am).

I see I need,
more than to breathe,
to listen/heed
You and believe

that you will keep
Your word, and do
what you said - reap
a harvest True.

Oh that we'll let
Your seed take root
deep in us yet
to bear much fruit.

Amen. Amen!

Good&HappyBirthday2U________!

Good thinking of you, 

somewhere in God's world;

God's dinkum true-blue,

with His flag unfurled!

God who has blessed you

with your life on earth

make you to shine true,

more, further from birth...

though, when we are born

we're fresh from God's-self

with pain at be'ng torn

and put on a shelf

(in a baby's crib)

but not "to his heart",

well that's a "fib";

more closeness can start!

After our birthday

is when we can start

to honour Daddy,

take Mummy to heart...

..seems like at our birth

we're torn from our "folk",

and baby's quick mirth

can seem like a joke,

for that comes after

much crying and pain

but we'd be dafter

if we don't think again.

..seems like we've "walked out"

(and we have, of "Mum's tum")

but friendship's no doubt

stronger than a bomb!

A growing "i am";

and that's no small thing,

bourne by the "I AM"

from whom ev'rything

in Heaven, on Earth,

and inside the Sun -

under its hot surf-

-ace, his LIFE keeps on..

..begun to be spread

all over the place

in folk who were dead,

and too in your face:

Sam t' Hart

Some doggerel: "Good night to the Gigers cats"

Good night to you Gigers,
rest quiet and fierce,
a lair full of tigers
till the daybreak appears.

Quick to dispose of things
which should be got rid of.
Gladly repose as kings,
will chew what they've bit off.

Just like those birds- spurrows,
who don't worry or fret,
may brows have no furrows,
Life be more than Regret.

A barn-yard bray .............................................................................. “50yrs today”!

Ol' Young Les Fol-long

ain’t quite young no more

for fifty’s quite strong

an age-score I’m sure.

No whipper-snapper

he’s now slowing down

not quite a “sapper”

(if you know that noun)!

Not ‘cause he’s a sap

(he still sure is not!),

but who knows this chap

knows he’s losing “what…

…is it? His “gung ho”?

His “young & silly"!

House-door’s been hung “so”

got time w'his “filly”.

Says he feels “slowing”.

His mind sure is not!

It’s flame needs “blowing

out", sometimes that’s what

fouls up his body

& stops it from rest,

“D'vining” that wadi*

may make him quite blessed.

“Blessed, as a blessing”

to who’s coming by;

and he’s expressing

what we wouldn’t try!

And half a century;

the age to do it!

He, as a sentry,

sees what’s come through it.

God, give him ee-yrs

and eyes that can see;

even with tee-yrs

he’ll live in you three

Won, (he’s been) .. over,

won over by love.

A pig in clover,

“Columba”- the dove.

* A wadi can be an intermittent stream, but according to Wikipedia, there have been times/places e.g. “ Andalusian Arabic where wādī was used to mean a permanent river” & “In the Maghreb, the term wadi (wad in Maghrebi Arabic, sometimes transcribed Oued) is applied to all rivers including regular ones". But the doggerel-ist  ist also thinking of childlike humility, cessation of the flow of thoughts, & non-concern about great matters, & difficult subjects, because of a simple trust in one who is greater still (e.g. Psalm 131)

"Can't make it ... Got to focus on the family this week"

That's ok,
don't delay.
Act to serve.
Don't lose nerve.

Follow on
(second place
to God's son),
his disgrace

is what love
is about.
Look above,
don't give doubt

of his word
air to breathe.
Check you've heard
(not deceived),

then step strong
where he's led:
Old Self's wrong,
and soon dead!

New Self shines
like he did,
no more whines
of a kid.

But a child's
thankfulness,
in the wilds,
'squick to bless!

Boy asked Girl to "go out" and she said "yes!"

God give this girl
your wisdom to
give this a whirl,
see what you do

with this courtship
(not just these two)
as fish and chip-
-s go gether-to

make a good "plate",
in what they do
and how they relate,
may they display - You.

A woman! A man!
can bring on more, too
more Love, so can
you guide them true?
 
Ah-MEN!

One part of a body suffers, all suffer.

How's your "girl" going-
both body and soul?
and her "boy" blowing
out worries, be'ng bold?
(Not bold as a boulder,
but bold as a child -

who knows which shoulder
to cry on, un-guiled.)

A Prayer - in light of Love's request.

Hey guys, could you please pray for (our) Church Youth Group? We are taking 9 of the youth group guys to Cornerstone for a weekend camp. 

Pray that God will open their heart and mind to listen to His voice. 

Pray that they will have a real experience of His Kingdom. 

Pray for safe journey

Pray for the Cornerstone Disciple Center ... as they run the weekend.

Pray that there will be true sense of fellowship

Grace and Peace (H&J)

---

What a special thing. Led by ones who love them. Going on an adventure together, in God's world. Open to him taking them further. 

God, please do your thing. Cook up a "storm". Add your grace, and salt, & pepper, to that feast. And help them (& us) catch a taste, have clearer vision, of what kind of leader you've picked out to lead us further in & higher up! 

"Get down!" - we say to the squall of fears & waves of anxiousness- "Be still. Hush." We know we'd rather die with him, than live otherwise.

So bring it on! What-ever it takes, God, to open their hearts, and minds, (and grow their desires) to listen to the voice of the one you have picked out. May they have a real experience of your rulership, even if they are left wondering what is happening. Their safety is assured, in life or death, if they will but act the part of the little brothers & sisters of the one you have christened "Leader of Humanity". Oh, too remind your other "angelos" of their own identity! [cf "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God."  (Luke 1:19-20)] We know that as they stand in your presence, to listen & learn from you, their Rabbi & Father, you will give them all the resources, and kinds of resources, that they need for the quest and the mission you are sending them on.

O God! You are great & true, and you have let us be in your team, together. Thank you. For your grace and peace, thank you. 

We give ourselves (along with them) to you, in what comes our way, today.

Balmy Carmy

Half a Century!
Really? Is she?
Carmel the Youth -
can this be truth?
Body the older,
spirit be bolder,
for joined to Jesus
is Carmel. Yes, she is!
His greater hope
is helping (this dope
see) Carmel, God's daughter
who now has caught a
lung-full of fresh air
without that despair
and more she can laugh
with her "other half"
at days yet to come
and not be undone
by fretting and fears.
She's seen fifty years!
- and faithful is God
who's given his nod
to his young daughter
now that he's brought her
back from her death-sleep
(her open eyes peep)
into God's new world
as his flag's unfurled
each day in Carm-el
with that "balmy" Christ smell!
2Cor 2:14-17; 2 Cor 4:16-18

A couple asks for prayer for wisdom for some big dicisions looming (one has just benefitted from a good night's sleep with an oxygen machine).

Good news about the Oxygen machine!
God help these two to tune to where you've been
and those of us who watch on as fam'ly.
We're glad that You're 'round, and are all we need,
yet choose to use us as your hands and feet.
So please, give wisdom from above to lead
and help these good folk to be like that seed*!



(*thinking of a few of Jesus' stories and analogies about seed growing, and what's needed as the major prerequisite, and then other key needs for that growth to take place, with the potential to bear 30, 60 or 100 times what was sown...)

A girl, tired, but too excited to sleep-in, after going out with a guy.

How lovely/love-like
full of energy,
and get-on-your-bike,
motive force/ whimsy.

In a bigger way,
'swhat created worlds.
More than what folk say,
what is done unfurls

loy-al-ty, kindness,
bone-tired with a smile,
family, sleeplessness,
go the extra mile

or kilometer,
or year/ hour/ minute,
Ending never comes,
for  LOVE's within it.

A "son" of Jesus, moves in his footsteps, catching light, forging, both builders & smiths.

John, John, The Piper's son,
stole a glance at his ol' mun;

took on his feet
the news so sweet
to all & sundry down the street..

JE-SUS, The Painters son

took a look at his ol' mun,

then red (and sweet)

in hands, and feet

('n side), brought COLOUR to our street.

Good-news! Great Em-per-or,
who rules with his own power;

the power of Love

from Hea'en above,

with "call", and "woo", instead of "shove".

JE-SUS, the one called "Christ",

wasted time, as sacrificed;

not forced to do,

but bowed will to

do love's hard work, as love would woo.

John, John, The Smithie's son,
took - a look at his ol' mun,
-(his hands & feet)-
took news so sweet
to all & sundry down the street..

t.b.c...

B n B - Seventy n Seven

Bevan and Beth turn seventy sev-en

well, so each saith, still this side of heav-en.

That's years since birth; first Beth and then Bevan.

Both pain and mirth have come on as leaven.

Both 'Dad' and 'Mum' have shared their lives truly,

known thus to some (both glad and "unruly")

more than have come from their biology,

music (as drum beats) spreads from their family.

Both 'Mum' and 'Dad', they have been to others

('good' and the 'bad', ’ugly' and 'druthers').

Gave themselves glad-ly (tried not to smother)

and what they had, as sister or brother.

Then 'Pa' and 'Gran' came into this old world,

part of the plan; family flags unfurled.

Generations start-ed and new names hurled

out from "new farts", and back to them curled.

That's back to 'Gran', and back to old 'Pa' too,

old fashioned man (but who's lively "to boot").

Many's the pain they could tell us about,

great is their gain as they hear, and we shout.

Not gain from us; but much from their Father,

who makes a fuss of Listening to "Martha",

then as he does, helps her become rather

more than she was, helps her go on farther.

The "B 'n B", have another year passed,

neither "Old B.",  but closer to their last,

or "further in", go'in quicker than fast,

to "no more sin", Christ's love: - their sail, and mast!

A family meets cancer, and a doctor

How did things go today
for that good wife of yours?
Are you still both ok? -
(given life's many flaws)?