2024-05-09

Down here..




Oh God I somehow feel so very down.

And I am quite affected by each word, 

or tone that someone says to me, or frown,

or intimation.. till it’s quite absurd.


I feel so frail, so weak and empty here.

That makes me think of love’s resilience lost.

If that is true, I need to carefully hear

your voice, that speaks through acts, at quite a cost.


And let myself appreciate your gifts

to me, with things like life, and healthy bod

and food & drink and shelter, sometimes lifts

to one place or another. Thank you God!


And thank you for my neighbours, and this house.

This home I find myself in quite a bit,

this woman who is wife, and not a mouse,

and children who have been borne into it.


I feel unable to lift up my head,

my shoulders hunched beneath beaurocracy

and red tape that is weighing down the dead.

This is the time I need you here with me.


Tonight my wife asked me if I’m ok.

I said I didn’t know, because that’s true.

I only knew that I would have to pray

for all my family, and friends, to you.


And trust you to protect me as I need,

You are my shield, my rock, defender too.

I need you every hou-r, ev’ry deed.

I need you all the time. Yes I need you.





2024-05-08

WORLD and Word.



GOD gives his WORLD where ACTS can then be done,

before he gives his WORD through his own son*.



Within this place of yours, yes your own world,

I can be learning from you here becuz

your spirit broods above it, softly curled,

while watching, overseeing as one does


who, not apparent, yet a parent is

full of creative love to-wards offspring,

enabling them to learn to do core biz-

ness: look & listen, walk & talk, & sing,


& learn what love & loyalty look like,

& best of all, to then participate.

For in the doing of the job small tykes

can learn more than who listens, and just waits..


But best of all is one who'll listen then

with all that’s in their pow-er, have a go

at doing what they think they should, again,

while dialoguing all the while. They’ll know,


and too relate, the best of all, because

the meaning of the message, which is key,

’nd can be deeper than what any clause

could ever hope to carry in between


two parties, if they are not bots, or kids.

For humans can learn much, & each Dad-joke

espesh’ly, can add more than data bids

to ever add to life, to help folk cope.


It turns out in reality, God’s world

(and people made in his image) are first

to teach us any language, so I’m bold

to claim it as essential, not the worst.



Footnotes

25Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one will snatch them out of my hand. …

32but Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?’ …

34 Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, “I have said you are ‘gods’ ”? 35 If he called them “gods”, to whom the word of God came – and Scripture cannot be set aside – 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, “I am God’s Son”? 37Do not believe me (-the words I say) unless I do the works of my Father. 38But if I do them, even though you do not believe me (-the words I say?), believe the works (that I do?), that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.’ ‭John 10:25-28, 32, 34-38 NIVUK‬ (what is in round brackets is added by me, as my commentary) ..


Bibliography

1When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was ill and about to die. 3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, ‘This man deserves to have you do this, 5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.’ 6So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: ‘Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, “Go”, and he goes; and that one, “Come”, and he comes. I say to my servant, “Do this”, and he does it.’ 9When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.’ 10Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.” (‭Luke 7:1-10 NIVUK‬)





2024-05-07

Meet Up after decision to not go further with another partnership

Ok. Let's make it ..a specific time... I will reschedule other things & look forward to it.




Oh God, who sees your children as they learn

to show off your commitment to the truth,

& hesed (loyal love) that will not spurn

an open hearted friendship. "Long in tooth"


you are, and so you've seen this all before…

How Barnabus & Paul must part their ways.

And even then you blessed each one, & more,

you blessed their children. As the good book says


that Paul at last was grateful for Mark's work*,

as Peter was as well (he calls him "son"+),

and all of us are glad they didn’t shirk

their jobs at hand - discipl-ing begun.


So God, we call on your own breath-borne Word,

with thankfulness in hearts to see what you°

will do as brothers listen#, and are heard

reflecting your own heart in what we do.


So please use sister, brother, and too me,

regarding this ol’ meeting coming up

to make your own heart glad, as you look/ see,

and not to let the evil one corrupt.


We love the way you use the stuff of life

to do more than we ever could believe,

or start to here imagine in our strife

and we don't want to have any reprieve


of your own unconventional, yet real

involvement in our daily lives down here.

We get the picture, even get the feel

that you are what the scriptures say quite “near”@.



Footnotes/ Bibliography


∆.  Acts 15:36, 38-40


Col 4:10; 2Tim 4:11


° “Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.” ‭1 Timothy 4:4-5


#  ‭James 1:19-27 NIVUK‬


@. “The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth” (‭Psalms 145:18 NLT‬) & “Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near! Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.  And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.‭Philippians 4:5-7 NET‬




2024-05-06

"Unless you change...

In the lounge, between days 2-5, listening to screams..  and yawns...





I couldn’t think of a better picture (this little person, not this photograph) of someone almost completely inept, incompetent, unable, impotent, un-contributing, & useless (unless it be her ability to scream, poo, wee, spew, and generally soak up all the attention, focus, life and love of the whole household around). Apparently a pretty realistic and good image of each of us in God’s household. We are absolutely loved, not because of our contribution, but because of the very nature of the  creative love that is God.





word* - heard?




I’m thinking of the “word” we speak and hear

of voice that can be heard without a sound+,

of concepts that are strong though not yet clear

in ev’ry aspect, though they can be found,


or maybe we’ll be found by them. What then?

There is the word of God, that speaks this world

into existence, like chicks come from hen,

-  some sep’rate-ness they have, though inside curled


within each cell the story is recalled

in DNA, to keep that thread alive.

And little molecules within the cell 

are so arranged as to read off what’s kept


encoded in the story, quite advanced

and mechanised, they serve in ways enhanced

within their system, some things can be chanced,

some things are double checked, and some “romanced”.


The word is heard appropri’t’ly, or not,

at each level of system that’s in place.

And so the system plays it's part quite well,

or else falls short, it's “contribution” lost.


But something else can also happen here,

within this world where YaHWeH’s name is breathed

each breath a human takes, he is so near

that if we understood we’d have believed


for reasons less than love, desire, or choice.

He understands pow’r inequalities,

and so will rarely ever use a voice.

He wants to more enable, not to freeze.




+  “The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world. 

[In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens and its circuit to the end of them, and nothing is hid from its heat. 

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; 

the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; 

the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; 

the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;  

the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; 

the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.  

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can detect one’s own errors? Clear me from hidden faults…]

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

‭Psalms 19:1-12, 14 NRSVUE‬


People talking. Prayerfully.; & other blogs on the Word… E.g. The Word of God, & The Word of God (3), Sacred Word, word on holy breath of life, he called…etc..



2024-05-05

Week-end Retreat..



Txt2Me: Thanks Paul. A very rich weekend spiritually here in ... Focused on vulnerability 🙏



Text from me:

How lovely.


God, please give him your spirit's help to be

a blessing to those brothers who meet up

this week-end; so to listen & to see

what you have got for each lamb, kid, or pup.




..people talking. Prayerfully.

 

Txt2Me: The cover of the book text has been a great help to control my tongue.




MyTxt2: Yes. Me too. Thanks for sharing it with me.


...........................................


There’s words that hurt and words that heal, they say;

and words that are just data on the wind, 

like readings from thermometer displayed,

but aurally, once used they can be binned


(or kept in vaults for statisticians’ work,

to look at trends, and learn from history).

But those first spoken words above, berserk-

ly from a diff’rent race or fam-il-y …


are not the machinations of machines, 

or mechanisms for extending “us”;

they come from diff'rent kind of humans, beans

that grow up like Jack’s bean s talk with our dust..


And these come not from talking parrot or,

an octopus or dog with pow’r of speech,

or horse or dragon that could speak words for

transferring data to beyond their reach.


They’re from a god, who is above this world,

who has a power of empathy with each

small lower creature in its purview curled

and doesn't need their stuff; it wants to teach,


or train them so that they, in their own way,

might realise their full potential to

contribute to the symphony, no pay

required, just the love of life, to woo


and speak the language of each other one,

‘coz their own worlds were entered into well,

then with their understandings, there’s the fun

of helping them to “choose” ‘gainst chaos-hell.