It’s coming now; brighter.

These days I’ve been met with the growing audacity that we ought to be proclaiming life from our very roof tops.  The formidable shadow of death is ever creeping upon this generation.  Our ideas and preocupation with Zombies, Orcs, Vampires and Ghosts are no match for the form of the lifeless and deceitful shadow that grows ever larger.

We know that Christ is here, He beckons for our reality, He desire to be made known in our hearts more than we know how to let Him be known.   The old line, “Asleep at the wheel”, is a fine phrase.  I’m reminded of a poem I jotted down last year, it goes like this;

brighter,

coming now quicker than before,
eternal refuge from mortal bindings
probably too quick to say, or see, or hear; probably
a lot like a slow train coming;
loud and near yet quite and far.

if we see this mess as an end,
our face will not face his,
it’s coming now; brighter

I’m know that this season is not our creation, it is not our will that sprung forth and said unto the water “let there be land”, it is from the wisdom of an eternal romantic that we have been “shaped and molded” for this current season.  Why do we look at our own fingers and our own toes for answers?  How many times will we count the beans before we realize they were meant to be boiled?  What are we trying to figure out?  That He is coming?  We know that!  Shall we now not get on with relating Him!  Is our knowledge not a reason to fervently go to our neighbor and share with them that the ressurection is real and Christ is alive and is waiting to sup with you and I!  Who are we afraid of?  Do we not know the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy?  Can we not see the deceit around us and call it has it is?  Distraction at it’s best, is what is!  Oh, you virgins!  We better get ready!

Lord have Mercy, come and fill me up and let me dine at your table, may your broken body and poured out blood be all that I need to dine on!  Grant us the fresh revelation from your Holy Spirit that you are all we need!

Imagination vs. Observation

With imagination we become the vine and He becomes the Vine Dresser, we become the seed and He becomes the Sower, we become the sheep and He becomes the Shepherd.

With observation we can count the days He was on the cross, we can observe the way He treated the prostitutes and tax collectors, and we can identify with His birth and His death.

I hope not to discourage nor limit my children from imagination, so long as it is inline with truth.  Instead I want to encourage them to embrace the imagination of biblical truth, in hopes that their imaginative perception yields to spiritual belief being lived out in a practical life.  Christians are without hope if we leave out the imagination of our life becoming that of Christ.  It is in this imagination that we are lead to His reality.  What we can not comprehend by observing we are led to believing through imagining.  It is faith that spurs us on, and faith requires us to do more than observe.

…bring forth fruit with patience.

Luke 8:1-15

¹And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,

²And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,

³And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

⁴And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:

⁵A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

⁶And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

⁷And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.

⁸And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

⁹And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

¹⁰And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

¹¹Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

¹²Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

¹³They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

¹⁴And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

¹⁵But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Let this mind be in you.

Philippians 5:2-13 King James Version

⁵Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

⁶Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

⁷But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

⁹Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

¹⁰That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

¹¹And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¹²Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

¹³For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:5-13 NKJV

The Humbled and Exalted Christ

⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Light Bearers

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

 

I included both the KJV and NKJV of this beautiful passage in scripture, this is an amazing testimony of Christ’s humility and how we should view our God, “who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

 

Forever and ever. Amen.

Where do my bluebirds fly?

The Tallest Man on Earth

Where do my bluebirds fly?

Oh, well I knew you shook the set-up baby, of all the leaves up in the ground
And I know our song is over and heavy as I see dry leaves fallin’ down, oh
With all this fever in my mind, I could drown in your kerosene eyes
Oh, you’re just a riddle in the sky
Oh, where do my bluebirds fly?

And as the early sign of dawn of thunder I see you stir the fog around
And when you find the boys and gears of sunset we’ll hear that high and lonesome sound, oh
And I will question every wind if they gone through the glow of your eyes
Oh, you’re just a riddle in the sky
Oh, where do my bluebirds fly?
I say where do my bluebirds fly?

Oh, well I know you soak your feathers baby upon the ghosts along my trail
And I know well I was sole and buried before I knew it was for sale, oh
With all this fever in my mind I could aim for your kerosene eyes
Oh, you’re just a target in the sky
I say where do my bluebirds fly?
I say where do my bluebirds fly?

 

 

I ran across this album back in september of 08 and have turned to it several times for a magical exploration of lyrical rhythm and poetic hammering.  This song is incredible to listen too, the entire album is a joy for my ears, a recounting of all things robert zimmerman and a little bit more.

Following Loss, Following Us

Following Loss, Following Us

we are,

making notes on the seasons,
nature mandating our attention

thinking we notice the change,
we meet a crow eating a french fry

the parking lot is full of them,
like a branch without weight

the last great migration is over,
we notice the chill and nostalgia

but we don’t notice the loss,
the loss of old for good

and eyes,

drawn to the islands passing in the sky,
these clouds once unscathed

now are torn daily and hourly,
ships transcending forsaken boundaries

no longer time bound,
the instant is present and looming

we don’t have to wait,
and neither does the crow

we follow our mouths,
and these crows follow us.

This poem was originally penned on October, 19 and roughly edited on October 21.

Second Draft

I scribbled a poem down on Monday while waiting in a parking lot for my daughter to wake up. I’m publishing it in it’s second draft, comments on it are welcome! See the post above for the poem. Thanks!

The Coming Days With Children

In an effort to follow up on my ambitions, I’m realizing that being a father of two toddlers isn’t necessarily indicative of my ability to write, it just prevents the frequency of such endeavors.

I will persevere as time allows, but my own grandiose ambitions may falter a little.

Grace shall be mine in time, His is sufficient for the moment.

The Coming Days

In an effort to increase my proficiency in writing I’m hoping to increase my postings to three times a week for this blog.  I’m trying to amass some of the ideas I have had recently and post date them through out the week, this way I can build up a sort of reserve of posts to keep with my ambitions!

Posts to come will be:

I. Goats Burn in Hell, The Sheep find Paradise.
II. Ragas and the slow motion heart.
III. The Agrarian Ant
IV. The Given Hand: Romance for now and eternity.
V.  Merton Merlot: A well bodied relationship.
VI.  Currency, now not later.

 

Also may post some poems that have serviced my heart lately.

Until then.

Tremble at the Presence of the Lord

Psalm 114 ESV – With unrivaled poetry we glance at the sheer wonder of God.

114:1 When Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.

3 The sea looked and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.

5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.

Below is a supposed penning of the psalm by John Milton.