David's Firstborn

Today, I read about David
And his sin with Bathsheba.
The Bible says their first born died
As punishment for David's sin.
Let me understand, Lord,
Why the baby suffered when he had not sinned.
Where were you, Lord, for that child?
I know the answer:
With that unnamed baby,
As you are with us when evil comes.
I know Jesus' answer that bad things happen,
Not because we are good or evil,
But because that is the way of this World.
David's sin did not cause the infant's death.
Even so, David's story is so difficult,
But I must remember that through all his tribulations,
David remained your faithful servant.
Let me remain yours, Lord,
For now and for eternity.

Photo by Raphael Goetter

Much Is Given

For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.

These words from Luke are haunting.
We live in a nation of great wealth.
Have we shared our blessings?
Have we squandered our talents
And fallen far short of what God wanted?
Do we use the correct measures?
Do we help those around us,
Friends and family,
But fail to look beyond?
We trust God to care for us.
Do we seek those in need of care?
We can only ask for forgiveness,
If we have sinned.
We can only ask
That our talents be of use
In whatever time remains.
It is never too late
To do God's will.

Photo by Jeff Belmonte

Sun and Rain

Jesus tells us that
God cares for all.
Whether someone is evil or good
God provides warmth and light from the sun.
Whether someone is just or unjust
God provides life giving rain.
We wish to be the chosen,
Set apart by God.
We need to remember
That to be chosen
We cannot be apart.
We must be more like Christ
And love the unlovable.

Photo by Demion

Time and Chance

...the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

The words of Ecclesiastes
Do not bring comfort.
They are not the words
Of the gurus of this modern day,
But they still ring true.
We live in a capricious world.
We want to believe that
We control our destiny.
We do not.
Only God is in control.
We must trust his purpose,
Though for us the path is difficult
And the world is filled with pain.
Christ did not promise ease.
Christ promised to be with us.

Photo by fancycanoe

Image of God

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

When I consider the creation,
These words of Genesis rise first.
We are created in God's image.
Both men and women are created
In the image of the Almighty.



What is this image that we reflect?
Not our physical aspect;
God is not matter.
Through the centuries,
Great Christian thinkers
Have understood God's image to be
The mind.
Our thoughts contain
Glimmers of the Creator.
Remember that when thoughts stray.
Ask for forgiveness for the evil
That we create within our minds.
Pray.
Let our minds connect with God.

Photo by *L*u*z*a*

Living Water

Jesus stopped to drink at a well in Samaria.
There he met a woman
Who had come to do a daily chore:
Draw water.
Christ offered this woman of a scorned race
Living water.
She was not a perfect being.
She had sinned and Jesus knew it.
But to her, Jesus said,
"I AM."
We seek God's presence in edifices of faith.
Perhaps we need to seek God
Where we do our daily chores.
Perhaps "I AM" seeks us
Where we pursue our daily tasks.
Perhaps we need only
Pay attention to those around us
To meet the great "I AM."

Photo by IJsendoorn

Heart Unafraid

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Christ's words echo through time.
Do we hear them?
We worry more about this world
Instead of God's will.
Our possessions possess us,
So there our hearts lie.
Let us focus on the gifts of the Spirit,
So that our hearts can be free.
Fear fills our world.
There is war, illness, and disaster.
We fear to lose our possessions.
We fear to be thought a failure.
We fear to speak about God
Lest we be thought a fool.
Let us focus on the gifts of the soul
That cannot be lost,
So that we can be the heralds of God's kingdom.
Let us embrace the Comforter
Who always holds us.
Let us set our hearts to do God's will.
Fear not.
God's gift:
Heart unafraid.

Photo by pixie

Generations Passing

"I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses."

Another friend died.
Another funeral.
Grief for his family,
He will be missed.
Grief stirred by memories
As "In the Garden" echoed.
February has become
A month of loss.
Friends and family gone,
Generations passing.
Those born in the rural past
Die in the urban present.
Christ's words echo:
"Blessed are they that mourn;
For they shall be comforted."

Photo by *clarity*

The Danger Outside

My cats are confined within my home because the house next door has been sprayed for termites. Poison is all around. The cats stare in longing out the window, then pace and plead with me for freedom. I know that such freedom would be dangerous, perhaps fatal.

Are we like my cats,
Uncomprehending of the dangers outside,
Outside of God's commands?
Do we tread God's will with impatience,
Sure that life would be better if we were released?
I believe that I must answer yes.
What seems like freedom
Leads to death.
The poison of the world
Steals our soul
Little by little
Until we are dead inside,
Until there is no love for others,
Only for ourselves.
Our prayers are pleas
For what seems to us the best.
God knows to answer as we want
Would place danger in our path through life.
Let me act as one made in the image of God.
Let me understand God's will.

Photo by Vieux bandit

Renew Your Mind

And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Paul's words speak to me this day,
But how difficult his command is to fulfill.
We all wish to be surrounded by admirers,
Be a success in our work and play,
Have house, car and the latest electronic gadget.
Is that how we conform to this world?
Rather seek the knowledge of God,
Read the Bible,
Pray,
Study the writings of Godly thinkers,
Grapple with the truths of faith,
In order to
View the world from God's perspective and
Act in accordance with God's will.
Use material blessings to help others
And demonstrate God's love.
Use the advances of this age
To further the kingdom.
Be part of this world in body,
But not in soul.
Remember there is an eternity with God,
This life is but a moment.

Photo courtesy NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Follow Me

Jesus called a tax collector
To follow him
When the religious of that day
Condemned such men.
What does that say to us today?
Are there tax collectors among us
That God would choose as followers?
Let me remember that question
Before I condemn.
Let me see beyond the facade
To the person within.
Help me to be more like our Redeemer.

And as Jesus passed forth from there,
he saw a man, named Matthew,
sitting at the receipt of custom;
and he saith unto him,
Follow me.
And he arose, and followed him.

Photo by En Ami

Old Hymns

Great old hymns surge through my soul,
"Rock of Ages,"
"Amazing Grace,"
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,"
"In the Garden,"
"I'll Fly Away."
Hymns that not only remind me of God,
But also of people and their times,
Of celebration times
Of funeral times.
The words of such hymns
Have the power to evoke feelings
I often choose to suppress.
Let me free my emotions
If that is God's will.
Let me feel the presence of the Comforter
In the songs of worship.
Thank you, Lord,
For the gift of music.

Photo by Jonathan Assink

Closeness

Sunshine fills the morning.
The gray rain of yesterday is gone.
The sun is far away in miles,
Yet close in warmth and light.
The Almighty governs infinity,
Yet cares for me every day.
God stands outside of time,
Yet journeys with me as I grow older.
The Prince of Peace can sound the trumpet of eternity,
Yet listens to my daily prayers.
Creator, Love, and Word.
Past, Present, and Future.
Trinity.

Dance

Last night I watched a ballet.
Dancers swept across the stage
Like drops of wind blown rain,
Then poured themselves
Like iridescent rivulets flowing
In time with the music.
What beauty man can create!
What greater beauty God creates!
Thank God for creation.
Thank God for the beauty in dance.
"Praise him with the timbrel and dance..."
Praise God.

Definitions

What is wealth?
Who is rich?
Man's answer to these questions is easy.
Wealth is an abundance of things desired.
A man is rich when well supplied
With land, goods or money.
God's definitions are harder.
Wealth is an abundance of love from others.
A man is rich when well supplied
With family, friends, or loved ones.
Which definitions would I choose?

Two Men Went to Pray

Two men went to pray,
One a Pharisee,
One a tax collector.
The Pharisee told God
How good he was,
How he obeyed God’s law.
The tax collector asked for mercy.
He knew he was a sinner.
Jesus tells us that the
Tax collector was forgiven,
Not the Pharisee.
Do we follow the rules,
But not God?
Do we realize how sinful we are?
I fear the answers.
I know that I minimize my sins
In comparison to others.
Let me acknowledge how I fall short,
What a poor example I am.
Today may I try to be a better demonstration
Of God's love.

Prayer to Creator, Love, and Word

Creator, Love, and Word,
Who has been, is, and will be,
Wonderful,Counselor,The Mighty God,
The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace
Blessed is your name in all its forms.
Bring your peace to all the world.
Reign on earth as well as in heaven.
Nourish our souls with your breath.
Ignore our failures
As we ignore the failures of others.
Guide our steps to the paths of righteousness,
Keep us from destruction
Because you are love in action
Through time and eternity.
Amen

Winter into Spring

Another gray day
As winter fights
The coming of spring.
I must fight
The grayness in my soul
As hopelessness fights
The eternal love of God.
The Comforter is always with me,
But sometimes I still feel all alone.
Wrap your loving-kindness around me.
"Because thy loving-kindness is better than life..."
Let me know your presence.
Forgive my sins.
Walk with me this day.

Thorn in the Flesh

Paul asked for healing
Three times,
That the thorn in the flesh be removed.
Three times,
God answered, "No."
Paul believed that in weakness
He was strong.
Can I follow Paul's example?
Can I be strong in weakness?
Only with God's help.

Sadness

I am filled with sadness today.

Memories of the past haunt me.

Too many loved ones are gone.

I am alone.

The Psalms bring comfort.

"Weeping may endure for a night,

But joy cometh in the morning."

Let my night be over.

Let morning come.

Lord, be with me.

Preface to Eternity

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,the evidence of things not seen.

I think of myself as logical,

Trained in science,

But I am a believer.

When the world around me is filled with shadows,

I pray.

I depend on God.

Reality fills me with fear.

Faith gives me courage.

Today may be full of pain and suffering.

Tomorrow is a promise of eternal peace.

I know with a certainty that I cannot justify,

That God is with me,

That life is but a preface to eternity.

Lost Sheep

Dusk falls.

I miss the light

I have heard it said

That like sheep

We nibble ourselves lost.

Does grayness envelope our soul

When we wander away from God,

Just as grayness surrounds us

When the sun sets?

Will the darkness of the soul follow

If we do not seek God's will?

No.

The light always seeks us,

Just as the shepherd

Leaves the ninety and nine

To find the one lost sheep.

Let me greet the light

And know the shepherd.

Seek Me

Last night I gazed into the sky
And beheld the miracle of the light:
From the moon,
From the planets,
From the stars.
I marvel at the vastness of space.
Where in this infinite emptiness do I find You?
I remember Your promise.
To be with us always.
I will keep that in my heart,
And not feel so alone,
So insignificant.
When I gaze into the heavens
I will remember that throughout history
God sought us.
Seek me.

Love Your Enemies

Christ told us to love our enemies.

Do we heed his words?

Do we love terrorists?

Do we pray for them?

We need to protect ourselves from evil deeds,

But remember that human beings are the perpetrators.

Those caught in the net of hatred and revenge

Need our prayers

That they may be released.

Christ met violence with submission.

The Lamb of God,

He had no fear.

Maybe that is the answer.

If we trust God,

We will not fear,

So we can love even those that hate us.

Always

"I am with you always,

even unto the end of the world."

Matthew 28:20

Lord, I'm impatient for spring,
But winter continues to battle on
With gray days and damp skies.
I need to know that spring will come
Just as I need to know that you will come.
Lord, I thank you for your promise
To be with us always.
Let me know the reality of that promise
As I try to be your follower.

Blessed Are the Meek

Blessed are the meek;

For they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5

We have come to equate meek with weak,

But that was not Jesus' meaning.

Being meek meant being controlled,

Having great spirit and energy,

But channeling both to good purpose.

Like a great stallion that has been trained

To obey a rider and does it superbly,

We must be meek

And allow God to command our spirit.

If we yield our will to God

And obey,

We will inherit the earth.

Time

We seek to trap God in time with us.

We are bound to experience existence

With the flow of time.

For us, there is no going back.

For us, there is only the future.

Is God so ensnared?

I think not.

God stands outside of time

And beholds all of creation:

Past,

Present,

And future.

For God, all is now.

Through God's grace, we escape

The chains of time

And experience

The Eternal Now.

What Does God Require?

What doth the Lord require of thee,
But to do justly, and to love mercy,
And to walk humbly with thy God?

These words come from Micah,

But still command us today.

I must remember to treat others

As I would be treated,

Better yet,

How God would treat them.

Our society is not geared toward mercy.

We are too eager for an eye for an eye.

Let me choose leaders that know mercy.

Let me show mercy.

Remember always that I am but a servant

In God's kingdom.

I owe all to God's mercy.

My talents are God's gifts.

Let me use my talents to honor God

And tell others that all is God's doing.