Facing a fearful future event,
or suffering,
or loss,
can overwhelm,
shake foundations
and crumble
flimsy faith.
I trust my God -
like Job, who knew
his God
would vindicate him
on the final day.
I will not hang my head in shame
before Him.
What happens, happens
and it will happen
for God's great purpose.
My life, my death
is not the issue -
but how my life
or my death
can further God's truth.
See I live for Him,
and when I die,
I will be with Him:
win-win!
I live not
for personal fulfillment
or (American) dreams
of success -
but for God's good pleasure.
So suffering and death,
rather than obstructions
or rips
in the tapestry
of happiness,
have meaning
and purpose
in a plan that
encompasses
a thousand universes.
Life is Christ.
Death, a door
to my inheritance.
Its not about me.
Joy, unpursued
perches
on my shoulder
and sings to me,
night and day
as I release
my grip
on self.
Be real
and ask for prayer
when in need.
Open your hands
to receive God's spirit
that alone
can lift you
above the struggle.
To live is Christ.
To die,
gain.
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Free in Chains, Philippians - From Prison with Joy (Christian Lindbeck)
Restricted access -
chained to a wall -
I am free
and joyful!
God's great plan
is in motion
because of my imprisonment -
can you not see it?
The weight of
deprivation,
like a fulcrum,
raises God's Name
even higher -
isn't that great?
Without even trying,
I have infiltrated
Rome's Special Forces
with the message of Christ.
And even against
an atmosphere of animosity
to our faith,
most Christians here
have crept out of hiding.
Even those against me
still speak the name
of Christ to discredit me -
and all advertising is good
advertising.
I couldn't ask for more!
Faithfulness under duress,
like rich compost,
results in much fruit.
In the eye of the storm:
rehearse truth and envision
the big picture,
then put faithfulness into
practice -
doing reps to build up
the muscles of endurance.
Celebrate what follows.
chained to a wall -
I am free
and joyful!
God's great plan
is in motion
because of my imprisonment -
can you not see it?
The weight of
deprivation,
like a fulcrum,
raises God's Name
even higher -
isn't that great?
Without even trying,
I have infiltrated
Rome's Special Forces
with the message of Christ.
And even against
an atmosphere of animosity
to our faith,
most Christians here
have crept out of hiding.
Even those against me
still speak the name
of Christ to discredit me -
and all advertising is good
advertising.
I couldn't ask for more!
Faithfulness under duress,
like rich compost,
results in much fruit.
In the eye of the storm:
rehearse truth and envision
the big picture,
then put faithfulness into
practice -
doing reps to build up
the muscles of endurance.
Celebrate what follows.
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Neighbor-Love - Stories of the Kingdom series (Tim Knipp) Luke 10:25-37
by calloused habit
and supercilious
attitudes,
Samaritans were
considered
disposable
by Jews.
Strife strafed
interactions
again and
again
over centuries.
When interrogating
fine points of
Jewish Law,
one asked,
"Who is (and isn't)
my neighbor?"
In Jesus-style,
a story will suffice.
On a dangerous stretch
of road - or dark alley
amid the stench of garbage -
a man (Generic Joe)
is attacked.
A Jewish priest sees
and looks away
but a despised one
(Samaritan, no less),
feeling gut-wrenching
compassion,
is moved to action.
Go.
Do like the Samaritan.
Neighborhoods have
no limits on love.
Every human being
is my neighbor.
Racism is the antithesis
of neighbor-love.
Artificial boundaries
are abhorrent to God
and must be exposed
and torn down
by all who follow Christ.
Look first within.
Acknowledge and let go
of privilege and
entitlement -
not God-given rights,
but man-made constructs
designed to perpetuate
the illegitimate legacies
of those in power.
Pray for and with
compassion.
Then act
like the Samaritan
who exchanged
hatred and fear
for loving deeds.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Parable of the Talents - Tim Knipp Matthew 25:14-30
How I wish our resident poet, Carol, had been here for this one. My words will not come close to conveying this message. Perhaps she will listen and respond later?
Three given
Varying amounts
To manage for the master.
Committed,
Two risked full treasure
Holding back nothing.
The joy approval and pleasure
Of the master,
Motivation for action.
Preserving his nest egg
Fear digging the hide-out,
The third's tentative, indecisive
Exertion fueled by anxiety.
Well done, not "productive" or "successful,"
But faithful servant,
Risking all.
Enter joy with me.
No justification enough
To hinder hesitation's reward
Discipline for fear of failure
Be gone from me.
Trust His goodness
Silence faint-heartedness.
Commit your treasure.
Be willing, faithful.
Three given
Varying amounts
To manage for the master.
Committed,
Two risked full treasure
Holding back nothing.
The joy approval and pleasure
Of the master,
Motivation for action.
Preserving his nest egg
Fear digging the hide-out,
The third's tentative, indecisive
Exertion fueled by anxiety.
Well done, not "productive" or "successful,"
But faithful servant,
Risking all.
Enter joy with me.
No justification enough
To hinder hesitation's reward
Discipline for fear of failure
Be gone from me.
Trust His goodness
Silence faint-heartedness.
Commit your treasure.
Be willing, faithful.
Sunday, July 16, 2017
"Such Senseless Beauty" - further meditations
Such beauty
in air, soft as dust,
filtering in fingers
through maple green.
The limestone path
calmly curves
and crunches
beneath my shoes
as I strive to
stay in each moment
as it whispers;
in each breath
as it leaves my lungs
and returns again,
as if on a tether.
A yellow-black
tiger swallowtail
flicks its way to and fro
up a golden beam,
in and out of shadow green
and ferns quiver.
Such senseless beauty
lavished upon us,
spilling over
earth's altar
even amidst the charred remains
of bombed out cities,
twisted limbs,
hearts shattered
and innocence obliterated.
That such ugliness
and such beauty
should be siblings of the same
Father and not
cancel each other out
but co-exist,
contrasting and complementing
each other
stuns me anew
with every inhalation.
in air, soft as dust,
filtering in fingers
through maple green.
The limestone path
calmly curves
and crunches
beneath my shoes
as I strive to
stay in each moment
as it whispers;
in each breath
as it leaves my lungs
and returns again,
as if on a tether.
A yellow-black
tiger swallowtail
flicks its way to and fro
up a golden beam,
in and out of shadow green
and ferns quiver.
Such senseless beauty
lavished upon us,
spilling over
earth's altar
even amidst the charred remains
of bombed out cities,
twisted limbs,
hearts shattered
and innocence obliterated.
That such ugliness
and such beauty
should be siblings of the same
Father and not
cancel each other out
but co-exist,
contrasting and complementing
each other
stuns me anew
with every inhalation.
"God's Goodness" Stories of the Kingdom - Tim Knipp (Luke 11)
Good and evil exist -
there is no avoiding
this.
Prayers fail,
hurt happens
and we wonder
if God cares.
The ancient question
of God's essential nature
bumps against
our inner eyelids
too often
to be ignored.
So, how should we pray?
There are formulas
to follow,
principles to adhere to -
enough to make one's head spin.
But is it about me
and what I need to do?
Or is it about
the God I pray to?
Who is He anyway?
He is a worthy father
who provides
and forgives.
He outshines
your best friend,
who will gladly
give you
whatever you need.
His father love
exceeds that of
the best earthly father
who would lay down
his life for his child.
This is who you address
your concerns to
in this world
of shadows.
Paint your picture
of God
not by the brokenness
and empty blackness
that assuredly exists,
but by a knowledge
of His essential goodness,
holding tightly
to His hand
at the very rim
of the precipice.
there is no avoiding
this.
Prayers fail,
hurt happens
and we wonder
if God cares.
The ancient question
of God's essential nature
bumps against
our inner eyelids
too often
to be ignored.
So, how should we pray?
There are formulas
to follow,
principles to adhere to -
enough to make one's head spin.
But is it about me
and what I need to do?
Or is it about
the God I pray to?
Who is He anyway?
He is a worthy father
who provides
and forgives.
He outshines
your best friend,
who will gladly
give you
whatever you need.
His father love
exceeds that of
the best earthly father
who would lay down
his life for his child.
This is who you address
your concerns to
in this world
of shadows.
Paint your picture
of God
not by the brokenness
and empty blackness
that assuredly exists,
but by a knowledge
of His essential goodness,
holding tightly
to His hand
at the very rim
of the precipice.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
"What do you want?" Stories of the Kingdom - Tim Knipp (Matt. 13:44-46)
An object of desire,
worth risk
and sacrifice
makes for a good story
and a good life.
What is my desire?
What do I most want -
the deep down motivating
chords
I tremble to...?
In a corrupt country,
sharply divided,
one downtrodden,
stepped upon peasant
finds a winning ticket,
buried.
Covering his bets,
he pools his resources
(meager and precious though they be)
to purchase the location
so no questions will
be asked.
The treasure is worth
any sacrifice.
On the other side of town,
a pearl merchant,
a connoisseur of glowing orbs,
stumbles
upon perfection.
Breathless with delight,
he jettisons his entire wealth
to own
that one
precious
gem.
Whether earnestly sought
or chanced upon,
God's kingdom
is like these:
a treasure
of infinite worth.
And He who offers
this incredible gift
sees me -
broken and flawed -
as a treasure
worth sacrificing
His all
to win.
If I listen closely,
I can hear
a thrumming
in the air
and my
heart stirs.
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