Strength plus competition
equals triumph (we hope) -
the winning is all
and losing,
nothing.
Or so American
culture believes,
loving champions
above all else.
Paul's biceps bulged
with Roman citizenry,
correct family lineage,
and zealousness for the Law -
yet this champion status
was set aside,
considered nothing
beside the treasure
of Christ's acquaintance.
Christ - the Lord
of the Universe -
champion of champions,
was Paul's example;
stooping down
among the detritus
of human existence,
shedding his regal rights,
turning earthly values
on end:
meekness becomes strength,
joy comes with suffering,
loss is gain.
Paul says,
if you appreciate
God's family
to which you now belong;
if you truly care
selflessly for one another;
then fill me with joy
by thinking as one
in this area:
that we are united
soul-to-soul;
that underneath
skin and bone,
our blood pulses
as on;
that God's purpose
may lead us.
Throw out
shallow pride.
Elevate others
above yourself,
and love,
love,
love one another.
Try this formula:
humility plus love
equals joy,
and see if it is not
infinitely more
fulfilling
than personal strength (power)
applied for personal gain (power)
and worldly success (power).
You will bring
Shalom
to a world writhing
in the grip
of cynicism
and one-up-man-ship,
fear
and degradation.
Will we choose
the dead-end road
of personal interest
or follow Christ's
example,
empowered by the
Spirit,
and with true humility,
lay aside
our crowns?
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.
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.
Despised
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.
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.
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.
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.
