This poem was inspired by one of the prophetic words we received at the end of our church service today.
Clay Pots
She lived in a clay pot
away from the pain
of people who hurt her
who all said the same
you'll never be happy
I'm better than you
just stay where you are
while I paint you deep blue
she stayed there so quiet
up high on a ledge
just watching life passing
while close to the edge
but one day a door slammed
her pot tottered round
falling away quickly
smashed to the ground
sharp pieces were scattered
they flew everywhere
some cut her quite deeply
cause life wasn't fair
large boots trampled hard
and ground them to dust
sat there for a moment
then left in a gust
this brought about tears
which filled up the room
turned dust into clay
not a minute too soon
scraped up by a potter
laid sure on his wheel
forming a vessel
of wondrous appeal
now He is the potter
we are the clay
formed with a purpose
though life has it's sway
He'll bear all our burdens
heal all our woes
giving great beauty
from head to our toes
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Valentine's Day
There was, see, this alligator
who liked to sun itself by day
and wait for splashes by night
which is why, besides the blasted heat
I'm not trolling around in the Everglades
while frigged February winds
rake across our glazed asphalt roads
on a dreary mid-February day
just like the last and prequel to the next
She came down to visit one July
when I was working Florida
having talked her parents into a long drive
so they and the youngins might spend a few days
and she could surprise me with a knock on my door
and we could drive around Ft. Lauderdale being silly
or walking barefoot by the water's edge
making memories more durible
than an alligator purse
who liked to sun itself by day
and wait for splashes by night
which is why, besides the blasted heat
I'm not trolling around in the Everglades
while frigged February winds
rake across our glazed asphalt roads
on a dreary mid-February day
just like the last and prequel to the next
She came down to visit one July
when I was working Florida
having talked her parents into a long drive
so they and the youngins might spend a few days
and she could surprise me with a knock on my door
and we could drive around Ft. Lauderdale being silly
or walking barefoot by the water's edge
making memories more durible
than an alligator purse
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
When We Left The Catholic Church
I have another blog which is called - For Ex-Catholics Only. Usually I post essays from my You Done Say What blog which apply to Catholicism but here one I just wrote that is going the other way.
Our assistance pastor at St. Francis de Sales (born somewhere in South America) always preached very passionately. I remember one Easter mass (Easter being the most crowded) when he chided those poor visitors, "To all of you here who only attend mass twice a year - HAPPY EASTER, AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TOO!"
During another summer Sunday mass the good father was getting himself worked up about nuclear disarmament. It was somewhere in the middle of this non spiritual blah blah that the thought entered my brain that change of any substance in Catholic doctrine was simply not going to happen. The vested interests in the bureaucracy of the Catholic Church would make it almost impossible for the Holy Spirit to blow through and enlighten either staff, cardinals or popes. Even if a pope ended up believing just like me no doctrine would be revised.
Although Jackie and I had been theologically moving away from Catholicism for a dozen years I had always felt that perhaps our presence there would be beneficial, representatives of a change that might one day work itself up to affect higher regions of the Church. I realized at that moment how naive I had been.
A second thought made it's way forward. Some of our children were getting to the ages where they would be learning more about Catholic doctrine at the parish school they attended. It didn't seem right for us to send our kids to a Catholic school, or have them hear a Catholic sermon, and then have to debrief them once home to counter any doctrine that we did not agree with.
Jackie and I talked about it later that afternoon and decided to enroll our children that fall in the public school system and to immediately look for another church, which was not easy since we had never even been to a Protestant service except for weddings or funerals. Now the only time we go to mass is for - weddings and funerals.
Although our parents were great about our change of religion, accepting it was still a little difficult for my mom and dad and especially for Jackie's mom. Catholicism is as much a cultural thing as it is a belief system and we think they felt like we were not only rejecting Catholicism but in a sense them as well.
When Jackie's father died and her mother got older she would have these episodes where tension would build up in her over a few months, come to a head over nothing, she would blow her top and go crazy, her tension would be released and she would then forget anything she had said when she blew up. She was then good for another 4 to 6 months before the process repeated and she blew again.
The interesting thing though is that when she would get like this, just before going off, she would be looking for a fight and would bring up religion. Jackie would not bite but it was obvious that mom was still holding on to something that had hurt her. Religion would be brought up after she exploded and she would use phrases such as; "So you think your father was stupid?"
No, we didn't think our parents were stupid. My mother was very smart and was a convert to Catholicism and my dad was the smartest man I knew. My mother-in-law was very sharp and an amazingly intuitive woman and my father-in-law, a convert to Catholicism, was extremely bright, blessed with many gifts of the Holy Spirit and was my chief spiritual mentor. He taught me how to read and love Scripture and laid before me a sound and well built foundation in the Christian faith.
How he could have converted to Catholicism when he didn't believe in apostolic succession, praying to Mary or the saints, transubstantiation, holy days of obligation, the teaching magisterial of the Church and on and on and on is a mystery to most of his kids who like us later left the Catholic Church. I have my ideas but will not speak for him.
He did have a great desire to celebrate communion as a solemn and sacred act and believed that the elements through the faith of the recipient did become Christ's actual flesh and blood He believed that the Holy Spirit should be able to move in a powerful way through those who were ordained and that although infant baptism did not bring about salvation it did offer advantage and spiritual protection from the evil one for the one being baptized.
Personally neither Jackie nor I miss the mass one bit. References to Mary and the saints make us uncomfortable in our spirit because we see that as a carry over from the adoption of certain forms of paganism very early in Church history. When we do attend mass for a wedding or funeral we skip receiving communion because the Catholic form, apart from our theological understandings, also makes us feel uncomfortable. This doesn't mean we don't love the people or respect the office of the priest or don't enjoy singing praises to God or reading out loud from Scripture. But we have moved far apart.
If you have recently left the Catholic Church it sometimes can be difficult to find a church where you and your family will be comfortable. You many need to move around a bit until you find a good fit. There are bad churches that have abusive pastors or abusive theology that is legalistic and I pray you will be able to discern them right away.
Look for a place that preaches from the Bible and sees the Word of God as the ultimate source for truth. Find a place where the Holy Spirit is free to move. Desire a place where you can be lost in worship. Treasure a place where your children can grow in faith and be lead to serve. Respect a place which supports and sends out servants to proclaim Jesus. Get healed and get involved. And keep loving your Catholic family and friends.
Our assistance pastor at St. Francis de Sales (born somewhere in South America) always preached very passionately. I remember one Easter mass (Easter being the most crowded) when he chided those poor visitors, "To all of you here who only attend mass twice a year - HAPPY EASTER, AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TOO!"
During another summer Sunday mass the good father was getting himself worked up about nuclear disarmament. It was somewhere in the middle of this non spiritual blah blah that the thought entered my brain that change of any substance in Catholic doctrine was simply not going to happen. The vested interests in the bureaucracy of the Catholic Church would make it almost impossible for the Holy Spirit to blow through and enlighten either staff, cardinals or popes. Even if a pope ended up believing just like me no doctrine would be revised.
Although Jackie and I had been theologically moving away from Catholicism for a dozen years I had always felt that perhaps our presence there would be beneficial, representatives of a change that might one day work itself up to affect higher regions of the Church. I realized at that moment how naive I had been.
A second thought made it's way forward. Some of our children were getting to the ages where they would be learning more about Catholic doctrine at the parish school they attended. It didn't seem right for us to send our kids to a Catholic school, or have them hear a Catholic sermon, and then have to debrief them once home to counter any doctrine that we did not agree with.
Jackie and I talked about it later that afternoon and decided to enroll our children that fall in the public school system and to immediately look for another church, which was not easy since we had never even been to a Protestant service except for weddings or funerals. Now the only time we go to mass is for - weddings and funerals.
Although our parents were great about our change of religion, accepting it was still a little difficult for my mom and dad and especially for Jackie's mom. Catholicism is as much a cultural thing as it is a belief system and we think they felt like we were not only rejecting Catholicism but in a sense them as well.
When Jackie's father died and her mother got older she would have these episodes where tension would build up in her over a few months, come to a head over nothing, she would blow her top and go crazy, her tension would be released and she would then forget anything she had said when she blew up. She was then good for another 4 to 6 months before the process repeated and she blew again.
The interesting thing though is that when she would get like this, just before going off, she would be looking for a fight and would bring up religion. Jackie would not bite but it was obvious that mom was still holding on to something that had hurt her. Religion would be brought up after she exploded and she would use phrases such as; "So you think your father was stupid?"
No, we didn't think our parents were stupid. My mother was very smart and was a convert to Catholicism and my dad was the smartest man I knew. My mother-in-law was very sharp and an amazingly intuitive woman and my father-in-law, a convert to Catholicism, was extremely bright, blessed with many gifts of the Holy Spirit and was my chief spiritual mentor. He taught me how to read and love Scripture and laid before me a sound and well built foundation in the Christian faith.
How he could have converted to Catholicism when he didn't believe in apostolic succession, praying to Mary or the saints, transubstantiation, holy days of obligation, the teaching magisterial of the Church and on and on and on is a mystery to most of his kids who like us later left the Catholic Church. I have my ideas but will not speak for him.
He did have a great desire to celebrate communion as a solemn and sacred act and believed that the elements through the faith of the recipient did become Christ's actual flesh and blood He believed that the Holy Spirit should be able to move in a powerful way through those who were ordained and that although infant baptism did not bring about salvation it did offer advantage and spiritual protection from the evil one for the one being baptized.
Personally neither Jackie nor I miss the mass one bit. References to Mary and the saints make us uncomfortable in our spirit because we see that as a carry over from the adoption of certain forms of paganism very early in Church history. When we do attend mass for a wedding or funeral we skip receiving communion because the Catholic form, apart from our theological understandings, also makes us feel uncomfortable. This doesn't mean we don't love the people or respect the office of the priest or don't enjoy singing praises to God or reading out loud from Scripture. But we have moved far apart.
If you have recently left the Catholic Church it sometimes can be difficult to find a church where you and your family will be comfortable. You many need to move around a bit until you find a good fit. There are bad churches that have abusive pastors or abusive theology that is legalistic and I pray you will be able to discern them right away.
Look for a place that preaches from the Bible and sees the Word of God as the ultimate source for truth. Find a place where the Holy Spirit is free to move. Desire a place where you can be lost in worship. Treasure a place where your children can grow in faith and be lead to serve. Respect a place which supports and sends out servants to proclaim Jesus. Get healed and get involved. And keep loving your Catholic family and friends.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Our Helper
In John's 14th chapter Jesus tells His disciples that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him and thus they should be able to see the Father through Him.
Jesus says that whatever we ask the Father in Jesus name we will receive so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Indeed because it is His desire that the Father be glorified in Him we should be able to do greater works than even those that Jesus did during His ministry here on earth. He goes on to say that if we ask anything in His name He will do it.
Jesus then says two more interesting things.
If you love Me
you will keep
my commandments.
And to give us the means to keep His commandments and to do the works that will glorify the Father;
I will ask the Father
and He will give you
another Helper
that He may be
with you forever
That is
the Spirit of truth
whom the world cannot receive
because it does not see Him
or know Him
but you know Him
because He abides with you
and will be in you
After John's baptism the Father spoke from heaven, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, and Jesus began His ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. During His ministry He breathed the Holy Spirit upon His disciples for the purpose of ministry, sending the 70 and the 72 out to heal and to cast out evil spirits.
Thus the Holy Spirit "abides" with them, but not yet in them. It could not yet be in them because Jesus had not yet gone to the cross to pay the price for the sins of man which separates us from God. Until reconciled to Christ by his shed blood the heart of man was not able to be a fit temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell in.
For the Holy Spirit to be "in" them (and us) Jesus also needed to rise from the dead, ascend to heaven so that He could send what He describes as "the Helper".
Jesus explains this in John 16: 7-16
But I tell you the truth
it is to your advantage
that I go away
for if I do not go away
the Helper will not come to you
but if go
I will send Him to you
And He
when He comes
will convict the world
concerning sin
and righteousness
and judgment
Concerning sin
because they do not believe in Me
And concerning righteousness
because I go to the Father
and you no longer see Me
And concerning judgment
because the ruler of this world
has been judged . . .
But when He
the Spirit of truth
comes
He will guide you
into all truth
for He will not speak
on His own initiative
but what ever He hears
He will speak
and He will disclose to you
what is to come
He will glorify Me
for He will take of Mine
and will disclose it to you
All things that the Father has
are Mine
therefore I said
He takes of Mine
and will disclose it to you
Jesus says that whatever we ask the Father in Jesus name we will receive so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Indeed because it is His desire that the Father be glorified in Him we should be able to do greater works than even those that Jesus did during His ministry here on earth. He goes on to say that if we ask anything in His name He will do it.
Jesus then says two more interesting things.
If you love Me
you will keep
my commandments.
And to give us the means to keep His commandments and to do the works that will glorify the Father;
I will ask the Father
and He will give you
another Helper
that He may be
with you forever
That is
the Spirit of truth
whom the world cannot receive
because it does not see Him
or know Him
but you know Him
because He abides with you
and will be in you
After John's baptism the Father spoke from heaven, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, and Jesus began His ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. During His ministry He breathed the Holy Spirit upon His disciples for the purpose of ministry, sending the 70 and the 72 out to heal and to cast out evil spirits.
Thus the Holy Spirit "abides" with them, but not yet in them. It could not yet be in them because Jesus had not yet gone to the cross to pay the price for the sins of man which separates us from God. Until reconciled to Christ by his shed blood the heart of man was not able to be a fit temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell in.
For the Holy Spirit to be "in" them (and us) Jesus also needed to rise from the dead, ascend to heaven so that He could send what He describes as "the Helper".
Jesus explains this in John 16: 7-16
But I tell you the truth
it is to your advantage
that I go away
for if I do not go away
the Helper will not come to you
but if go
I will send Him to you
And He
when He comes
will convict the world
concerning sin
and righteousness
and judgment
Concerning sin
because they do not believe in Me
And concerning righteousness
because I go to the Father
and you no longer see Me
And concerning judgment
because the ruler of this world
has been judged . . .
But when He
the Spirit of truth
comes
He will guide you
into all truth
for He will not speak
on His own initiative
but what ever He hears
He will speak
and He will disclose to you
what is to come
He will glorify Me
for He will take of Mine
and will disclose it to you
All things that the Father has
are Mine
therefore I said
He takes of Mine
and will disclose it to you
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