Quiet On A Christmas Night

Looking out to the woods across
when all is silent and the daylight lost
is this low brick house and a Christmas cross

They must be tired just like we
no other lights near their home do I see
except for the moon through the canopy

These busy days have flown by fast
with brighter lights and no long shadows cast
but now shall I rest, and ponder, and fast

Measure Once, Read Twice: 2018 Collection

I am so excited to let everyone know that my latest compilation of poetry is now available HERE on Amazon.

Measure Once, Read Twice: 2018 Collection is a selection of poetry sharing my thoughts and emotions throughout the year. This collection includes a wide variety of poetic styles, including free verse, rhyme, haiku, brevity and prose. I've made an effort to create writes that are very accessible to the average reader.

Many of the works are spiritually focused, such as the spoken word piece - When I Worship as well as She Sees The Angels, If You Knew My Jesus and Great Lakes Revival.

A lot of them exhibit my odd ball sense of humor - Of Course The World Is Flat, The Plowman Cometh and Ode To My Big Toe.

Some are a bit political - Triple Trump Triumphs, Au Contrarier.

Some are recollections of family and the past - Grandpa Van, The Class of 68, Across The Mediterranean.

And then there are those pieces that reflect the beauty of living in West Michigan - Sleeping Bear, Dune Buggy Ride and Father's Day Picnic.

All in all there is a lot here for everyone.

This book will regularly list on Amazon for $14.98 but for now I am listing it for an introductory price of only $10.00.

As a preview, below is one of the poems mentioned above.

The Plowman Cometh

Cleared a piece of real estate
after a heavy snow
then put away my hat and gloves
to watch an evening show

Twas while reclining on my chair
there came a rumbling sound
up sprang I to a window ledge
feet on the shaking ground

Saw there were waves of churning froth
white as that angry whale
bright sparks from blades reminding me
of Dante's frozen hell

And hell it was when it came clear
our drive was blocked by ice
arraigned a jumbled tumbled mess
foot high - some places twice

So being one whose fought before
those battles avalanche
put on my boots and headed out
to leave nothing to chance

An hour later stood with pride
admired towering mounds
but walking back exhausted heard
some most disturbing sounds

It seems our street had only got
a solitary pass
they've come again to humble me
but I've run out of gas






 

Changing Seasons

Actually, I've never thought of myself as particularly brave
there is a certain acceptance of risk in everything one does
more so in my occupation than many others
but brave, no. Dumb, yeah, dumb may be a better word

It has been almost twenty years and I have seen it all
people who pull up behind a parked car at the curb in residential
stop and wait for a person not there to drive forward
then after a few moments glance at me with a quizzical look

Drivers who can't figure out how to put the car they came with
into gear, or drive on the wrong side of the road, or stop at the
end of the entrance ramp to the freeway, or stop in the middle
of the freeway. Did I mention the word dumb?

In my twenty years and thirty thousand times out on the road
there have been some accidents, the worse a few years ago
when the fore mentioned stop on the freeway led to being rear
ended by a semi. Driver and translator OK, head bump and rib for me

Yet still I carried on toward my goal to work full time until 70
then part time to stay busy and earn a few bucks until I tired of it
but a month ago something happened which made me reconsider
the young lady I was testing hit a 9 year old running across the road

Spotting him from the corner of my eye I yelled STOP, she slammed
her foot on her brakes but nailed him while the car was still moving
flying to the side of the road he escaped with just a bloody nose
a voice inside my head started to say - hey buddy, watch the clock

It is surprising how fast plans and priorities can change
although it is common for me to have to grab the steering wheel
to keep someone from turning left in front of on coming traffic
since hitting the child I've twice had clients freeze while turning left

Then early this week a woman whose daughter was translating for her
while slowly merging into a left turn lane was not going to clear the
semi truck stopped in front of us. When I said STOP she put her foot
on the gas and turned back to the right, slamming us into the truck

As the Vietnamese lady, her translator daughter and uncle Tran who
had been waiting for us at the test site but when getting the phone call
ran two miles to get to us, were crammed into the cab of the wrecker
brought by another Vietnamese, I began to wonder if this was a sign

Walking over to the police cruiser I asked for a ride to our test site
and while sitting on the hard molded plastic seat in the Plexiglas
enclosed back seat (which if you were wondering, does not open
from the inside) I decided that this test location was for the birds

Beginning the first of the year I will no longer be working there
although there is certainly risk whenever one is out driving with
someone trying to get their driver's license, my new location will
be much better, as will be working three days instead of five

So what to do in my partial retirement? Jackie has already suggested
checking out gyms where I can sweat off those handful of M&M's
and I do have a few projects that have been on hold because of time
but my mind has been thinking of stories to tell and books to write

He Gave Me Beauty For Ashes

Earlier this moth California experienced a series of terrible fires which were said to be the worst in the state's history. One of the fires wiped out the town of Paradise killing many dozens.

Last year the same type of fire tore through Redwood Valley in Northern California. I have a cousin whose family owns and lives at a vineyard there. She had only twenty minutes warning to rouse her immediate family, collect anything else important that would fit in their cars and then escape via back roads which were basically just two-track ruts. Some in the community did not make it out alive but praise God everyone in her family did. Nine homes on the vineyard were totally destroyed as was the building where they produced the wine. Eighty per cent of the vines made it as did the new winery they were in the process of building. With the help of others in the community their business was able to survive.

When my cousin was allowed back to the smoldering ruins of her home she combed through the grit and ashes and found parts and bits of her life history which of course could never be replaced. Silverware, jewelry, a watch and other irreplaceable things passed down or given from dear relatives or marking special occasions, now melted or distorted. She recently posted a photo of a mirror she made. It's frame which she called Beauty from Ashes was a collection of those things. Included as well was a story she wrote about the ordeal titled - The Missing Ring - which was a wedding ring she was not able to find that came from her mother, having a lot of special family connections.

Her story inspired the poem which ends this post. The first verse is in no way intended to diminish the grieving that comes with loss or the efforts we make to remember those special things of the pass. Her work and writing were both inspiring and beautiful.

The title Beauty from Ashes recalled for me the old gospel song - Beauty For Ashes. I've incorporated into my poem ideas from that song and Scripture.

 He gave me beauty for ashes
 the oil of joy for mourning
 a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness

This comes from Isaiah 61:3. When Jesus was first beginning His ministry he goes to His hometown synagogue in Nazareth. When the time for the reading came Jesus was handed the book of Isaiah. He finds the following passage (61:1 and 2)

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed and to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.

Jesus then tells the Jewish people there that this particular passage has now been fulfilled in their sight.

The song comes from the verse from Isaiah that follows which Jesus did not read.

to grant those who mourn in Zion
giving them a garland instead of ashes
the oil of gladness instead of mourning
the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting
so they will be called oaks of righteousness
the planting of the Lord
that He may be glorified

The one thing that I would like to convey today from this Scripture is there are certain things we do and certain things God does. We can't will ourselves to be glad in the midst of our grieving. We usually can't see how God will be able to transform our ashes into garlands. We're stuck with the first and the last lesson that God wants every person to learn. We just need to trust that He is the Lord who releases, who gives sight and who sets free.

The response we show from our trusting is to offer, even in the midst of our sorrow, praise to Him for what He has done, what He is doing and what He will do. Doing this releases God to do the things he so much wants to because of how much He loves us.  We grow, we become changed and He is glorified in all of it.

I have often found that the times that are the hardest to glorify God are the times that I need to the most. And He has never failed to remove from me that spirit of heaviness, that spirit of fainting. He has never failed to pour out to me joy and gladness.


Beauty For Ashes

Is life not so much more than bits and scrapes of things we cherish
of memories that like the flesh eventually will perish

For there are beauties far beyond a person's comprehension
we see through mirrors darkly in a world of apprehension

And in this realm of raging flames engulfing the unwary
there is an enemy that waits whose plans will never tarry

Our temporary earthly home is precious for the moment
but there are treasures stored above made ready by atonement

He's poured the oil of gladness on to heal the hurts we're moaning
sets out fresh garments filled with praise to silence bitter storming

So we can tread those fields of grace unfettered by our weakness
to find the strength to carry on rejoicing in His meekness

The Lord that made a fertile earth with rain upon the soil
gives bread to eat and wine to drink and comfort from our toil

Moving From Curses To Blessing

When I was a young believer in the 1970's we did not have spiritual teaching apps on our phones, U tube, pod casts, DVD's and a heck of a lot of other things we take for granted today. We did have books and magazines with good spiritual stuff that would get passed around between family and friends
as well as cassette tapes. Ah, cassette tapes. We once even had a machine that would duplicate cassette tapes.

Bob Mumford was a favorite, partly because his tapes included a lot of humor. Derek Prince (who has now been dead for over 10 years) was another, partly because of his wonderful deep English voice and command of the language but mostly because of the great depth of his insights into Scripture and how the Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer. Each one of his many books were excellent resources as well.

Today as I was scanning my favorite U tube sites I noticed a sermon by Derek Prince. It's title talked about passing from curses to blessing. Interested at first just to hear that old sweet voice I became hooked on the message and it's importance for our time. Just to sum it up briefly, our words have in them, whether we realize it or not, the power to bless or curse. Curses affect us in many ways and can be transferred over generations, as can blessings.

Most people have been subject to curses of one type or another. They range from things said by parents or teachers to involvement in one way or another in the occult. Perhaps we have a relative that was involved in a secret society or own religious objects from other religions.  If we recognize these things we can take the proper, Scriptural actions, to break any activity by evil spirits that those things will cause.

The video runs for an hour and a half, is impactful throughout and ends with Mr. Prince leading a prayer to break any curses that may be in your life. The link is here if interested.

Media Zoo

I find that I must keep reminding myself that all of the recent sound and fury we have been enduring is primarily a spiritual battle - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12)

There would then be little benefit to support what I believe the truth is by engaging in worldly tactics such as name calling or demonizing those whose political or social views are different from mine. That said I do believe that the evil one is aligning all of his forces in an attempt to maintain the culture of abortion, to continue the destruction of the family unit, to make normal things that for thousands of years were considered perversions, to marginalize and then ultimately destroy both Christian influence and Christians and finally to divide us as a means to change and control our society.

This poem reflects my belief that the partisan liberal main steam media (and of course at times the right steam media) has been easily manipulated by the evil one in order to help advance these plans. This is what they often look like to me.

Media Zoo   

They are hyenas, strutting around
dancing their dances, stomping old grounds
making sharp noises, deep angry sounds
they are hyenas, strutting around

Constantly braying, hungry to eat
ripping and tearing, needing fresh meat
saliva spraying, primal defeat
constantly braying, hungry to eat

Animal instincts, wild at heart
incessant clawing, pulling apart
always relentless, eyes shift and dart
animal instincts, wild at heart

The Tree Of Life

A terrible tragedy took place this week in Pittsburgh where a crazed gunman shot and killed 11 at a Jewish Synagogue called The Tree of Life. Antisemitism is still alive and is actually increasing in several European countries. Here in the United States it resides in a small group of Neo-Nazis, among many in the growing Muslim populations but is showing even greater signs of resurgence on many college and university campuses.

The evil one has always hated the Jewish people and is certainly behind the "death to all Jews" sentiment proclaimed by the individual who carried out this atrocity. The upper room where the shooting took place would have normally been filled with children but as fate would have it the crowd that day was much older. One married couple were in their 50's, the rest were in their 60's, 70's, 80's and one in her late 90's.

I have been in Genesis recently and recall God noticing of man before the flood that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (6:5). Of all the men on earth only Noah was found righteous. God destroyed all life from that world but saved Noah and his family through the ark. Yet righteousness is not inherited. There was a chosen line though that went from Adam to Seth, from Seth to Noah and from Noah's son Shem to Abraham, father of the Hebrew people.

There is another line that takes us from Abraham through the tribe of Judah to David and finally to the promised Messiah Jesus. He would by the shedding of His blood and His glorious resurrection defeat the serpent of old and reverse the curse of Adam and Eve eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

We would now know the will of God not from law and tradition but rather from the Holy Spirit who could now dwell within us. Jesus is also the Tree of Life and all who partake of Him will have eternal life with Him and the Father.

Below retells part of our original story, ending with a short poem inspired by the shooting.

The Tree Of Life

The garden was filled with many fruit giving trees
and in the center of Eden was placed the tree of life
as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

God told Adam that they were free to eat the fruit of
any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil - 'for the day you eat from it you shall surely die'

later the serpent appeared to Eve and asked - 'did God
really say you could not eat from it?' / Eve took from
the tree and gave some to Adam and for the first time

they realized they were naked / when God came to walk
through the garden in the cool of the evening they hid / but
God found them and in His mercy shed the blood of an

innocent animal to cover their nakedness with skins / yet
now there would be pain in childbirth and the ground was
cursed with thorns and thistles and bread would be eaten

by the sweat of their brow / death would be the end of each
man for they came from dust and to dust they would return
God said they have become like Us, knowing good and evil

so He sent Adam and Eve outside the garden to cultivate the
ground and placed a Cherubim to guard the way back in / lest
they eat from the tree of life and live, condemned, forever

In the midst of sparse wilderness
where grey owls are found waiting
came muted sounds of deep wailing
from wide rivers of bitterness

Yet the tears of His tenderness
flood soft grounds that were calling
spread fragrant ointment with caring
from the hands of His righteousness

Great Lakes Revival

Fresh waters of November
stirred into a turmoil

Ears shielded from deafening roar
terrible gales upon their surface

Face seared from burning heat
consuming flames extend past the horizon

Wave after wave after wave come crashing
each rolling ridge higher than others before

Whirlwind and fires lift me high above
molten red rivers of revival

Swiftly flowing past every village and town
sparks igniting fields and forests

In the midst of this shaking a strong voice
declaring - I am Righteous and True

From smoke rising up both day and night
come low groans and mighty shouts

Emerging from swirling haze the young armies
fearless, bold, earth shaking beneath them

Awake! Awake! you inland seas
now is the day you will give up your dead

There Is An Uproar In The Land

In the midst of all of the uproar and craziness that has been going on in our country over the last two weeks, and the last two years (and for years before to be honest) I want to present to you some encouraging news. We must start though with a little theology to understand the context of what is happening now.

You need to know that this craziness is primarily a spiritual battle, being waged on levels by forces we do not see and have a hard time comprehending. This is affecting us personally, locally, regionally, nationally and globally. We have an enemy called the father of lies who oversees a legion of fallen angels and demonic forces and they have their tentacles into governments, education, institutions, media, entertainment, religious denominations and so on. The evil one has an overall goal, a detailed plan with a specific timeline and the resources to carry out his desires.

That said there are a few difficulties in his path. The first is that his ruling elite in the spirit world, creatures of pride themselves, compete against each other for power and territorial dominion. These forces will eventually unite when the evil one and his forces realize that their time is running out.

The second is that people have a free will. While they are often ignorant or rebellious of God's plan and thus cooperate with the plans of the first rebel, most are not will-less zombies utterly reliable to do his bidding.

Third, there are traditional institutions of government, faith and family which, even if not Christian, reflect God's will to one degree or another toward proper moral, ethical and societal behavior. Knowing that the enemy wants to corrupt those institutions might help you better understand the current attacks against faith, family and gender identity as well as why the atheistic political views of radical socialism  are now coming to the forefront in our country.

Fourth, the plans and agents of the enemy are tempered, opposed and even defeated by a believing Church which has been infilled by the Holy Spirit. The Church of Jesus Christ has been commissioned
to proclaim the good news of salvation to the ends of the Earth and has also been equipped to defeat the forces of darkness.

The war between the Church and the enemy has been going on for almost two thousand years and will continue, but this conflict will not last forever. Scripture says that at a specific point in time Jesus will return and rule as Divine King from Jerusalem for one thousand years.

When Jesus returns the evil one will be bound and the world will be a much better place. Even so there will be individuals and countries that will not accept His lordship. Near the end of the thousand years the enemy will be released for a short time to gather a coalition of rebels and countries which will march against Jesus and the holy city. They will be defeated and it is at that point that the evil one will be judged and forever removed from influence. There will then come a new Heavens and a new Earth and all rebellion will have been done away with.

However, just prior to Jesus coming back to rule there will be a period of time when God responds to the prayers of His Church and He will bring judgment upon peoples and lands of the Earth. This is not the normal type of historical tribulation that many have already gone through but rather is a one time period where evil spiritual forces of evil as well as God's angelic forces will be much more visible and God's judgments will be overwhelmingly devastating.

I personally believe Scripture indicates that because of God's purpose for doing this the Church, the dead first and then the living, will be removed from the scene before God's judgment begins. This is commonly known as the rapture.

Because the Holy Spirit, which resides in all believers, thus acting as a restrainer to the works of the evil one, is removed it will allow the evil one free reign to further his final plans. The time for him to do so is limited. Many will come to know Christ after the rapture and will thus have the same Holy Spirit but many of those will soon become martyrs, their prayers adding to the raptured saints prayers giving impetus to God's judgment.

So here we are in a period of time which is very near the end of the Church age. It has always seemed to me, although there are pockets of light here and there and many major moves of God currently happening in the nations, that morally things in the world are progressively getting darker and ever more under the control of the evil one. I could easily list dozens of examples.

I was looking for one last great revival to take place in the U.S. as well as world wide in order to bring in the full number of saints before Jesus returns in the clouds for His Church. I also thought that revival was most likely to take place when believers were under persecution as well as various other stresses.

But surprise, surprise, it seems God has stepped in to shake up absolutely everything in a way totally unexpected, and the demons are howling and using every dirty trick in their book to try to stop His plan.

After a long period of prayer and fasting I chose at the last moment to place my vote for Donald Trump. Frankly, before that he was at the bottom of my list. I did not believe his promises nor respect his moral history or like his name calling and bragging. However I now see that of all the Republican candidates Mr. Trump was the only person who could have made a dent in exposing the rampant deceit and corruption in government and elsewhere and is the only person who could have done what it seems God desires for our country. His election has been a true miracle and I believe that God is in ultimate control of what is happening today.

Here is what I am thinking and what I am hearing from some trusted and tested prophets (who predicted Trump's candidacy and eventual win).

Donald Trump was chosen by God to upset and wreck havoc on the plans and timeline of the evil one. He was chosen because of the spiritual history of his ancestors, his love for our country, his love for Israel, his hatred of all the insider dealings of the ruling elites in this country and worldwide, his ability to stand up to the media, his superior intellect and because he couldn't be bought.

God wanted a wrecking ball to expose and take down not only the deep seeded corruption (on both political sides) in government but also to expose and take down the enemies plans for an atheistic socialistic America. He wanted to financially bless America in the immediate years ahead. God also wanted to upset the plans of the world financial elites (many at the top who actually secretly worship the evil one) who were looking to create and then benefit from chaos in order to both enrich themselves and to form out of the recovery a global union which would benefit them. God has a plan to neutralize a bunch of countries hostile to us (like N. Korea, Iran and others), to bless other countries, and he chose Donald Trump to accomplish that.

These same prophets are saying they believe a major world wide Holy Spirit led revival is now beginning, that this year's November elections will prove to be a sweeping win for conservatives, that President Trump will win in a landslide in 2020, that President Trump will be able to place a few more justices on the Supreme Court and the next one placed will be a tremendous woman of influence (who will face even a more nasty confirmation battle). They think that there will be major shakeups in the media and other places of influence as well.

I have been praying for and believe that all of the insanity and bold face lies and secret and not so secret attempts to take down President Trump and now Judge Bret Kavanaugh will be exposed for what it truly is and will ultimately back fire.

May all evil secrets be exposed no matter where they are. May the Holy Spirit move in strength to renew hearts, to change minds and to heal all those afflicted. May God raise up a new generation who will honor Him and will be His hands and feet in the great harvest. May we all have spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. And may God give us righteous judges in the courts and righteous men and women at all levels of government who will seek first His will and not be corrupted by greed, power and the evil spirits who inhabit the halls of power.

Who knows, our Lord may decide to come for His Church tomorrow, and if so I say - Come Lord Jesus! Or these prophets may be right and we have been granted a season of renewal before things turn sour again. If so I say - Use me Lord Jesus! Either way I am praying for truth and justice to rise up and sweep over this land.         
.


 

Across The Mediterranean

During WWII my father flew fighter planes that also carried bombs. His unit experienced 180% casualties. If new pilots survived after a couple of weeks their odds of survival went way up and veteran pilots would finally make an effort to get to know their names. The saying then was; "There are old pilots and bold pilots but no old bold pilots".

Dad crash landed five planes. One time his plane belly landed on the make shift air strip, skidded to the end of the runway which ended at a cliff, and then went over the cliff. He said he remembered climbing up the embankment, yelling "I'm OK, I'm OK" and then waking up on his cot with no idea how he got there.

The poem below is based on a story he wrote for The Catholic Digest. It tells the story of a mission that took him from his base in North Africa, crossing the Mediterranean Sea, to Italy. This ended up being the end of the war for him.


Across The Mediterranean 

How did it feel in that brisk chilly air
above rough and deep hazy seas
on way to a coast where enemy camped
between autumn's late season trees

Head on a swivel for incoming dots
a sharpened knife strapped to your side
thoughts of the service you're missing right now
to deliver bombs for a ride

Were senses composed when load was released
then heightened while turning to leave
as flack signed it's name and an oil line ceased
did you sense life leaving your steed

When altitude dropped to four hundred feet
with cockpit jammed open to fly
your chute took one swing fore hitting the waves
were worries this was sweet goodbye

Nylon entangled then dragged down below
quick slashing each strand with your blade
inflated Mae West to battle the deep
were you wake when rescue was made

They said your fingers were glued to a pole
twenty minutes to pry away
were prayers or keen steel or new wedded life
which carried your hopes through the day

In ravages war many stories told
brave people that traveled the sky
who wondered like Dad why hate had to rise
still left for his son to ask why

Going Back To School Prayer

Here is a prayer for all my clan
as they go back to school
may they be safe in every way
and keep the golden rule

Ensure in hearts Your sacred words
protection from all lies
reveal to them what things are true
and falsehood in disguise

Bless every day with fresh wisdom
bless every night with rest
reward their effort and their work
and lead them to the best

Revival Angel

There is a revival going on now in a small church in Georgia. Just prior to it's beginning a lady from the church had a dream that there were crowds of people at the doors, mindlessly bumping into each other, clamoring to get in. They all looked like characters from the walking dead, zombies with ashen skin. Once inside they went up to the baptismal fount, went into the waters and came out alive with bright new skin.

When the church set aside special time for services they invited anyone who wanted to during the service to come forward to be baptized. It started with a few at first and then more and more came. People were coming out of the waters not only radically changed in their hearts but many experienced various types of healing as well.

I wrote the following poem retelling a vision one of my daughters (who had not heard this story) recently had during a special service at her church. Could an outbreak of revival there be far off?

Revival Angel     

From the worship stage he awakes
sits up to watch the prophets wandering
pulls out from his side a length of rough leather
and braids it to form a long rope which when finished
is tossed into the widths and depths of men and women
lassoing one here, one there, pulling them to the altar of repentance
where they take off their filthy clothes, piling them in bundles
before being placed into the waiting waters of baptism
one after another, over and over, faster and faster
the altar is filled and still more come
as the prophets sing their songs
and angels rejoice

Zzzzzzzzz

My wife said, Honey, our rest be ahead
if we spend a few dollars for a Sleep Number bed
a split king will raise either head or the feet
with an app on our phones, wouldn't that be so neat?

And the best thing my dear is when you're snoring loud
I'll message adjustment then send to the cloud
and up goes your noggin to quiet the roar
no need for my leaving and closing the door

Thus we dropped some big bucks and had our first night
first programmed our comfort, set the numbers just right
then fell fast asleep till the first lightning strike
now I look like a diver at the peak of his pike

A Thought For Today

A thought for today from Titus 3.

Be subject to rulers, 
to authorities, 
to be obedient,
to be ready for every good deed,
to malign no one,
to be peaceful,
showing every consideration for all men.

For we also once were foolish ourselves,
disobedient ,
deceived,
enslaved to various lusts and pleasures,
spending our life in malice and envy,
hateful and hating one another.

But when the kindness of God our Savior 
and His love for mankind appeared,
He saved us,
not on the basis of deeds 
we have done in righteousness,

but according to His mercy,
by the washing of regeneration
and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
whom He poured out upon us richly
through Jesus Christ our Savior,

so that being justified by His grace
we would be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life.

The world seems to applaud rebels, those who yell, beat drums and build themselves up by tearing down others. And if we are honest with ourselves, apart from the outward veneer of good we apply, inside we have all been rebels, wanting to justify our rebellion by pointing out or reacting to what we consider the misdeeds of others.

Paul points out that what rises out of rebellion is self deception. People think of life as being some type of scale. There are many who believe they are OK in the eyes of God or society because their weight of righteousness compares or exceeds that of others. Thus their hearts are hardened to the moving of the Holy Spirit, who is the only one who can clearly reveal to us who Jesus is and what is the Father's will for us.

Our response to that as rebels should be to humbly surrender our wills, our desires, our self-righteousness to what Jesus has already done for us and has freely given us. There are no scales in God's grace. Once we firmly believe that Jesus suffered and died for all of our rebellion we have become partakers in a new life that is eternal. Once we acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of our lives we have begun to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to greater truths than the world will ever comprehend.

In the noise and clamor of today we need to take a step back. The world is full of rebels enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending life in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. The grace we have as followers of Jesus has been freely given. The will of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit never falters or changes. Our response to the world should be a reflection of both. We humbly proclaim the truth of His will and who Jesus is while at the same time we are always ready to extend grace to those who live in the darkness of this world.

 

Review: The Complete Guide To Dream Interpretation - by Marsha Trimble Dunstan

My latest review for Chosen Books (and maybe my last), from whom I receive a free copy, is about developing a solid spiritual approach to interpreting dreams. The author contends, and I agree, that although most dreams are the result of things going on in the body or the mind (or even from the evil one) certain dreams are "gifts from God" and as such we would do well to try to discern what God may saying to us. The first 40% of this book contains the author's views about the different ways dreams come to us, practical advice on how to go about understanding the scenes and symbolism in dreams from God and she does so using many real life examples of dreams had by her and others.

The last 60% is a reference manual which divides into categories different images that may be found in a God given dream. The author references Scripture for each one because that, along with prayer, seems to be the way the Holy Spirit likes in leading us to understanding what the Father is saying. These categories include General Symbols, Places, Body Parts, Animals and Creatures, Transportation, Colors, People and Beings, Numbers and Actions.

One interesting thing I found browsing through the manual is that many images have more than one meaning and that some images may have either a positive or a negative meaning. Thus as the author says at least a half a dozen times throughout, one must always approach dream interpreting with prayer and an ear open to the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Everyone should be able by prayer, searching the Scripture and listening to the Holy Spirit, to be able to figure out what God may be saying to them in a dream. But sometimes they need to hear from another who is more mature in this area. God will then use another person to confirm what the first person suspects. This book then should be seen, not as the last word about what a certain symbol may mean, but rather as a practical tool, a useful resource for both the individual as well as for the person who is lead by the Holy Spirit to grow and mature in this type of prophetic gift.

My Take On Immigration

Pausing from my current obsession with writing poetry I decided to make a few comments regarding our immigration policy.

First I must tell you up front that like most people I don't watch CNN or MSNBC, neither do I see the news on what use to be the three major networks, nor do I avail myself with New York Times articles or opinion. At one time there use to be a semblance of balanced reporting (MSNBC excepted) but no more and not in a long time. Now there is agenda driven reporting which is highly coordinated by the powers that be (usually taking their lead from the NY Times), this is reflected in most of the online news links (because Google, Twitter and Facebook executives are almost entirely in the Progressive camp), and in the last few years, although I would not have thought it possible, their outright bias has gotten 10 times worse.

So maybe I am a little bit behind on the curve in understanding that I hate children (especially darker skinned ones) and that the world as we know it might just end tomorrow when Trump sends in the brown shirts to destroy our democracy.

Let me then review a few things about the roots of the "crisis" that is going on regarding immigration.

One group does not have a monopoly over another on loving kids, families, the poor or the needy. Nor does any caring person want to see children "ripped from their mother's arms". We should all agree that every loving person "just wants to see something done about this". To say otherwise is the worst type of demagoguery, done for political purposes in an attempt to achieve another, bigger goal.  Even though I believe that atheistic Progressive social policies had and will have negative social consequences I am willing to believe that with the exception of the few at the top and behind the scenes the majority of people supporting those policies have true concern for the poor and needy.

All countries have laws and policies regarding immigration and have had so for hundreds of years. It has always been considered to be part of how each nation determines their own self interest. It is only in very recent history that there has been a call for what is known as open borders, or unlimited movement of peoples groups from one region to another. This is a Progressive idea, highly funded by a small group of international leaders (ultimately to enhance their own power and pocketbooks), designed to weaken national identities and to increase the scope and influence of each State and then to unite these States together. Part of the purpose here is income redistribution (because this is actually an idea for world Socialism), but that is too simple. In the end it is not about caring for the masses but in obtaining wealth which leads to the real goal - power - attained and maintained by the few. 

Our country's current immigration laws were proposed and passed by Democrats. When the game plan changed previous administrations chose to ignore enforcing those laws. The Obama administration found a loop hole in the law and started sending plane loads of children from certain Central American countries not accompanied by parents to be resettled here (I have talked with people who were involved in the process and they explained how these kids are trained to say the right things and that many other people are involved who were getting paid to do their part of the deal). The plan of course is to get these kids established and then have whole families follow later.

The Trump administration did not create new law but they are declared racist for trying to enforce them. And yes, President Trump does not do himself any favors by a lot of what he says and how he says it. Yet to focus on that is just a smokescreen to avoid having a logical and truthful conversation on our immigration policy. Apart from the memes you may have read, Conservatives that he represents are not against immigrants or immigration, no child of legal immigrants have or would have been taken from their parents and placed in special camps and there is no religious litmus test (except for the attempt for a temporary ban for specific national security reasons from certain Muslim countries) for immigrants.

Here are some things to consider and questions to ask.

Children were being separated from their parents at a greater pace under both Bush and Obama. Parents have been paying "coyotes" large sums of money to bring their children alone under great risk of harm, slavery or death to sneak them into the U.S. yet just this last week there has finally been a great outcry. Was that outcry prompted by true moral outrage or perhaps it was part of the media crisis of the week we have seen ever since Trump was elected? With unreported record growth in the economy and under reported record unemployment statistics and the historic movement concerning North Korea and dare I finally say it, the falling of the house of cards of corruption at the highest levels, could that have something to do with the timing? Excuse me for being cynical but there is something going on when it has been widely documented that over 90% of the coverage of President Trump and his administration by the tradition news outlets has been negative and here we have something, as bad as it is, not new but now a crisis.

If we forget open borders for a minute and instead talk about a more robust level of immigration then there should be reasonable discussion on the positives and negatives that will have on not only our economics but on the character of who we are as a nation with respect to laws, to our most cherished  traditions, to our sacred freedoms, to the future for our offspring and finally to being able to freely express our faith. These are being challenged every day on every front.

One last word. Congress at this time will not be able to pass reasonable immigration legislation. Progressives rule the top positions of the Democrat party and they control the purse strings for their party in Congress. No loyalty, no money for reelection. They have no desire to see a solution other than legalizing the 20 million illegals now in the country (they hope the majority will vote for their party) and having open or mostly open borders. To have this unsettled is to their advantage. There are Progressives in the Republican party as well, some very influential, and they also have no desire to see anything get done. Make no mistake about it, they and the international elites see President Trump as a clear and present danger to their bigger plans and they all hate him for it.

Dune Buggy Ride

Six open bench seats
although no one else sits with the driver

big wheels, raw but brightly painted metal
you feel as much as hear the engine's voice
rum, rum, RUMMMMM

and off we go down a two track sand path
through beech, hemlock, poplar and cherry
round a tight walled sandy curve then higher
turning right then left then down with arms high
sand making it's way into our mouths as we laugh

we work our way to the top of a mountain of sand
which overlooks Goshorn Lake, once twice it's size

winds began to fill it in at seven feet per year
until grasses planted on the dunes by University students
started taming a growing beast, who once set free
by the lumberjacks to rebuild Chicago after it's fire, buried
the bustling town of Singapore in only five years

from here we overlook seven hundred rolling acres
and should see on a clear day Lake Michigan to the West
with blue waters out for twenty-eight miles
but today a haze just off shore blocks our view

shade for us now is a clump of eight cottonwood trees
which ii is actually actually only one
it's base buried by hundreds of feet of fine white
each extension created new roots, now exposed

there is a dead branch with a round woodpecker hole
home to a mother finch feeding her babies
and not so happy that we are parked below

a turkey buzzard floats above in the stiff breeze
waiting for some small rodent or snake to make a mistake

memories are framed on the hot sand then we find our places
trekking wildly down into a hidden woods ten degrees cooler
then back to a shop that sells ice cream, post cards
and shows displays of lightening fried sand

The Prophetic Significance of Donald Trump

Let me start out by telling you a rambling Bible story.

A righteous guy named Abram is directed by God to leave his home town of Ur (in modern day Iraq) and travel to a new land. God directs him to walk the region North/South and East/West and promises Abram that any place his shoes touch would be given to him and his offspring for ever. God confirms this promise by making a covenant with Abram (whom God later renames Abraham) and He confirms the same covenant to Abraham's son Isaac and to Isaac's son Jacob.

Jacob has 12 sons, a famine comes to where they and their families are living, but because of God's grace and foreknowledge Joseph has gone before them and is now 2nd in rank of all Egypt. The entire family moves to the land of Goshen in Egypt and stay there for 430 years. By that time the people, now numbering over 2 million, are slaves of the Egyptians. Moses is raised up as their deliverer and begins leading his people back to the land promised by God.

Within a couple of months they reach the borders but cannot enter in because of unbelief. Thus the people spend 40 years wandering the desert. This is actually a time of spiritual preparation for them and God provides Moses with directions to build a portable wilderness tabernacle in which the Shikina glory of God resides in the Most Holy Place, just above the gold mercy seat of a box or ark which contains the broken tablets of the 10 commandments, Aaron's rod which budded and a jar containing mana that God provided as food for the people throughout their 40 years of wandering.

At the end of 40 years Joshua leads this people across the Jordan river and they begin the process of possessing what God had promised them. Ever since Jacob had 12 sons the people have identified themselves as 12 different tribes. Now each tribe (except for the priestly tribe of Levi who were given certain cities) was given an inheritance in the land but to receive it they first needed to eliminated the existing inhabitants. Tribes combined strength to do this, some were more successful than others and although they became a united nation they never ruled to the extent of what God had originally promised.

For hundreds of years the Hebrews were ruled by prophets and judges but they finally demanded that God give them a king like the other nations. To answer the people God gives them Saul, just what they want, a tall, good looking warrior. However, because these are God's chosen people and this is God's chosen land the battle has always been more spiritual than physical. There are actual giants in the land (physical as well as spiritual) and Saul quakes in his tent. God chooses David, the youngest son of Jesse, to defeat the giant Goliath and eventually David becomes king.

David is both a fighter and a worshiper and is passionate about God and God loves him and blesses him because of his passion, even though David has committed some serious sins. David defeats many of the enemies of the Hebrews and conquers the city of Jerusalem, making it the nation's capitol. The portable ark which was in the Most Holy place is still around and David asks God if he can build a permanent structure or temple to place it in. Because of the blood on his hands God says no but allows one of David's sons, Solomon, to build it.

Solomon does indeed construct the first Jewish temple and during his reign as king the Hebrew nation reaches its greatest extent, although still not to the promised borders. One problem with having a strong king with big building projects is that taxes and demands for laborers become oppressive. After Solomon dies the people petition the new king asking him to reduce the burden on them. Not listening to wise advice he increases the burdens and the nation splits in two. The 10 Northern tribes form what was known as Israel and the two Southern tribes where Jerusalem is located becomes known as Judea.

Although Judea has it's ups and downs spiritually many righteous people from the Northern tribes move to Judea because of the temple and in the North Israel becomes apostate, setting up a new center of worship that quickly becomes paganized. After some years Israel is defeated by the Assyrians and it's people are either killed or deported. Judea holds out much longer but it too eventually is defeated, Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed by the Babylonians who relocate any one of worth to their country.

One of the people deported is Daniel who later on becomes one of the chief rulers of Babylon. Like Joseph, God has given Daniel great wisdom and the ability to interpret dreams. One day he is reading from the prophet Jeremiah concerning the desolation of Jerusalem and notices that Jeremiah predicted both the captivity and the return of the Jewish people to their promised land. He prays and fasts to gain insight as to when the return might be and 21 days later the Archangel Michael (who is the protector of the Jewish nation and who had to fight a high ranking evil angel known as the Prince of Persia before he could deliver God's answer to Daniel) appears, giving Daniel a vision of 70 weeks of years.

Starting in Daniel 9:24 it says; Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.

Notice that it talks about "your people", (the Jews), "your holy city", (Jerusalem), and "the most holy place", which is where the ark of the covenant was located.

Then Daniel 9:25 goes on to say; So you are to know and discern that, from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the prince (Jesus) there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks, it will be rebuilt again with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. The next verse says that then the Messiah will be cut off and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary (the temple and the most holy place) and that prince (the Antichrist) will make a covenant with the many for one week (seven years). At the middle of the week he will stop the sacrifices and offerings (then literally all hell breaks loose).

Not much longer after Daniel's visit by Michael, the Babylon empire is conquered by the Medes and Persians (as foretold earlier by Daniel). A few years later their King Cyrus issues the prophesied decree allowing the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem (and the territory of Judea) to rebuild the city. A remnant do return, first rebuilding the walls and eventually building another temple. Around 20 BC Herod the Great starts a massive seventy year project to make that temple one of the ancient wonders of the world.

The 69 weeks of years end in 32 or 33 AD on the same day Jesus rides into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The Jewish leaders reject Him and have Him crucified (cut off). That is the end of my Bible story.

There is still one week (seven years) of the prophecy that has not yet been full filled and that is the period most people refer to as the Tribulation period. Prophecies tell us that Jesus will return at the end of the tribulation, defeat the forces gathered against Israel and the holy city Jerusalem and rule the nations from Jerusalem and at that time Israel will have the full extent of land as promised by God.

Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by Roman legions (the people of the prince who is to come) in 70 AD. Most of the Jewish people are either killed or enslaved and scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Eventually Roman influence dies off and then later Islamic forces gain control around 700 AD, Crusaders retake the city around 1000 to 1100 then Muslim forces gain control again. The Ottoman Empire (centered in Turkey) then rules for 400 years until British forces in WWI gain control and finally in May of 1948 a Jewish nation emerges and takes as its name Israel.

In 1967 during a six day war Israel once again gains control of Jerusalem's holy sites although it still allows the presence of a Muslim mosque and their Dome of the Rock which was built over or very near the site of their two previous temples.

For the last week of years in Daniel's prophecy to occur there are some things that had to happen. First, there needed to be a Jewish nation where they were before and Jerusalem needed to be part of that.  Check. Second, there then needs to be a Jewish temple with the establishment of sacrifices and offerings. The Jewish religious leaders of our day have been working busily at this.

Several years ago they appointed for that purpose a religious body called the Sanhedrin (just like in Jesus day). People have been identified and chosen from the priestly line of Levi and been trained for temple service. Their priestly garments have been made, gold and silver bowls and other sacred temple objects have been made and a lot of other things along this same live have been gathered, designed, made or done.

The major sticking point of course is how to go about building a Jewish temple at or very near the current Muslim holy sites.

So now we finally get to the part about how Donald Trump fits into all of this.

The United States has always been Israel's closest friend since Israel's inception, although often a lukewarm one (as far back as the 1950's our State Department, because of oil politics, has had a pro-Arab stance).  Relations between our two countries hit a low point under the Obama administration (for a bunch of reasons, not least of which was the gift to Iran known as the Iran deal).

Then along comes Trump (who doesn't care what the State Department thinks) and he has shown a very positive attitude toward Israel. He has a personal connection in that daughter Ivanna married an orthodox Jewish guy and converted to his faith. He gets along well with Bibi. He pulls the US out of the Iran deal and not bowing to intense pressure from the rest of the world announces that the US would actually move it's embassy to Jerusalem and open on May 14, 2018, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the modern nation of Israel.

In recognition of this and Israel's 70th anniversary the Jewish Sanhedrin issues a silver half shekiel temple coin with the image of Cyrus on one side and Trump on the other. In ancient times each Jewish person was required to pay an annual 1/2 shekiel temple tax. This means that today's orthodox Jews see Trump as being like the Cyrus who issued the decree to rebuild their city and temple.

This is interesting because when Trump was running for President I heard comments from several Christian leaders that they believed God told them that Trump would be like a modern day Cyrus. In other words it was not his current personal shortfalls or his past life style that concerned God but rather that here was a man who would further what God wanted for Israel as well as for our country.

At the embassy dedication the US placed a rectangular stone plaque there. There are 3 names on it.  The first is Donald Trump, the second, Michael Pence, and the third is David Friedman (the current US ambassador to Israel). A guy named Luis Vega pointed out an interesting word study about the names on this plaque.

Donald - a Scottish name meaning great chief or chief king and is identified with a line of Scottish kings.

Trump - to announce or proclaim, to rank above others

Michael - Hebrew meaning "who is like Elohim" (God). This is of course also the name of the archangel assigned to the nation of Israel who gave Daniel the vision of the 70 weeks of years.

Pence - Anglo-Saxon English, a geographic area which is elevated. Fences to pen in animals were located there so it could mean "hill that gathers herd".

David - Hebrew name meaning "beloved". This was also the name of the great Jewish King David who conquered and made Jerusalem the capitol. Jesus was from the line of David.

Friedman - From German, Swiss and French. "fried" means "peace", "man" means "man".

One way to express these names would be -

Great chief who ranks above others
Who is like God who on His holy hill will gather His herd
Beloved man of peace

Israel was reborn in 1948. This month was it's 70th birthday. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in 70 AD. If we add 1948 years to 70 AD we get 2018 (fun fact).

There has to be a new temple built before Jesus returns at the end of the 70th week because the Antichrist desecrates it at the mid-point of the week. The Antichrist makes "a covenant with the many" marking the beginning of the last week. It is speculated that this is a deal in someway agreeable to the Muslim nations so the temple can be built again in Jerusalem, perhaps on or near the original site.

However this all works out, this I do know. By moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, thus officially recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Donald Trump has done something no one else did or probably could do. The ball is now rolling as well toward the rebuilding of the third Jewish temple and I believe this was God's timing and His doing.

The missing prophetic pieces are filling in quite rapidly. The end time alliance shown in the Ezekiel 38 referencing Gog and Magog now has all the partners together. Iran, Russia and Turkey's leaders have been meeting together and Turkey has recently pulled in the African portion to make it complete. If Iran keeps establishing bases in Syria then we are much closer to seeing the destruction of Damascus prophesied elsewhere. Saudi Arabia was not in the alliance of Ezekiel 38 and now we can see why. And French President Macron just announced a 10 nation military alliance composed of European countries (does the dark prince come from one of these countries?)

However, there still may be many more pieces left to place that we don't realize yet. Either way, keep looking up!

Review of - Possessing The Gates Of The Enemy

I have just finished reading the fourth edition of - Possessing The Gates Of The Enemy - by Cindy Jacobs, which deservedly is considered one of the classic books on intercessory prayer. Her original edition was first published in 1991 and Jacobs has both updated and included some new material for this latest version. The publishers (perhaps reflecting the type of language now used by some of the better know intercessory prayer ministries) have added a new subtitle - A Training Manual For Militant Intercession.

Intercessory prayer is when someone prays on behalf of another so that that person, group or region may experience what God desires for them. One of the most common descriptions of an intercessor would be that the person praying is "standing in the gap" for another, i.e. either calling out to God to move in a situation, binding the forces of evil that have been oppressing or declaring a freedom from bondages.

Including both Scripture and many personal examples, plus incorporating stories from others, Jacobs does a very thorough job of defining what intercessory prayer is and should be, what type of person does or should be involved doing it, how does the Holy Spirit operate in this area, what opposition does one encounter, how does one most effectively intercede for either a person, place or region and much more. There is a study guide in the back to help any small groups that might want to get together to read, discuss and better learn how to pray in this manner.       

This was my first time reading a book on intercessory prayer and I learned quite a bit, even though I have been praying and fasting for well over 45 years. Praying for long periods of time for someone or something until the victory is won has always be difficult for me and I was surprised to learn that there are many people who actually have a passion for this. They have long prayer lists and spend most free minutes in prayer interceding for someone else.

Another interesting thing I noticed is that sometimes people who intercede for others receive information from the Holy Spirit about who, what or how to pray. They might get a picture in their mind or a deep conviction about something and then they pray for that person or about that situation until the burden lifts. What's funny about this is to me is that there certainly must be a lot of people who are intercessors who are not active in the other gifts of the Holy Spirit, maybe they don't even believe the gifts are for today, and yet here they are experiencing prophetic revelation.

There are a couple things Jacobs brings up that I find a little hard to grasp or comprehend and the examples she provides are not backed up sufficiently. One example is that a group binds a certain evil spirit over a particular school district and the proof that the spirit has been bound is that average test scores went up the next year. I get the concept but I still have a lot of questions.

Thanks to Chosen Book Publishers who provided this wonderful book for me to review.

Stomp!

Note: This is a fun, stand up and get out of the pew type worship song. There is a word in the first line of each of the stanzas that has a very brief pause after it (just after "here" in line one). "Stomp!" means just that, stomp your foot. The octave goes up when singing the chorus (Oh glory glory) then drops down again to sing the next stanza.

Oh Lord our Lord here your people are before You
(Stomp!)
Yes we are gathered to exalt your name
(Stomp! Stomp!)
Your glory's brighter than a thousand sunsets
(Stomp!)
Your beauty's wonder we will all proclaim
(Stomp! Stomp!)

  Oh glory glory singing hallelujah
  (Stomp!)
  Oh glory glory to the King of Kings
  (Stomp! Stomp!)
  There is no other who is like you Jesus
  (Stomp!)
  Your mercies greater than all other things
  (Stomp! Stomp!)

Oh Lord our Lord see us marching as an army
(Stomp!)
Yes we are marching to exalt your name
(Stomp! Stomp!)
Your blood is stronger than all sins of darkness
(Stomp!)
You can make clean even the deepest stain
(Stomp! Stomp!)

  Oh glory glory singing hallelujah
  (Stomp!)
  All glory glory to the King of Kings
  (Stomp! Stomp!)
  There is no other who is like you Jesus
  (Stomp!)
  Your mercies greater than all other things
  (Stomp! Stomp!)

Oh Lord our Lord hey the victory is before us
(Stomp!)
Yes we are coming to exalt your name
(Stomp! Stomp!)
Your love goes higher than the tallest mountains
(Stomp!)
Your free the captives and you heal the lame
(Stomp! Stomp!)

  Oh glory glory singing hallelujah
  (Stomp!)
  Oh glory glory to the King of Kings
  (Stomp! Stomp!)
  There is no other who is like you Jesus
  (Stomp!)
  Your mercies greater than all other things
  (Stomp! Stomp!)
  Your mercies greater than all other things
  (Stomp!)

Review of - The Spiritual Gifts Handbook

The Spiritual Gifts Handbook was co-authored by Protestant Randy Clark and Catholic Mary Healy.

Clark is an author of 40 books and perhaps is best known for his leadership of The Toronto Blessing, which began in the 1990's and is considered one of the greatest spiritual revivals of our time. God placed a powerful spiritual mantel upon him to empower others to minister in the spiritual gifts. He continues to have an impactful world wide ministry.

Healy was involved early on in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal which began in 1967. I think she helped author the Life In The Spirit manual which was and maybe still is a powerful tool to lead Catholics to commit their lives to the Lordship of Jesus and to show them how to surrender their lives to the out flowing of His Holy Spirit. She is a professor of Scripture at a Catholic seminary, has authored other books and conducts healing meetings world wide as well.

It seems that the editors of Chosen, a division of Baker Books (from whom I received a copy to review) put these two together to write an instruction book about the spiritual gifts. In that regard they have done an adequate job covering most of the bases and the book is enriched by many personal accounts of the operation of the different gifts. To appeal to her Catholic audience Healy includes stories of historical instances of the operation of the spiritual gifts from various Catholic saints.

If my review were to end here I would give this four stars out of five. A person not familiar with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they are to operate personally and in community will learn a lot. Catholics in particular will be encouraged that the Catholic Church not only has a history of the operation of the spiritual gifts but that they are both for today and are for everyone, not just for famous saints or priests and nuns.

At this point however, from the perspective of one who came to know Jesus personally and was filled with the Holy Spirit through the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in 1972 and then left the Catholic Church for doctrinal reasons 10 years later, I would like to go a little further and discuss one problem with the move of the Holy Spirit in the Catholic Church today.

It is my opinion that although the gifts of the Holy Spirit are recognized by the Catholic Church and many Catholics are now operating in those gifts, there exists in Catholicism substitutes for the Holy Spirit which either restrict or confuse ones understanding of Scripture, thus allowing for doctrinal errors to creep in. Doctrine among believers should not deny our fellowship with each other, but it does make it a lot more challenging.

In this book Mary Healy tells a story of a prophecy given by Ralph Martin at a large ecumenical conference held in Kansas City in 1977. She relates this as an example of how the Holy Spirit may use a prophetic word to bring conviction to the heart. In his prophetic word Martin repeats several times the phrase "The body of my Son is broken" which was of course a charge against disunity in the Body of Christ. People all over the stadium began weeping in response.

Well OK, it truly is a disgrace that Christians avoid having fellowship with each other and further even go out of their way to attack other believers who deviate even a little from their orthodoxy on a whole variety of issues, most of which are non-essential to salvation. As believers we should be united in our desire that the world hear the good news that Jesus in the way to salvation and that he has poured out His Holy Spirit in power in us to demonstrate His love and grace toward all who would run toward His open arms.

But let me tell you the rest of the story. The lay leadership of the Charismatic Renewal greatly desired this unity yet at the same time they had a tremendous desire to be seen as "good Catholics" in the eyes of their bishops. Although the renewal continues in the Catholic Church today the Kansas City conference marks both it's apex and it's ecumenical decline. In a nutshell here were the problems.

First, the Catholic Church is run by a huge bureaucracy that is resistant to change. Their natural desire is to absorb any spiritual movements, find them a comfortable place within the Church and then isolate that spiritual virus so it doesn't infect the doctrine of the Church or the comfort of those that run it. Thus the Renewal leadership's desire for acceptance by their Church also meant becoming less guided by the Holy Spirit. My guess is that this scenario doesn't just apply to the Catholic Church.

Second, an important part of Catholic tradition and teaching is devotion to Mary. The problem here is two fold. Catholicism ascribes to Mary powers and authority that Protestants believe rightly belonging to the Holy Spirit. And devotion to Mary is seen as an adoption of pagan beliefs and practice by the Catholic Church in it's early years, which was then greatly emphasized as a response to the modernization of society in it's later years. After Kansas City some of the early leaders in the Charismatic Renewal started to become more devoted to Mary, even going so far as to endorse what I personally believe are the demonic manifestations found in places like Medajugory. So how one views Mary does present a hurdle to fellowship.

It is good news that Randy Clark and Mary Healy were able to minister in power together for a month at healing conferences held in Brasil. The out flowing of the power of the Holy Spirit is less dependent on orthodoxy and more dependent on a person's willingness to yield to Him. I'm sure we all have barriers in our lives or doctrine that restrict the Spirit's moving. May this be the year we overcome them. 

The King Of Heaven

In Babylon were gardens hung
resembling walls of Eden
with lilies bright and iris light
red hummingbirds were feeding
tall terraces breathed in the mist
rolling out deep fragrant chimes
no other splendor could compare
in Nebuchadnezzar's times

One morning he admired all
proclaimed his awesome power
my kingdom, beauty, majesty
above the world I tower
just as those words escaped his mouth
he heard the Most High saying
your sovereignty has been removed
you will a beast be braying

The dream said he was like a tree
branches filled the heavens wide
rich fruits for hungry beast and bird
cooling shade for every tribe
but now it all would be chopped down
on it's stump an iron band
drenched every morning by the dew
long nails grow on feet and hand

The king was humbled seven years
an animal thinking of grass
who worries not of gold and silk
nor empires that never last
at sentence end he raised his eyes
blessed and praised the God Most High
whose kingdom is eternal still
pride could never tell you why

The Tree Of Life

The lovely tree where I built my nest
stood shoulders, head above the rest
and on it's branches I could see
fruits leading to eternity

The tree beside held more appeal
which angels gathered in their zeal
to procure wisdom in the night
the tasty fruit gave deep insight

This was forbidden to the man
because for him God had a plan
to guide his heart, from that the mind
to change it up would cause a bind

The serpent was a cunning beast
he set for man an easy feast
by offering this tricky play
he asked the woman - did God say?

From ancient past I send this tweet
be careful of the fruit you eat
if flesh and knowledge is your tree
you'll never find eternity

If You Knew My Jesus

If you knew my Jesus
you'd call me with joy
say your sins are forgiven
you are a new boy
and your heart's overflowing
you can't hold it in
and your soul needs to sing out
the new life within

And I'll know what your saying
I'll have to agree
when I thought I was with it
but then I was free
and the world had to hear how
His Spirit changed me
from the junk I'd been saving
there's now victory

And there's really no limit
to whom He'll make new
if you want to begin it
then here's what you do
just surrender the lordship
of your life for His
He will love you so dearly
and show you what is

And we'll have a party
invite all we know
just to share about Jesus
with our overflow
and the rivers that flow out
will refresh the crowd
when we share of salvation
and make it real loud

Do Greater Things - A Book Review

Have just finished the book Do Greater Things by Robby Dawkins  which I received from it's publisher Creation House. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in building up your confidence and faith in praying effectively for the sick and hurting. It reminds me very much of the books I read early in my faith walk over 45 years ago by Charles and Francis Hunter. They made praying for the sick seem so obvious and natural that everyone should be involved in doing it and expecting that God would indeed answer.

This is less a book about the theology of healing prayer and more about examples from the ministry of Mr. Dawkins that demonstrate the practical applications of how praying for the needs of others can be accomplished. Here are a few things that are talked about which resonate with me. And this is how I interpret them.

The first is that God has given us the authority to pray for the needs of others in Jesus name. That means that because we are a representative of Christ we can speak directly to the condition ourselves. Our prayer then does not say something like - Oh God, please heal this person's leg - but instead goes more like - I command that leg to receive divine healing now (in the name of Jesus). The same stance would be used in dealing with evil spirits. We must use the authority we have been given based on what Jesus has already done for us.

The second is that we should be interested first in the person and second in the condition they have. And if we are interested in the person then we engage them in finding out what hurts where. After they identify their level of pain we pray and then check to see if there has been any improvement and to what level. Then we keep at it until complete healing or until it's obvious there is no more that can be done at that time.

And the third thing that stood out to me is that although everyone does not have the gift of healing every Christian does have the authority of Christ in them to pray for others with some success. Many times we do not ask others if we can pray for them because of the fear of being in some way rejected by that person.

This book brings out two things here. One is that almost all people appreciate it when someone asks if they can pray for them. If nothing happens they really don't get upset or think less of God. Two is that although it is our responsibility to pray it is God's responsibility to effect the authority He has given us. Our faith is in who God is, trusting that He loves both us and the person we are praying for.

Again, this is an easy read which is both faith building and action inducing.

Can You Hear The Trumpet Sounding?

I've been working for some time on a post explaining how a Christian can support Donald Trump for and as President. However it's going to stay in my files at least for now. The problem is that to do the subject proper it ended up being quite long and even after editing down I still find other points I want to add.

So instead of getting that you now have a chance to read a poem I wrote about our Prez. It doesn't go into abortion, judges or Israel (my hot button topics). It doesn't discuss foreign or domestic policy. It does though come from the angle about a guy who was not an insider and not a politician but ran because he had a vision of what America could be. It is this person that connects with the average Joe in the streets.

Can You Hear The Trumpet Sounding? 

There once was a builder brought up in Queens
promoted himself as the greatest of things
gold plated fixtures and gambling halls
sold his silk ties at golf courses and malls

Looked for the beauty in women and hair
married again and still had an affair
made deals with TV and never seemed tired
love to tell celebs, hey buddy you're fired

But even his money and fast private jets
wasn't enough for the insider sets
who hated his brashness and thought him quite crude
looking down their thin noses at his attitude

Yet this guy grew up with a love for our land
and saw how the dealers would work underhand
enriching themselves while still talking so polite
with sweet platitudes hiding knifes in the night

They had no respect for religion or creed
talked of the poor man though blinded by greed
the swamp creatures lusted for insider power
and hated a system where man built a tower

For all of his faults but with all of his flair
he offered the people a deal that was fair
I'll wall up the borders, take care of the vets
make better deals with no ifs ands or yets

I'll build up our forces, make friends with the Jews
we'll put in good judges with conservative views
clean coal will get dug and fracked oil will flow
our best days are coming just thought you should know

I'll lower your taxes to bring better jobs
stop losing to others and dry up the sobs
we'll clean up corruption and jail dirty birds
your leaders have dropped you like little bird turds

The prelates and pundents all laughed till they hurt
they howled and yowled while fist throwing dirt
he's racist and sexist, has no chance in hell
we don't know a person who'll buy what he'd sell

Election night came and the party turned glum
it seemed that the nation had chosen someone
who'd shake up the system that everyone loathed
except for the people who weren't as well clothed

It must be the Russians who tampered with votes
collusion with Putin sang thousand of throats
they hammered and bammered for more than a year
with negative news for their fellows to hear

But we in the heartland are not dumb as bricks
we're on to race baiting and media tricks
we cherish our churches and rights to our guns
and thank those who serve us both daughters and sons

And flawed as he is we see courage and truth
with promises kept and a man not aloof
whose smarter than them though they haven't a clue
just thought you should hear what we know to be true

Two Handed Wisdom

I came across a Billy Graham quote this week that went something like - God has given us two hands; one to receive and one to give.  That was the inspiration for the following bits of wisdom.


If you have been forgiven
be quick to forgive

If you have been given mercy
show mercy as well

If you have been blessed
freely share your blessings

If you have been filled with the Spirit
pour it out to others

If you have been encouraged
offer encouragement

If you have been shown wisdom
impart your wisdom

If you have been lifted up in prayer
do the same for others

Remembering Billy Graham

The day Billy Graham died I Googled his name

finding their algorithms favored an article from the

New York Times titled - Billy Graham, lost opportunities

I didn't waste my time reading it because the obvious slant
had nothing to do with hearts and souls and changed lives
but everything to do with the politics of religion in America

My wife and I got married in 1972, just out of college
and at the end of November I surrendered my life to the
Lordship of Jesus and to the infilling of His Holy Spirit

At that moment I went from being an atheist to having an assurance
deep in my heart that Jesus had not only forgiven my sins but He had
revealed Himself so real that I could never doubt what happened

It was our wedding anniversary the next year that I remember
seeing Graham on our little 13" black and white TV, preaching
to over a million people spread out before him in South Korea

His message was pretty much the same then as it was
the dozen of other times I managed to watch him preach
every man, from pauper to king, and in between, is lost without Jesus

Although the world may change, the heart of man has always been the same
the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of God
but the good news is that through Jesus we can be reconciled to God.

And as always Graham told the crowd that it was not an accident
they were there that night. Whether brought by a friend or out of curiosity
the Holy Spirit had called them. Now the decision was theirs

Algorithms know nothing about faith or the presence of God
or the power of a Holy Spirit who can transform the life of any person
and who one day soon will shake this nation, one person at a time

Just as they are, without a plea, but that His blood was shed for thee
millions responded to the simple message presented by Dr. Graham
others, hearing but not responding, I would call  - lost opportunities
    

Baptized In Love

We had a wonderful testimony in church today from a woman who had felt overwhelmed and over powered by everything that had been going on in her life. She said she was addicted to drugs, confused about her sexuality, had lost all connections with family and friends, was always unhappy and had no idea how to make progress in any of those areas.

Two years ago she started taking the van that our church sends to the City Mission so that anyone that wants can attend Sunday morning service. It was during her fifth time that she said she heard God speak directly to her. It was a Sunday where part of the service was devoted to adult baptisms. The pastor said that anyone else who felt led to get baptized could head to the room behind the front stage area (there is a baptism pool set up on the stage). A pastor would talk to them first and there were plenty of towels available. She said she actually heard God tell her that now was her time.

Now I want to pause here for a moment to let you know the truth of the matter. You may have heard this a hundred times before but it becomes so much more real when it's in the context of a testimony. At the time God spoke to her this lady was still in the mire of despair, still overwhelmed by not having the ability to gain control over her sin and rebellion. BUT GOD, because of His great love for her, saw her, even in the midst of her sin, as precious and desirable to be saved.

In obedience our lady went forward, surrendered her life to the Lordship of Jesus, and went to the waters of baptism. From that moment on her life was changed and she was no longer powerless to put aside the sin and wrong behaviours of the past. A big part of it was that she now had this deep desire to be pleasing to the One who reached down to her. She told us that her life is still not perfect but that she knows she is walking on the right path and she is now constantly filled with joy.

BUT GOD. There are 46 times in Scripture where this phrased is used. Today I would like to share five of them with you. May they be an encouragement to you that whatever is going on in your life that just seems too big, no matter what it is, God is able to either change it or to change you, to what is best for you and to what gives Him the glory.

Their beauty shall be consumed in the grave . . . But God will redeem my soul from the powers of the grave, for He will rescue me. (Psalm 49: 14-15)

My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26)

It is written, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yes, even the deep things of God. (1 Cor. 2: 9-10)

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man, But God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape.  (1 Cor. 10:13)

We all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath . . . But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love . . . even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)  Eph. 2: 3-5

Our salvation is not in the works of religion but in the grace freely given us to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. That grace will reveal His love for us and we in turn will strive to be obedient to His will because of our love for Him. We no longer need to live in fear of the unknown because we are learning to trust in His love for us.

And that my friends makes everything so much easier.

A Complex Question

A thought came to me last night while laying in bed an hour after the State of the Union address which went something like this;

If the smallest living things are programmed in their DNA with 3 million bits of information, all of it needed by an organism to form shape, make tiny machines to form proteins, take in energy, dispose waste, move around in it's environment, defend itself and reproduce like from like,

and if each of the trillions of cells in a human body have at least one DNA chain consisting of over 3 billion bits of information,

then the process of evolving from the simple to the more complex would require at each stage an addition of DNA information, possibly millions of links long.

So without tackling the original question of the how and why random phosphates, sugars and nitrates would self organize from nothing into a rather complex double helix shape millions of links long in the right order by chance in the first place to provide the minimum information life needs, I proceed to the second question which is;

What would be the cause of forming another million links of information input into the DNA code of any cell? I mean really, it's not like small links of DNA form by themselves in nature, floating somewhere ready to be picked up.

Mutations may change a small section of the DNA code of any living thing, for better or most likely for worse, but as far as I can determine, mutations do not cause cells to add more information.

Natural selection may activate or deactivate information already contained in DNA but it does not cause the growth of longer DNA containing more information.

This afternoon I checked a bunch of articles on line to see if scientists had any suggestions that might seem reasonable. Apart from their bold affirmations that life did indeed began millions of years ago when materials combined to form a type of algae in the acid bath of the early Earth ocean (no mention of life's need for information) these articles did not address any process or cause of addition of complexity.

I did find out two interesting things though. Science has in the last few decades discounted natural selection as a driving force for the addition of more complex features. They seem to finally realize what God said in Genesis, change in environment can cause species to morph into other like organisms but there isn't any evidence of those organisms becoming more complex in the process.

The second goes along with this. Faced with stress an organism will become less complex in order to better compete for survival. Now isn't that interesting?

Hopefully tonight, having written this down so now stress free, my body can morph into a nice comfortable sleeping position.

  

  

When I Worship

I wrote this as a spoken word piece, much more effective to be heard with a bit of emotion and passion in my voice and with the words flowing the way I think they should. Perhaps someday I will get a chance to record this on a platform such as You Tube and can re-post if it turns out well.

Just a note. I believe that worship should be directed to God and it is all about Him, not us or our needs. So by that standard this is not really a worship poem because it focuses quite a bit on what "I" experience in worship. Yet on the other hand, in the proclaimation it does at the same time exalt "Him", which is what I desire to do in all things.


When I worship

It is not a thing I do with insinuation of obligation to simply
make a declaration of my imagination

When I worship

It is not just words in a book or scrolls on a screen with
melody and harmony to determine my ultimate spiritual destiny

When I worship

Whether it's part of a congregation or in a situation
where I am alone, I am alone

with Him

the Cornerstone who has shone through the contusions of confusions
that come to all because of the world and the flesh and the devil

When I worship

I speak or sing directly to the Father in the name of His Son
and pour out to Him and to the One all that is within

When I worship

I don't condescend to pretend that without Him
I could in any way ascend close to where He
contends for the souls of men

When I worship

I close my eyes to take off the disguise that we all surmise

When I worship

I picture a tapestry of Jesus reigning in all His majesty
with thunderous sounds and golden crowns
the plenitudes of multitudes singing to the Son

Glory, Glory, Glory

and

Holy, Holy, Holy

and

Worthy, Worthy, Worthy is the lamb
who shed his blood for the sins of man
who was and is and is to come

When I worship

I'm not ashamed to feel the churning and burning
of tears while I surrender my fears

When I worship

I may groan and even moan
sometimes in languages I've not known
because He is the One who for me did atone
for all of the rebelling that had been welling inside

When I worship

I am not better than you or more holy than you
but I am being true to what He has called me to do

When I worship

Hands raised and eyes closed and heart open
I am not hoping for some pie in the sky
in the dear bye and the bye with no reason why

When I worship

I am surrendering all that I am
the past and the present and whatever I plan
to the Father and to Jesus Christ the Lamb

And it is in those moments

Submitted before Him in the civility of humility
that I feel His gentleness and experience a love
that can only come from Him and His kingdom above

When you get to the nitty-gritty
my worship may not be that pretty

Whether head in my hands
or fist raised while I stand
declaring to the Great I Am

You have washed away my stain
You have broken every chain
You have both redeemed me and esteemed me
and there is nothing else that remains

When I worship

I am the man He created me to be