Easter

If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8: 10-11

What Kind Of Poetry Do I Like To Write?

A little over a week ago I joined All Poetry (AP) the world's largest on-line poetry site and have been churning out poems left and right ever since. Each time you submit a poem you have to write a nice comment about the work of two other poets published there and that has been fun as well.

I found this site after getting rejections on a few poems submitted to a Christian poetry site joined in February. One of my submissions was the bronze winner for the month of February and one won the gold for the month of March but they only seem to like a very narrow range of poetic expression.

As explained in their page on submission requirements, true Christian poetry should rhyme, have good cadence and meter, not go in and out of rhyme, and be "reader oriented" as opposed to "writer oriented". Evidently those who chose to "read" poetry at this site are heavily left brained and don't want to be challenged by messy stuff that fires off multiple right brain syntaxes.

The first time a poem of mine was rejected, a very nice selection called SHOE BOX expressing my emotions about praying for unsaved family members, the reason given was "check submission requirements". Doing so and not getting any greater clarity I rewrote the poem, explaining in the poem all the imagery, such as what the shoe box was, called it SHOE BOX II and submitted. I thought the effort was dreadful but it was accepted right away. Ha!

Perhaps one should not bite the hand that feeds it (i.e. they really like some of my stuff and they have every right to determine what they will publish). But then I came across a prompt from the AP site which is the title of this poem, and I couldn't help myself.


What Kind Of Poetry Do I Like To Write?

A while back I found a site
that asked for Christian poems
they had to rhyme
like all the time
and fit the proper zones
this I could do
till I was blue
but found it's not enough
to have good meter, cadence too
just not that other stuff
like imagery and metaphors
and heaven's no emotion
i would submit a little bit
which caused a great commotion
some they would post
and I would boast
of winning a nice prize
though some would sink
when it made them think
which opened up my eyes
a greeting card is really nice
one knows what to expect
but twiggy waters was too much
it earned a quick reject
so here I am an AP man
free verse, humor and rhyme
still talk about my dear sweet Lord
sometimes a bit sublime

I Am Not Ashamed Of The Gospel

My father-in-law used to say that if you wanted the gospel in a nutshell you could find it in the first 3 chapters of Romans and Galatians and Ephesians. I will add, throw in also the first 3 chapters of John and Acts and you're good to go.

The other day I was struck by Paul's statement to the Roman Church that:

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For in it the righteous of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it is written; 'But the righteous man shall live by faith.' "  (Romans 1: 16-17)

The gospel or good news here is the testimony about Jesus, who He was, who He is, what He did in His death and resurrection so that all, Jews and non Jews, could come through Jesus to a saving relationship with The Father. The door to the Father is now wide open but we can only enter in -by faith - through the person of Jesus Christ.

It is that simple. It was always the core of Paul's message. If we get away from that central focus we then start to rely on the wisdom of man and the wisdom of man will always try to pull us away from surrendering in faith to the person of Jesus and instead try to establish religious or moral beliefs or good actions as the avenue to righteousness and salvation.

Not that we don't need the help of the Church to mature and grow us in our faith. But the first and foremost purpose of the Church is to introduce us to Jesus, to then equip us with the Holy Spirit of wisdom and power, and to lay a firm foundation in the Word of God so that we may be well equipped to grow and mature as part of the Body of Christ. Everything else flows out of our relationship with Jesus.

Unfortunately many modern churches of the day teach about the idea of Jesus, the social teachings of Jesus, the religion of Jesus, a Christ removed from the blood, the resurrection, the ultimate surrender of one's life to Jesus as Savior, Lord, and Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. And to go along with this they make to no effect the sound teaching of Sacred Scripture. All authority now rests in the evolved minds of contemporary man.

There could be no better example of this than the growing and wide spread acceptance of the LBGTQ agenda that we see happening (for the first time in history) today. Scripture that immediately proceeds the above quote talks about worshiping, or exalting, the created over the Creator. The created could be idols of wood, stone or metal that represented things of nature, worshiped in blindness over the One who made those things of nature.

But it also applies the same to the exalting of man over the Creator of man, a Creator who both through nature and consistently through His revealed Word speaks against such actions. Here is the sad part. The heart of man initially knows that his actions are wrong but the body and the soul were not able to change. Thus they look to find acceptance and approval of their sin and find a ready partner with a church which has already compromise the Word with a hundred arguments against it.

And the root, the source of all of the compromise, goes to the removal of the central focus of the gospel, the righteous man shall live by faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified (for the SINS of man).

Here the Word of God picks up beginning in the very next sentence, Romans 1: 17. (bold print mine)

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteous of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

for that which is known about God is evident is within them, for God made it evident to them.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so they are without excuse.

For even though they knew God they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing to be wise, they became fools,

and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four footed animals and crawling creatures.

Therefore God them them over to the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever, Amen.

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for the women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,

and so also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire for another, men with men committing indecent acts  (Romans 1: 17-28)

Paul goes on in this chapter including many of the other sins against God that we do, things that we even encourage others to, and advises us that without repentance, without Jesus, all of us would be condemned.

Today may each of you come to know my Lord and Savior Jesus in a more intimate way. Seek Him without reservation. Surrender all to His Lordship. Yield to His Holy Spirit. Come to the Father through Him.

The Grave Is Still Empty!

Throw out all religion
discard all pretense
repent from your dead works
stop burning incense
the grave is still empty
The Lord lives today!
He's already done it
He'll make you OK

He needs not your praises
attendance or tithes
those things are for us
but here's the surprise
the One of great glory
the One of pure love
defeated the darkness
shines light from above

The empty grave speaks
that Our Lord is alive
that death is defeated
that hope can abide
that Jesus has power
to change who you are
no matter your station
poor beggar or star

Yes Jesus has risen!
this world has no hold
He's given you purpose
if only you're bold
you'll gain by surrender
you'll rise to the skies
the grave is still empty!
new life is your prize!

Thoughts Of Big Red On This Windy Day

Before the gate house, the cottage association
the historical commission and let's not forget the rich
there sat on our southern pier a large red lighthouse
years past it's working life but available I was told 

by my younger brother to rent to a college age guy

like him, who thought it'd be so cool

Even if he had to risk life and limb getting to the rusty door 

chopping off thick layers of sprayed on ice to enter

what to me seemed like a dark metal tomb 

where condensation would drip upon his drawn in head 

while he dreamed of sailing inland seas and vast oceans 

unencumbered by access rules

Early this March on a cloudless day
sky as blue as it ever gets in Michigan

when winds were steady past thirty

my wife and I braced ourselves

against clouds of pelting sand 

while near the edge of the northern pier

Once more we were in total awe of surging water 

wondering how any man made structure could survive

but there, still on the southern pier
though leaning a bit
was the past, the present
and who knows - the future

The Pond

Some goldfish swan in twiggy light inside a garden pond

while morning ducks splashed all about, which made me think beyond

of galaxies spread far and wide too vast to comprehend

and protons circling a spot with no apparent end

It seemed too much for me to know

too small to say I knew

was there somehow a God who held 

this all within His view?

I pondered this for many years while laying on my bed

cried out unto the mystery for insight to be shed

my answer then was silence back, it roared within my brain

must we be made to live and die, with death nothing to gain?

Then brightness shone through leafless trees upon that primal scene

a different view of flesh and stone, showing a golden mean

one could not know by measuring the width that lay before

or pace it out and understand what futures were in store

We must accept by simple faith, just like the common man

to find the Maker of all hearts who gave all life its plan

and so on knees surrendered I - deep pride and filthy sin

asked Jesus to forgive it all and make His home within

Dear friend believe me when I say that light shone through my fog

the Lord my God revealed Himself and saved me from the bog

now life is simple as some fish who dart as they respond

and happy as an early bird atop this garden pond

What Awaits The Saints In Glory

His mystery, His majesty
His might upon the throne
the thunderstorm of praises born
engulfed in Him alone
thick rolling clouds His glory shrouds
approach we on our knees
then bursting light around Him bright
across deep crystal seas

How can it be that we don't see
how awesome is that place
explosions of emotions
in the center of His grace
by faith we'll know it tells us go
approach with godly fear
to lay it down and throw our crown
such is the atmosphere

And gathered by the brilliant sky
vast armies of the Lord
with elders near who lead a cheer
The Savior be adored
gold trumpets blown the seeds are sown
fall all before our King
He's placed inside where once was pride
new songs for us to sing

We will be dressed in garments blessed
by blood shed once for us
time standing still in His great will
no need to make a fuss
and I will wait for Him to state
that righteousness prevailed
then raise a shout with those about
PRAISE GOD! HIS GLORY HAILED!