And In The End Dear Skeptic

And in the end dear skeptic, what do you have?
I have a promise of a full life to come
an assurance no one can take
you have nothing
save in the memories of those who will also one day pass

I have seen beyond the veil and looked at my High Priest
you think you have no high priest
and worship no one else
but deception reigns
for you serve one who fell because of his pride

Faith has cost me everything
for I have willingly surrendered all
my rights, my desires, my rebellion
my ability to make the rules
yet His bounty in return has far exceeded my loss

Being master of yourself will cost you everything
solely in return for the lusts of the mind and body
these will age as you do
the body and mind turn to dust
someone else will tell your tale

Each day I live in awe of my Master's work
the beauty and complexity of matter
the inspiration and sweet guidance of His Word
how He calms my stormy seas and hears my pleas
worship and obedience are a joy

You see the math but not the Math Maker
and thinking you are wise you believe lies
told by one who hates everything pure and holy
who gets you to blame the Most Pure and Holy
for all the ills cause by rebellion and sin

There are many gods and many paths
but in the fullness of time the true Father
sent us His only Son - Jesus
who lived, who shed His blood for the sins of all
who rose and now sits at the right hand of the Father

There are many gods and many paths
much tried and true wisdom abounds
yet all are man's efforts to make himself righteous
there is only One who died so that you may live
in the end dear skeptic, choose life

The Woman and The Dragon

This week on September 23, for the first time ever, will be an alignment with the constellation's Virgo and Draco which is talked about in Revelation 12. Here is a poem inspired by that.


The Woman and The Dragon


The Woman

Who is this woman
sun at her head
moon at her feet
crowned with twelve stars?

A King has been in her womb
after forty-one weeks she will give birth
to a male child who will rule the nations
with an iron rod.

The Dragon

Red and fierce waits the one
with seven heads and ten horns
and seven crowns upon his heads
for the woman to deliver so that he may devour.

His powerful tail
sweeps away
a third of the stars
casting them to earth.

The Woman

When she gives birth her child is caught up to the throne.
Angry, the dragon sends out a flood to destroy her.
The wings of an eagle carry her away to a wilderness
where the ground opens up to swallow the waters.

The Dragon

The woman's protector engages the dragon and his forces in war.
Weak and no longer having a place the dragon is thrown down.
He becomes enraged and goes off
to make war with the rest of her children.

A voice cries from above:

Rejoice heavens, for the one who accuses
day and night has been thrown down.

Woe to you earth, for the dragon knows
his time is short.

Knowing God

It was all a mystery
too big to comprehend
too vast in the smallness
and in the invisibility of it all
how could I stake a claim

For many nights I lay awake
trying to understand the smoke and mirrors
Death, or more simply, fear of Death
the awareness of no more awareness
that was the common denominator
in all religions

OK, if that was it then that was it
I could live without all the fear trappings
do my best, live peaceably, don't rock the boat

But then one day I met her
full of life, full of faith, and best yet
she laughed at all my crazy jokes
but her family had this strange belief
that when they prayed about something
they actually expected to be heard

But I could not claim something out of nothing
believe what I could not grasp
walk on choppy waters

It started with a thought
logic presented this argument
If there was a God, what ever that meant
and If that God was in the vastness and the smallness
and If that God in some way created, or designed or knew me
then it only followed that this God must have a will for me
and that life would work out much better
if I knew what that will was

Thus I challenged the confounding emptiness
reveal yourself and I will follow
I waited and got what I expected - NOTHING

And yet - in the next few months - my world shook
He began to speak to me though testimonies of divine power
each time I had a question it was answered in the strangest way
the word began to speak and the depth of joy began to pull
and I could see the path but knew not how to walk it

Again I challenged
reveal yourself and I will follow
I waited, this time full of hope
then sighed a deep sigh at the nothingness

At this point friend, He took me by the hand
which opened His word, which spoke to the deepest part
showing the soft gate to the endless trail

Now, on my knees, I confessed all my rebellion
and promised allegiance to the still invisible something
and asked that He would renew my heart
fill me with the power of His Spirit
and be the Lord of my life

As I began to yield my tongue to a new language
His presence filled me to the deepest part
and I knew, for the first time, so sure
I could never doubt or question the reality
that God, in all His unsearchable majesty
knows me, loves me, and is worthy of my praise

Nineteen seventy-two has long passed
His presence remains and my greatest joy
is found in being lost in worshiping the One
who has proven faithful at every corner
through the joys of life and the despairs of death
who still holds my hand and gently leads me on

College Days

Here is a poem I wrote recently about one of my good Aquinas College friends. One of my clear memories of Andy was his Volkswagen Beetle.

One day Jackie, now my dear wife whom I met at Aquinas, and I were out driving and she spots a Volkswagen Beetle. "Look" she says, "There is a car just like Andy's - only white". I laugh and Jackie says "What?". About two minutes later I spot a VW bug and say, "Look, there's a car just like Andy's - only red!" Another minute passes, a green VW goes by and I again repeat the phrase. After a few more my right shoulder is starting to ache from the pounding.

That was when I learned to be, how shall I say it? - more discrete. Instead of announcing each passing VW I would just chuckle quietly to myself. It worked. Now feeling bad for me Jackie started pointing out Andy's huge fleet of mystery cars.

A couple of years after graduation we attended Andy's wedding. A few weeks prior to that he got in a bad car accident, different car I'm sure, and the wedding was the last I saw of him. About 5 years ago however I received a friend request on Facebook from Andy. My initial reply, as you can appreciate from the poem below was, "Andy - You still got that music box?"

The Accordion

Andy had one of those last names
that ended in C H I C. We both
attended a Catholic college on
the West side of the state, but
Andy was an Eastern Orthodox
guy from DEE TROIT.

This was in the late sixties, early
seventies and Andy drove around
a blue Volkswagen Bug which carried
all his worldly possessions, including
his portable music box, white keys
and silver buttons framing a large
black chamber of moving air.

He loved all the current music of course.
On New Year's Eve Andy would record that
year's top 100 hits from W D what ever
onto another music box, this one running
a half inch of dark brown tape from one
six inch reel to another, speakers blaring
Mo Town and Chicago during parties held
in our rented house, or softly lulling Andy
to sleep later while sitting in his favorite
reclining chair.

And yet, when we went to someone
else's parties, Andy would bring
along his childhood companion.
When enough kegs were tapped and
drinks were mixed and if Andy was
feeling in the mood he'd saunter out
and grab from that little car's trunk
the pathway to another dimension.
Andy would role up his sleeves, ignite
the tip of one of his Marlboro's, close
his eyes and start playing that old
Jewish tune, Hava Nagila,
softly at first, then a bit more urgent,
then faster and faster until every slightly uptight
Catholic in that house were clapping and singing
and dancing in circles.

When the last note finished and the cheers
died down Andy would thank all who
bothered to say something nice, strap
his music box tight, glance over at me
with a look that said "Time to go"
and we would head back home, me to my
waiting bed and Andy to his chair of
worries, comforted once again by the low
sounds of harmony and brass.

Is the Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017 a Warning to America?

Traditionally in Jewish history lunar eclipses are warnings for the nation of Israel and solar eclipses are warning signs for nations.

Next week on August 21 America will experience a total eclipse of the sun. It's path of totality will enter the U.S. from the Pacific Ocean near Salem, Oregon and exit near Charleston, South Carolina into the Atlantic. This is pretty rare. It's been almost 100 years (June 8, 1918) since a total eclipse has crossed our country. The last time a solar eclipse covered exclusively our nation was at it's beginning in 1776.

Interestingly, almost 7 years after the August 2017 eclipse comes another one on April 8, 2024. This time the path of the sun enters Texas from Mexico and exits from Maine into Canada.

The path of these two eclipses is over 70 miles wide and provides at it's midpoint about 2 minutes 40 seconds of totality for the 2017 eclipse and over 4 minutes for the 2024 one. As shown below they create an image of an X over our country, the direct intersection being a little village in Southern Illinois known as Makanda. Other cities in this cross section are Carbondale Illinois, Cape Gireadaeu, Missouri and Paducka, Kentucky.

Map of total solar eclipse over the United States - 2017 and 2024

Checking to see if there are any interesting facts about this area spiritually the following things can be noted. Makanda is a Hindu word basically translated as the mango tree (mango is the national tree of India).There are a couple of Hindu gods associated with mango fruit or mango leaves, one of which is Ganesh, the one with the elephant head. That god represents blessing and success which helps explain why I have seen so many of those little idols under plastic domes on the dashboards of people from India that I do driver tests for.

However, as I checked further I found a site on line called Babynuology which must be an astrology site. There the mango is identified as the king of the fruits and in Vedic astrology it's ruling element is the sun and it's moon element is Leo the lion. Checking another site I found that the position of the sun and moon on August 21 will be smack dab in the middle of the constellation Leo (the stars of which will become visible during the eclipse), right next to the brightest star Regulus (known as "the heart of the king", or in Latin, "The Prince" or "The Little King").

From another site I found a list of all the number 33's associated with this eclipse. Just to get you up to speed on the meaning of numbers in Scripture, the number 11 is usually associated with judgment. Bullinger says in his book - Number In Scripture - that if 10 represents the perfection of divine order then 11 is an addition to it, subversive of and undoing that order. If 12 is the number which marks the perfection of divine government then 11 (whether 10+1 or 12-1) is the number which marks disorder, disorganization, imperfection and disintegration.

33 is a multiple of 11 (11 x 3). The sun will enter the U.S. at Lincoln, Oregon, which is our 33rd state. It will exit from Key Beech, South Carolina, which is at the 33rd degree latitude. It has been 99 years (33 x 3) since the last eclipse of this kind and 33 days later in September we will have seen the great sign of Virgo in the heavens which is mentioned in Revelation 12 (the woman with the crown of 12 stars who gives birth to the man child). More on the possible meaning of this sign in the heavens at a later post.

Other things to note:

Carbon (root of Carbondale, is the 6th element and it is made up of 6 protons, 6 electrons and 6 neutrons (6-6-6 - well known reference to the Antichrist).

August 21, 2017 is Ehul 1 on the Jewish calendar. In Jewish tradition this marks the beginning of a 40 day period of repentance to prepare generally for the day of God's judgement and specifically for the upcoming Jewish feast days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Although I think the rapture of the Church, if on a Jewish feast day, will occur at some future Pentecost, many think that it will happen on a Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashana), which begins this year on Sept. 20, 2017. Ehul 1 begins with the blowing of the shofar. The Sign of Virgo happens on Sep. 23rd, 2017.

April 8th, 2014 happens on the Jewish month Nissan 1, which marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year.

In 1811 and 1812 the U.S. experienced a series of huge earthquakes, some of which were over 9 on the Richter scale. These occurred in an area known as the New Madrid fault, a lot of which is covered by the crossing routes of the two eclipses. Some have prophesied that the U.S. will be divided in two by a future major earthquake(s) happening in this area. Check the link below to see the area.

Map of New Madrid seismic activity

Although I am not predicting that judgment on the U.S. will begin then or that the rapture will come this September I am convinced that God is in control of the movements and timing of the sun, moon and stars and that we are indeed somewhere in the last days. Even if there will instead be 7 years of national blessing and revival between the two eclipses I am convinced that these two crossings are a call for the Church and our nation to repent and to pray as never before.

Here is a poem I wrote about this.


Total Eclipse of August 21

There are stories we've been told by men with lying lips
who weave their interesting tales, sure facts until one slips
and so begins the terrors of the next great full eclipse

I'm told that darkness will extend from shore to shining shore
beginning west in Oregon, then east southeast will tore
South Carolina where it ends, the ocean it will pour

And in the path of full darkness, seventy miles wide
lasting two full minutes long, that's quite a solar ride
but all this is a warning shot concerning nation's pride

About a hundred years ago was last it crossed complete
we entered war to end all wars that leveled the elite
but came out later standing tall, strong arms and on two feet

Yet now the nation's at a point of body, spirit, souls
the air's a mess of boiling clouds with darkness at the poles
the question - do we change and heal - the answer be - who knows?

Daisies and Poppies

This poem was inspired by a prophetic word we had this Sunday morning. Dave has been preaching the last two weeks on my favorite Scripture, Romans 8:1.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.

In the word daisies represented life and poppies death.


Daisies and Poppies

She wandered the field
searching for daisies
but brought back poppies instead
then cradled those close
to her broken heart
while curled as a ball
in her bed

And the tears that were shed
while curled in that bed
came from loneliness and pain
of life that was lost
at a terrible cost
which she recalled again
and again

Through shutters then shone
while she lay there alone
bright light on that tear stained face
encouraging word
forgiveness assured
offered with kindness
and grace

And the grace that was hers
could also be yours
daisies fresh to brighten your day
cast those poppies aside
you'll have new life inside
from One who gave
His life away

The Explorer - Isaiah 53:6

The forest folded as I walked
into the great unknown
but carried on with slower pace
searched till the path was shown
past dew and damp and sticking thorns
down to a wandering creek
and there I stopped to contemplate
what future I should seek
just as I did a minnow jumped
beneath a floating branch
a darting cloud of tiny bugs
flew by as if by chance
and as I stood there lost in thought
a beam of sun shone through
down to my knees there in the mud
to follow what was true
all that I've done was just for me
like all I'd gone astray
He was the Lamb who shed His blood
for me, to show the way