Perfect world, flawless world
Look at me, point out my imperfections
Day after day, without fail
I long to be pure and spotless
Somewhere, someday.
Wise, intelligent men
Help me, cure me of my misperceptions
Remind me how I lost my tail
I hope to be so sure and doubtless
Somewhere, someday.
Reverent society, tolerant all
Guide me, change my wrong direction
Tell me again "there is no hell"
I want to be found blameless
Somewhere, someday.
Cold, loveless hearts
Follow me, I'll show you my affection
I'll tell you all there is to tell
I want you to find true forgiveness
Right here, right now.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Suddenly Darkness
The darkness thick, no light could cut,
One foot in front of the other, but,
The ground itself seemed swallowed up,
Fear was starting to sink in.
Now, from somewhere, sounds arise,
Shouting, sobbing, pitiful cries,
As I struggle to see, I realize,
No light would ever be coming in.
Then suddenly aware of a horrible heat,
I could feel the flames burning my feet,
Then my thoughts started coming back to me,
I was dead, and in Hell for my sin.
I knew from stories there was a place far above,
That was so full of light, so full of love,
Now I wanted to go into that place I'd heard of,
But I was too late to enter in.
One foot in front of the other, but,
The ground itself seemed swallowed up,
Fear was starting to sink in.
Now, from somewhere, sounds arise,
Shouting, sobbing, pitiful cries,
As I struggle to see, I realize,
No light would ever be coming in.
Then suddenly aware of a horrible heat,
I could feel the flames burning my feet,
Then my thoughts started coming back to me,
I was dead, and in Hell for my sin.
I knew from stories there was a place far above,
That was so full of light, so full of love,
Now I wanted to go into that place I'd heard of,
But I was too late to enter in.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Identity
There is nothing inherently wrong with long hair on men, tattoos, or piercings. That is quite an opening line, considering I don't necessarily care for any of them. I try not to look down on anyone that has them, but I wouldn't recommend any of them either. I have many friends that I love dearly, that have tattoos and piercings. I had my own ears pierced three times, many years ago. The long hair on men I mentioned because I used to have shoulder length hair, with a small ponytail, before I got saved. It seemed to bother a lot of people, older people anyway.
The reason I bring all this up, is because I was talking to a friend of mine today that has hair almost all the way down his back. Every time I see him, I kid him about getting it cut. The truth is, I don't care how long his hair is. I'm concerned about the fact that he CAN'T get it cut. It's become who he is. He's afraid he won't really be himself if he cuts his hair. To me, that's a little scary. I've talked to men who wouldn't shave their beards off if their life depended on it. It had become such a part of their identity that they couldn't even THINK of parting with it. It's this kind of thinking that might keep us from being able to give up things we don't need, so we can further the ministry God has given us.
I fell into that trap years ago. I said I would NEVER shave my beard. Then, I suddenly felt very vain. Since then, I grow it, shave it off, whatever feels right at the time. It's the same with the hair on my head. I am determined not to let ANY part of me become my only identity. It's the same with tattoos, piercings, whatever. I am more than one part of me. God created me to be an example of Himself. No one part of me, whether in my body, or my life, is more important than God. My identity is in Jesus Christ. Not in me.
The reason I bring all this up, is because I was talking to a friend of mine today that has hair almost all the way down his back. Every time I see him, I kid him about getting it cut. The truth is, I don't care how long his hair is. I'm concerned about the fact that he CAN'T get it cut. It's become who he is. He's afraid he won't really be himself if he cuts his hair. To me, that's a little scary. I've talked to men who wouldn't shave their beards off if their life depended on it. It had become such a part of their identity that they couldn't even THINK of parting with it. It's this kind of thinking that might keep us from being able to give up things we don't need, so we can further the ministry God has given us.
I fell into that trap years ago. I said I would NEVER shave my beard. Then, I suddenly felt very vain. Since then, I grow it, shave it off, whatever feels right at the time. It's the same with the hair on my head. I am determined not to let ANY part of me become my only identity. It's the same with tattoos, piercings, whatever. I am more than one part of me. God created me to be an example of Himself. No one part of me, whether in my body, or my life, is more important than God. My identity is in Jesus Christ. Not in me.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Feelings
The Bible implies that we will have all of our senses when we leave this life. Our spirits will be able to hear, feel, smell, see, and taste. Probably better than we do now. I am so glad to know this.
We will be able to hear Jesus say "Enter in, My good and faithful servant". We'll be able to see the nail scars on His hands and feet, and the side that was pierced. We'll feel His gentle hands wipe the tears from our eyes. We'll taste the wedding supper prepared just for us, and served to us by Jesus Himself. We'll smell the incense of His presence in Heaven. Our senses will be subjected to so much more. These are but a wonderful few.
Unfortunately, those that die lost, without ever having known Jesus as their Lord and Savior, will have their senses also. They'll feel the flames burning their spiritual bodies. They'll hear the screams of the countless others being tortured for all eternity. They'll smell the sulfur and the burning flesh. They'll see, but they'll see nothing but darkness. They will taste nothing but their own tongues as they chew on them, hoping for a small bit of relief from the heat and pain. They will also have the memories of all the opportunities they passed up. Opportunities for salvation. Thinking they had more time. Now, time is all they will have.
We will be able to hear Jesus say "Enter in, My good and faithful servant". We'll be able to see the nail scars on His hands and feet, and the side that was pierced. We'll feel His gentle hands wipe the tears from our eyes. We'll taste the wedding supper prepared just for us, and served to us by Jesus Himself. We'll smell the incense of His presence in Heaven. Our senses will be subjected to so much more. These are but a wonderful few.
Unfortunately, those that die lost, without ever having known Jesus as their Lord and Savior, will have their senses also. They'll feel the flames burning their spiritual bodies. They'll hear the screams of the countless others being tortured for all eternity. They'll smell the sulfur and the burning flesh. They'll see, but they'll see nothing but darkness. They will taste nothing but their own tongues as they chew on them, hoping for a small bit of relief from the heat and pain. They will also have the memories of all the opportunities they passed up. Opportunities for salvation. Thinking they had more time. Now, time is all they will have.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Sickness
Sickness causes your world to change
Your attitude goes from cheery to blah
A friend's sense of humor has no effect
You try so hard but you just can't relate
The light seems to fade when you don't really care
The sun keeps its distance, apparently, just in case
It's brightness would falter if your grayness was catching
So now your eyes grow dim, and your body grows cold
You don't care if life gets accomplished or not
Let someone that feels better take care of those things
You just want to focus on sleep, and more sleep
And finding more blankets, and a place to lie down
Sickness is one of those things that you dread
You know that it's coming, you just don't know when
Like death, it creeps up when you least expect it
Its' twinge, an unwanted feeling on the edge of your soul
Once on you, lest it defeat you, you fight it
The natural reaction of a weakened defense
No matter the cost, you give all you've got
Win or lose, you've done all you can do
Your attitude goes from cheery to blah
A friend's sense of humor has no effect
You try so hard but you just can't relate
The light seems to fade when you don't really care
The sun keeps its distance, apparently, just in case
It's brightness would falter if your grayness was catching
So now your eyes grow dim, and your body grows cold
You don't care if life gets accomplished or not
Let someone that feels better take care of those things
You just want to focus on sleep, and more sleep
And finding more blankets, and a place to lie down
Sickness is one of those things that you dread
You know that it's coming, you just don't know when
Like death, it creeps up when you least expect it
Its' twinge, an unwanted feeling on the edge of your soul
Once on you, lest it defeat you, you fight it
The natural reaction of a weakened defense
No matter the cost, you give all you've got
Win or lose, you've done all you can do
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Memories
I was thinking about memories today. Memories are funny things. It's one thing when you stop and think about events in your past, but when they pop up unexpectedly, it can be a little unsettling. I think of those kind as screen savers for the mind. When I'm not really thinking of anything in particular, suddenly, I'm back in my childhood, or on an old family vacation, or whatever. I'm guessing God put them there to keep us from completely shutting down, or slipping into a coma. I could be wrong though.
The memories that baffle me though, are the little snippets of the past that don't make any sense. I have several that are recurring. I'm still no closer to figuring them out. There's one with a baby in a diaper, looking out a storm door, crying loudly. I have no idea what this means. It could be something that was very traumatic at the time, and burned itself into my mind. I wish the rest of it would've hung around. I have several more that are a little disturbing, from my childhood, but I won't go there right now. I'm pretty sure I had an undiagnosed mental disorder as a child.
I love to think back on all the good things that have happened in my life. I also try to forget the bad stuff, but memories aren't always so easily forgotten. Some bad memories can actually be helpful. We can learn from our past mistakes.
As good as memories are, we can't live in our past. We have to stay focused on our present, and prepare for our future.
As the Bible says in Romans 8:28, "And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Past, present, and future.
The memories that baffle me though, are the little snippets of the past that don't make any sense. I have several that are recurring. I'm still no closer to figuring them out. There's one with a baby in a diaper, looking out a storm door, crying loudly. I have no idea what this means. It could be something that was very traumatic at the time, and burned itself into my mind. I wish the rest of it would've hung around. I have several more that are a little disturbing, from my childhood, but I won't go there right now. I'm pretty sure I had an undiagnosed mental disorder as a child.
I love to think back on all the good things that have happened in my life. I also try to forget the bad stuff, but memories aren't always so easily forgotten. Some bad memories can actually be helpful. We can learn from our past mistakes.
As good as memories are, we can't live in our past. We have to stay focused on our present, and prepare for our future.
As the Bible says in Romans 8:28, "And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Past, present, and future.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
A Simple Man
I am a simple man. Some people would say I'm simple in more ways than one, and they would probably be right. But, I live a simple life, with few distractions.
Goodwill is my favorite store. 99% of my clothes come from there. Almost all of those were bought on a Sunday for 99 cents apiece. As a matter of fact, I don't remember the last time I bought NEW clothes. The Bible says to be content with what you have. I TRY to do that. Like I said, I'm a simple man.
I don't keep up with all of the newest technology, so I don't worry about getting the next BIG THING. The only thing we have right now that's not SO simple, is an iPhone 4. Used iPhone 4's. The only reason we got them was to get rid of our home Internet. Now we're not tied down to a desk. We carry the Internet around with us. The cool thing is, the $60 a month for the data plan, for both phones, is the same amount we were paying for our Internet at home. Simple.
Next on our agenda is getting rid of our satellite TV. We don't watch much TV as it is, but we've kept it this long for local weather, but the funny thing is, whenever the weather gets bad, we lose our channels. We will still have a DVD player, and with a $20 cable running from our phone to our TV, we can watch Netflix. That's only $8 a month. Simple.
This lifestyle is not for everyone, so I'm not saying we're better than anyone else. It just WORKS for us. If you read John 6:26-29 it says, "Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” (New Living Translation).
That is a good philosophy. Enjoy life. Live SIMPLY for God.
Goodwill is my favorite store. 99% of my clothes come from there. Almost all of those were bought on a Sunday for 99 cents apiece. As a matter of fact, I don't remember the last time I bought NEW clothes. The Bible says to be content with what you have. I TRY to do that. Like I said, I'm a simple man.
I don't keep up with all of the newest technology, so I don't worry about getting the next BIG THING. The only thing we have right now that's not SO simple, is an iPhone 4. Used iPhone 4's. The only reason we got them was to get rid of our home Internet. Now we're not tied down to a desk. We carry the Internet around with us. The cool thing is, the $60 a month for the data plan, for both phones, is the same amount we were paying for our Internet at home. Simple.
Next on our agenda is getting rid of our satellite TV. We don't watch much TV as it is, but we've kept it this long for local weather, but the funny thing is, whenever the weather gets bad, we lose our channels. We will still have a DVD player, and with a $20 cable running from our phone to our TV, we can watch Netflix. That's only $8 a month. Simple.
This lifestyle is not for everyone, so I'm not saying we're better than anyone else. It just WORKS for us. If you read John 6:26-29 it says, "Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” (New Living Translation).
That is a good philosophy. Enjoy life. Live SIMPLY for God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)