This one is an answer to those promoting a purely rational faith:
Those who believe they believe in God but without passion in the heart, without anguish of mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, and even at times without despair, believe only in the idea of God, and not in God himself. Madeleine L'Engle
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Rose Garden
One of the oddities we found in NZ -- a rose garden, out in the backblocks near Nelson, that was the gift of a tobacco company! Anti-smoking as i am, I have to say the gardens, though small were beautiful!
Metamorphosis
Don't we all long to fly while we crawl over broken glass?
METAMORPHOSIS
Green one, your long-lunched feeding days are over;
In this, known form, there's nowhere left to grow.
Things stir within, undreamt of fears possess you;
Dearly you would remain with what you know.
But, law unalterable, that bids the lush leaves
Change to strange hues and drop from their safe tree;
That bids the moon transmute to hidden rhythms,
And binds the lives of all the things which be,
Calls you to destiny, till now a rumour
Of alien glory you can't comprehend.
The days of youthful ignorance are fleeting.
The only life you know comes to an end.
What is a butterfly? It were as easy,
To talk to earthly men of heavenly things.
Your sceptics say cocoons are final darkness,
How dare a caterpillar dream of wings?
METAMORPHOSIS
Green one, your long-lunched feeding days are over;
In this, known form, there's nowhere left to grow.
Things stir within, undreamt of fears possess you;
Dearly you would remain with what you know.
But, law unalterable, that bids the lush leaves
Change to strange hues and drop from their safe tree;
That bids the moon transmute to hidden rhythms,
And binds the lives of all the things which be,
Calls you to destiny, till now a rumour
Of alien glory you can't comprehend.
The days of youthful ignorance are fleeting.
The only life you know comes to an end.
What is a butterfly? It were as easy,
To talk to earthly men of heavenly things.
Your sceptics say cocoons are final darkness,
How dare a caterpillar dream of wings?
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Anselm again
“I do not endeavour, O Lord, to penetrate thy sublimity, for in no wise do I compare my understanding with that; but I long to understand in some degree thy truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe,—that unless I believed, I should not understand.” [St Anselm, Proslogium, Chapter I]
My God, I pray that I may so know you and love you that I may rejoice in you. And if I may not do so fully in this life let me go steadily on to the day when I come to that fullness ... Let me receive That which you promised through your truth, that my joy may be full
My God, I pray that I may so know you and love you that I may rejoice in you. And if I may not do so fully in this life let me go steadily on to the day when I come to that fullness ... Let me receive That which you promised through your truth, that my joy may be full
The Personal Universe
Only to an impersonal scientific instrument (the only means of perception we have) is the universe sterile and lifeless. Anyone who has ever read C S Lewis' "Voyage to Venus" (Perelandra) will know where the original inspiration for this poem came from: the vision of the "Great Dance" near the end of the book -- a scene that even now I cannot re-read without crying ..
THE PERSONAL UNIVERSE
Love holds the stars in motion. Whirling spheres
Mutual attract in balance absolute,
Suffered by love to speak his righteousness,
And the cold, alien silence to refute.
Not lifeless rock, but living, singing dust,
Held in the motion of dynamic will;
Dwarfing our minds to teach us how to trust,
In Him Whose grace can every lightyear fill.
Not tyrannous, cold numbers, Love's delight
Frolics the orbits, sweetens heartless clay.
Where His touch reaches, there can be no night,
Only the keen expectancy of day.
All to His glory, suns and planets move
At Joy's command, engaged in wondrous dance.
All is the dear-wrought stage-set for His love,
Affirming us in true significance.
THE PERSONAL UNIVERSE
Love holds the stars in motion. Whirling spheres
Mutual attract in balance absolute,
Suffered by love to speak his righteousness,
And the cold, alien silence to refute.
Not lifeless rock, but living, singing dust,
Held in the motion of dynamic will;
Dwarfing our minds to teach us how to trust,
In Him Whose grace can every lightyear fill.
Not tyrannous, cold numbers, Love's delight
Frolics the orbits, sweetens heartless clay.
Where His touch reaches, there can be no night,
Only the keen expectancy of day.
All to His glory, suns and planets move
At Joy's command, engaged in wondrous dance.
All is the dear-wrought stage-set for His love,
Affirming us in true significance.
Queen Charlotte Sound
Another view of the sound, taken from a lookout along the road between Picton and Nelson
Albatrosses
Two wandering albatrosses in the waters off Kaikoura, NZ. The small bird in the background is a Pacific gull, normally seen as quite a large bird, but not next to an albatross!!
Friday, June 23, 2006
Prayer
Today the sky turned soft with mist
I felt enclosed by You.
Rain fell on the longing grass
I thank you for your mercy
Sun broke through, flashing on the wet leaves
I thank You that my solitude
cannot lock out Your joy.
Today I thank You
for the ordinary things:
food and clothing, a shelter for the body
this body You have given me, with all its limitations,
through which I learn of You.
Today I thank You
For all my days, the bitter and the sweet,
For the present moment, passing yet eternal,
For time outside of time, the unimaginable
sweep of eternity
to which You call
this fragile self to dance in step with You
across forever.
I felt enclosed by You.
Rain fell on the longing grass
I thank you for your mercy
Sun broke through, flashing on the wet leaves
I thank You that my solitude
cannot lock out Your joy.
Today I thank You
for the ordinary things:
food and clothing, a shelter for the body
this body You have given me, with all its limitations,
through which I learn of You.
Today I thank You
For all my days, the bitter and the sweet,
For the present moment, passing yet eternal,
For time outside of time, the unimaginable
sweep of eternity
to which You call
this fragile self to dance in step with You
across forever.
NZ sunset
Taken from a waterfront park at Kaikoura. I love the way, as twilight closes in, a body of water seems to gather all the remaining light into itself, and reflect it back.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Anselm
To read the following prayer, you would think it was written by a modern, feminist, possibly "liberal" -- certainly an ardent advocate for gender inclusive language!! In fact, it was written by Anselm (1033-1109), a Mediaeval archbishop of Canterbury:
Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to
you:
you are gentle with us as a mother with her
children.
Often you weep over our sins and our pride:
tenderly you draw us from hatred and
judgment.
You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our
wounds:
in sickness you nurse us and with pure
milk you feed us.
Jesus, by your dying, we are born to new
life:
by your anguish and labour we come forth
in joy.
Despair turns to hope through your sweet
goodness:
through your gentleness, we find comfort
in fear.
Your warmth gives life to the dead:
your touch makes sinners righteous.
Lord Jesus, in your mercy, heal us:
in your love and tenderness, remake us.
In your compassion, bring grace and
forgiveness:
for the beauty of heaven, may your love
prepare us.
Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to
you:
you are gentle with us as a mother with her
children.
Often you weep over our sins and our pride:
tenderly you draw us from hatred and
judgment.
You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our
wounds:
in sickness you nurse us and with pure
milk you feed us.
Jesus, by your dying, we are born to new
life:
by your anguish and labour we come forth
in joy.
Despair turns to hope through your sweet
goodness:
through your gentleness, we find comfort
in fear.
Your warmth gives life to the dead:
your touch makes sinners righteous.
Lord Jesus, in your mercy, heal us:
in your love and tenderness, remake us.
In your compassion, bring grace and
forgiveness:
for the beauty of heaven, may your love
prepare us.
Athanasius
A quote to ponder:
"The Word of God came in his own person, because it was he alone, the image of the Father, who could recreate human beings made after the image. At one and the same time—this is the wonder—as man, he was living a human life; and as Word, he was sustaining the life of the universe; and as Son, he was in constant union with the Father."—Athanasius, On the Incarnation
"The Word of God came in his own person, because it was he alone, the image of the Father, who could recreate human beings made after the image. At one and the same time—this is the wonder—as man, he was living a human life; and as Word, he was sustaining the life of the universe; and as Son, he was in constant union with the Father."—Athanasius, On the Incarnation
Flowers and mountains
From the same area again, hollyhocks in the foreground (it was midsummer) and those wonderful mountains behind!
Picture postcard
This is actually a waterview from near kaikoura, NZ. if someone had told me it was a calendar shot of Switzerland in summer, I would probably believe them. (Most likely because I've never seen Switzerland, but ignorance is proverbially bliss!)
wavy rock
We are now time travelling, going back to january 05 when I first got my digital camera, on a trip to NZ. This odd rock formation was near kaikoura, north of Christchurch.
Touched by Love
Not sure when I wrote this one, must be at least 8-9 years ago. The vision of God as lover and friend, filling the hole left by lack of human love.
TOUCHED BY LOVE
The damaged came to Jesus in their need;
He reached His hand and touched them, they were freed.
I have been one who walked the frozen night
With slow, uncertain steps. Too scared to move
I’d huddle on the rocks that pierced the ice
And try to visualise the warmth of love.
I held this dream: stark, bright against the gloom
Through my long ice age while my strength grew weak;
A whispered longing from my numbed, torn heart,
The only prayer my secret soul could speak.
And then you came. Across my frozen fields
You walked in truth. I felt the warmth of you
Draw my scared longings from my snowbound heart,
I met the harbingers of something new.
All of this time, bewildered in my cage,
Locked in by pain and pride and frozen rage,
I called to God to come and set me free,
But love’s the only path to liberty.
I followed after you with longing eyes,
Stretched my stiff soul small faltering steps to take,
And, stumbling, forced my rigid limbs to move
In parody of love for love’s dear sake.
What did you see? I scarcely dare to ask.
Do snowmen dance? Do frigid puppets thaw
Into bright ballet? More like Frankenstein
I lumbered hesitant and stiff and sore.
I had no grace of movement or of heart
Save that one grace: unquenchable desire,
Motor and motivator of my steps,
In my cold wastes Christ’s precious spark of fire.
He is my God, my sun of heat and light;
His grace the daystar of my bitter night.
I was afraid your heat would melt from me
My self’s own shape, till, liquid, I would fall
Into unbeing’s puddle . Sore afraid,
I hid and did not answer to your call.
And still you waited, till a warmer sun
Rose in my sky at God’s ordained decree
And, while you wandered at my edge of sight,
How dared I hope that you would wait for me?
And, yet, you did! If I could understand
That thing love is I surely would have known
The gift was for my taking. Ignorant,
I stumbled on, cold, miserable, alone.
Christ my creator draws me with the string
Of matchless grace towards His living Spring.
He offered up Himself that I might be
A new creation, loving, loved and free.
You saw my faltering progress, stopped and turned
Welcomed with words that I half understood
(Only I saw in you that hope I yearned,
And, still confused, yet recognised a good)
By your first touch my wavering heart was won
To a commitment which it could not break
To journey on. I did not know the way,
Yet love commanded me for love’s own sake.
So, still I struggled. By the Son’s warm light
Making strange progress. Your arms opened wide
Ready to catch me when, at length I came
Stumbling across my fear and hurt and pride.
And then you took me where I longed to be,
Into your arms, clasped close and welcomed there;
Held fast against my own dark emptiness
Till every breath became a sheltering prayer.
My Father’s mercy goes before, behind;
Drowns my wild fears and overturns my mind.
Here is my thawing place. Here I can rest
Safe-souled in warmth of your dear cherishing,
Glad for this given shelter on the way
To my true home where love is everything.
Here there is healing for my journey pains
Where my long frozen numbness melts away
Softened by love into a living form
Which can dance forth to love and laugh and pray.
I meet your love, and, meeting, know it God’s,
No lesser love could touch the child within
Blessing the hidden hunger of her heart,
Making a refuge midst her terror’s din.
God, my dear blessed God heard all my prayer.
I turned and found His love already there,
Love that has always held me in embrace,
But now, at last, my heart can feel His grace!
Now, though snow lingers, I can see the green
Clamouring through, and marvel at the sight.
God, Who rejoices to make all things new,
Opens my mouth that I might taste delight.
His gift, through you, renewal of the hope
I thought near-broken till you held me fast
And showed me that He holds all things for me,
That I might learn to trust that love will last.
That, trusting Him, in love I might grow strong,
Strong to give back such love as given me
Growing a self, that I that self might give
Back unto you (a gift both blessed and free)
Christ the beginning, as He is the end;
God of all gods, yet He has named me friend!
TOUCHED BY LOVE
The damaged came to Jesus in their need;
He reached His hand and touched them, they were freed.
I have been one who walked the frozen night
With slow, uncertain steps. Too scared to move
I’d huddle on the rocks that pierced the ice
And try to visualise the warmth of love.
I held this dream: stark, bright against the gloom
Through my long ice age while my strength grew weak;
A whispered longing from my numbed, torn heart,
The only prayer my secret soul could speak.
And then you came. Across my frozen fields
You walked in truth. I felt the warmth of you
Draw my scared longings from my snowbound heart,
I met the harbingers of something new.
All of this time, bewildered in my cage,
Locked in by pain and pride and frozen rage,
I called to God to come and set me free,
But love’s the only path to liberty.
I followed after you with longing eyes,
Stretched my stiff soul small faltering steps to take,
And, stumbling, forced my rigid limbs to move
In parody of love for love’s dear sake.
What did you see? I scarcely dare to ask.
Do snowmen dance? Do frigid puppets thaw
Into bright ballet? More like Frankenstein
I lumbered hesitant and stiff and sore.
I had no grace of movement or of heart
Save that one grace: unquenchable desire,
Motor and motivator of my steps,
In my cold wastes Christ’s precious spark of fire.
He is my God, my sun of heat and light;
His grace the daystar of my bitter night.
I was afraid your heat would melt from me
My self’s own shape, till, liquid, I would fall
Into unbeing’s puddle . Sore afraid,
I hid and did not answer to your call.
And still you waited, till a warmer sun
Rose in my sky at God’s ordained decree
And, while you wandered at my edge of sight,
How dared I hope that you would wait for me?
And, yet, you did! If I could understand
That thing love is I surely would have known
The gift was for my taking. Ignorant,
I stumbled on, cold, miserable, alone.
Christ my creator draws me with the string
Of matchless grace towards His living Spring.
He offered up Himself that I might be
A new creation, loving, loved and free.
You saw my faltering progress, stopped and turned
Welcomed with words that I half understood
(Only I saw in you that hope I yearned,
And, still confused, yet recognised a good)
By your first touch my wavering heart was won
To a commitment which it could not break
To journey on. I did not know the way,
Yet love commanded me for love’s own sake.
So, still I struggled. By the Son’s warm light
Making strange progress. Your arms opened wide
Ready to catch me when, at length I came
Stumbling across my fear and hurt and pride.
And then you took me where I longed to be,
Into your arms, clasped close and welcomed there;
Held fast against my own dark emptiness
Till every breath became a sheltering prayer.
My Father’s mercy goes before, behind;
Drowns my wild fears and overturns my mind.
Here is my thawing place. Here I can rest
Safe-souled in warmth of your dear cherishing,
Glad for this given shelter on the way
To my true home where love is everything.
Here there is healing for my journey pains
Where my long frozen numbness melts away
Softened by love into a living form
Which can dance forth to love and laugh and pray.
I meet your love, and, meeting, know it God’s,
No lesser love could touch the child within
Blessing the hidden hunger of her heart,
Making a refuge midst her terror’s din.
God, my dear blessed God heard all my prayer.
I turned and found His love already there,
Love that has always held me in embrace,
But now, at last, my heart can feel His grace!
Now, though snow lingers, I can see the green
Clamouring through, and marvel at the sight.
God, Who rejoices to make all things new,
Opens my mouth that I might taste delight.
His gift, through you, renewal of the hope
I thought near-broken till you held me fast
And showed me that He holds all things for me,
That I might learn to trust that love will last.
That, trusting Him, in love I might grow strong,
Strong to give back such love as given me
Growing a self, that I that self might give
Back unto you (a gift both blessed and free)
Christ the beginning, as He is the end;
God of all gods, yet He has named me friend!
Is there a superpickle?
Your results:You are Superman
Superman
75%
Spider-Man
70%
Wonder Woman
63%
Supergirl
58%
Robin
53%
Green Lantern
50%
Hulk
35%
Iron Man
35%
Batman
30%
The Flash
30%
Catwoman
10%
You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.
Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...
Superman
75%
Spider-Man
70%
Wonder Woman
63%
Supergirl
58%
Robin
53%
Green Lantern
50%
Hulk
35%
Iron Man
35%
Batman
30%
The Flash
30%
Catwoman
10%
You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.
Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Great quote
No idea who said it, but I love it:
I believe God entered time and space to make a nonverbal statement. He didn't come to keep us from suffering; He came to suffer as we must suffer. He didn't come just to keep us from being afraid; He came to be afraid as we are afraid. He didn't come just to keep us from dying; He came to die as we must die. He didn't come to keep us from being tempted; He came to be tempted as we are tempted.
I believe God entered time and space to make a nonverbal statement. He didn't come to keep us from suffering; He came to suffer as we must suffer. He didn't come just to keep us from being afraid; He came to be afraid as we are afraid. He didn't come just to keep us from dying; He came to die as we must die. He didn't come to keep us from being tempted; He came to be tempted as we are tempted.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Wind in pandanus
These spiky pandanus trees are really common in Queensland. here they are in a rising wind, with a grey sea behind
Waterbirds
Scene from the wetlands. A bush area up in the hills behind Port Douglas, set aside as a bird sanctuary. I love the winter light on the water (even in the tropics!) and, of course, the birds!
Wounds
I wrote this poem some years ago because of a situation I was in where I was regarded as a very poor sort of Christian because I was open about the fact that I had been hurt and abused, and that, consequently, I have vulnerabilities because some of the things i have been through are not totally healed yet. I have never understood the mentality that makes a suffering person spiritually inferior to one who's had an easy ride (and, equally, I've never regarded a hardship as an automatic badge of honour.) We are all on the same journey, only God knows how we've handled what we've had to cope with.
Look on my wounds –they are the empty tomb
From which a blessed resurrection came
You will not see the miracle I am
Unless you dare to look upon my shame.
These broken places, putrid with disease
Were habitations of such evil lies
Feeding upon the nightmares of my past
Swarmed on my soul like overblown flies.
Sharp words of cruelty, dull words of defeat.
Slippery words that twisted black and white
Pursued me through the tangle of my days
With bitter fascination, lurid, bright.
Yet I have found the clean, bare word of truth
Fierce as the wind and salt-sharp as the sea,
Cutting remorseless to the bones of self
And severing the bondage which was me.
Now, like the sore-delivered, I may stand
Shaky but whole, and marvel to be free
These hurts are not the badges of decay,
But the dear wounds that got my liberty.
Look on my wounds –they are the empty tomb
From which a blessed resurrection came
You will not see the miracle I am
Unless you dare to look upon my shame.
These broken places, putrid with disease
Were habitations of such evil lies
Feeding upon the nightmares of my past
Swarmed on my soul like overblown flies.
Sharp words of cruelty, dull words of defeat.
Slippery words that twisted black and white
Pursued me through the tangle of my days
With bitter fascination, lurid, bright.
Yet I have found the clean, bare word of truth
Fierce as the wind and salt-sharp as the sea,
Cutting remorseless to the bones of self
And severing the bondage which was me.
Now, like the sore-delivered, I may stand
Shaky but whole, and marvel to be free
These hurts are not the badges of decay,
But the dear wounds that got my liberty.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Rainlight
Another day in far North Queensland (these were taken about a year ago). Dramatically different weather, but I love the drama of light.
Far North Queensland
Coastal scene from somewhere near Port Douglas. Tassie and north Qld are my two favourite places to visit (Sydney's still my favourite to live)
People in church
From an email I just wrote to a friend, these are thoughts I want to keep a record of:
Two further thoughts:
1. It's important to remember that church is still God's idea, not ours, even though we keep trying to turn it into something made in our own image
2. Which of those people am I being?
I still can't figure out what church ought to be. Obviously there are ways of doing church that make it harder to be real than others, but I'm increasingly convinced that structure (except when it's really really bad) is the least of it. The problem, as always is people -- people who want ot be spiritual game players, people who only feel safe by condemning others, people who want to check their brains in the door and have someone tell them what to think, people who want everything to be about hierarchy and power, people who think everything's about sex, people who hide from their lack of experience of God by turning the Bible (no, their understanding of the bible) into God, people whose religion is about jumping through spiritual hoops, people who come to church to prove how good they are (not because they're needy), people who want to grow fat on spiritual junk food (no chewing required) and, most common of all, people who've built their own righteousness on submitting to their particular set of rules, and are threatened out of their skins by anyone else claiming to be a mature Christian and not keeping those rules.
Two further thoughts:
1. It's important to remember that church is still God's idea, not ours, even though we keep trying to turn it into something made in our own image
2. Which of those people am I being?
Friday, June 16, 2006
Pelican on grass
At the same north Queensland nature park, a pelican standing in the sun. I still love pelicans!
Green parrot
This was taken in a bird sanctuary at Port Douglas. The setting was rainforest-dark, but these birds are so bright they almost glow!
Be touched by Spring
Ok, it's just settling into the depths of winter here, but isn't that the time we hope for Spring the most? We still have to get through the shortest day of the year (next week) and the coldest month of the year (July), but there are buds growing on my magnolia, and tiny leaf buds on my Japanese maple, and Spring is really only a hope away. If only we had the same certainty that our lives would be renewed, and move forward into fruitfulness when we are lost in the deepest polar night of our own frozen season !
Be Touched by Spring
Be touched by spring. Let every living tendril
Dressed in new green twine hope around your heart
Let tender sunlight brush your skin with promise
And welling laughter rise through every part.
Souls are not made for winter’s domination
The stern repression of the frozen mind
Stricturing growth and banishing all love-warmth
Till, wrapped secure we can’t touch our own kind.
Let us be open to the jubilation
Of the high clouds that dance across the sky
Nestling, like birds, the secret dreams we cherish,
Setting them free, so they can learn to fly.
Let us turn opened eyes of shy new wonder
Towards the blossoms glowing where, it seems,
As near as yesterday, the twigs were barren:
Such is the resurrection of our dreams.
Let us remember how to kneel in reverence
Owning it is a miracle we see
Those who can spend themselves in glad thanksgiving
Have known springtime and walk glad and free.
Be Touched by Spring
Be touched by spring. Let every living tendril
Dressed in new green twine hope around your heart
Let tender sunlight brush your skin with promise
And welling laughter rise through every part.
Souls are not made for winter’s domination
The stern repression of the frozen mind
Stricturing growth and banishing all love-warmth
Till, wrapped secure we can’t touch our own kind.
Let us be open to the jubilation
Of the high clouds that dance across the sky
Nestling, like birds, the secret dreams we cherish,
Setting them free, so they can learn to fly.
Let us turn opened eyes of shy new wonder
Towards the blossoms glowing where, it seems,
As near as yesterday, the twigs were barren:
Such is the resurrection of our dreams.
Let us remember how to kneel in reverence
Owning it is a miracle we see
Those who can spend themselves in glad thanksgiving
Have known springtime and walk glad and free.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
My doughnut identity
Just another blogthings quiz, and yes, I can sit around and ponder the meaning of anything! (for fun)
| You Are a Caramel Crunch Donut |
 |
What Donut Are You?
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Fatherless Elephants
Came across this story in Christianity Today. I don't want to be simplistic (or grotesque) and go down the track of "Strong Male leadership" or the (very questionable) "need for authority"etc, (which was of course what the original article was supposed to illustrate ..sigh ..) but I think the ramifications are worth exploring a little. this is the story:
Something inherently destructive is unleashed in the unfathered heart. It may be destructive to others, just as often it is destructive to one's own self. The lack of a father is an invitation to chaos, of one kind or another. And I would suggest that the overly authoritarian father breeds a situation of outward conformity and inner chaos, a tamped down explosion or implosion waiting to happen, perhaps when the repressing authority is lightened. Our innermost self only finds its right order, its released functioning, when the voice of a true father has called it forth to engage rightly and richly with the world. Thank heavens that God has called Himself a "father to the fatherless" because this is hope, salvation and security for all of us whose fathers could not love us.
The park rangers at a South African wildlife preserve were concerned about the slaughter of 39 rare white rhinos in their park. It turned out that the rhinos were killed not by poachers but rather by juvenile delinquents—teen elephants.The story began a decade ago when the park could no longer sustain the increasing population of elephants. They decided to kill many of the adult elephants whose young were old enough to survive without them. And so, the young elephants grew up fatherless.As time went on, many of these young elephants roamed together in gangs and began to do things elephants normally don't do. They threw sticks and water at rhinos and acted like neighborhood bullies. Without dominant males, the young bulls became sexually active, producing excessive testosterone and exhibiting aggressive behavior. A few young males grew especially violent, knocking down rhinos and stepping or kneeling on them, crushing the life out of them. Mafuto the gang leader eventually had to be killed.The park rangers theorized that these young teen-aged elephants were acting badly because they lacked role models. The solution was to bring in a large male to lead them and to counteract their bully behaviors. Soon the new male established dominance and put the young bulls in their places. The killing stopped
Something inherently destructive is unleashed in the unfathered heart. It may be destructive to others, just as often it is destructive to one's own self. The lack of a father is an invitation to chaos, of one kind or another. And I would suggest that the overly authoritarian father breeds a situation of outward conformity and inner chaos, a tamped down explosion or implosion waiting to happen, perhaps when the repressing authority is lightened. Our innermost self only finds its right order, its released functioning, when the voice of a true father has called it forth to engage rightly and richly with the world. Thank heavens that God has called Himself a "father to the fatherless" because this is hope, salvation and security for all of us whose fathers could not love us.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Black swans on the marsh
This was a wetland area on the Tamar river -- actually a bird sanctuary. There was a walk (mainly boardwalk) that went all the way out through the reeds to an island, that was too far for me, but I enjoyed lingering along the way and watching the waterbirds. If you look carefully (or click to enlarge) you will see the reflection of the clouds in the marsh-waters.
Tamar River
Launceston (northern tassie) is on the Tamar, then it winds on towards the sea through farmland, vineyards and little settlements (a real tourist trail), and finally empties into bass Strait up at Georgetown
Pool by moonlight
Wish I had a photo that went with this (though I guess moonlight's a tricky thing to photograph). Sometime I must rework the last verse, it's a bit cliched, but it's stilla good picture of how God uses the beauty He has imbued in creation to feed our hungry hearts.
POOL BY MOONLIGHT
Sweet at the end of day, at rest to find
Light in its loveliness. The holy peace
Of its soft silver bathing all my heart
With a caress which can all pain release.
Here, no demands beat on my stumbling soul,
No everlasting questions blaze on me.
I shall take off the burden of the day
And be embraced by this tranquillity.
I shall remember the simplicity
Of childhood’s sleep; and, in remembrance, smile;
The moon in unveiled love looks down on me,
And sheds her beauty on me all the while.
I shall step softly in the silent pool,
And wash from me all grime and bitterness
Ripples of mercy gentle all my fears
Till I can weep to know such loveliness.
Here is a peace I do not understand,
Given in sacred hour that I might know
Love is a gift of precious tenderness
Which he, himself, in mercy will bestow.
POOL BY MOONLIGHT
Sweet at the end of day, at rest to find
Light in its loveliness. The holy peace
Of its soft silver bathing all my heart
With a caress which can all pain release.
Here, no demands beat on my stumbling soul,
No everlasting questions blaze on me.
I shall take off the burden of the day
And be embraced by this tranquillity.
I shall remember the simplicity
Of childhood’s sleep; and, in remembrance, smile;
The moon in unveiled love looks down on me,
And sheds her beauty on me all the while.
I shall step softly in the silent pool,
And wash from me all grime and bitterness
Ripples of mercy gentle all my fears
Till I can weep to know such loveliness.
Here is a peace I do not understand,
Given in sacred hour that I might know
Love is a gift of precious tenderness
Which he, himself, in mercy will bestow.
Green!
Just for fun -- things I associate with the colour green:
1. grass, leaves, plants -- all the obvious ones first, but they do make the world very beautiful!
2. Pickles! -- ok, but you do have to remember that I'm the naughty pickle who's green and bumpy and stands in the corner :)
3.Kermit the Frog -- he was after all the one who sang "It's not easy being green", the anthem of all of us pickles
4. Scarlett O'Hara's eyes -- for some reason it's the mention of her green eyes that stays with me. For many years, because of those green eyes, i visualised her as a redhead (despite Vivian Leigh). It was only a few years ago I re-read it and discovered she was dark!
5. New Zealand -- so green it almost hurts. However, it rains a lot to keep it that way.
6. Envy, the green-eyed monster -- one of the ugliest human motivations
7. My teenage bedspread. -- When I got my own room at age 12, I wanted mauve with a green bedspread. I had in mind a pretty apple green, when we went shopping my father insisted I had to get the first green one we found: an ugly dull dark green. I was so disappointed, but he wasn't going to spend any longer shopping than he had to!
8. The very hungry catterpillar -- one of the preschool books my sister lent my kids when they were small, not much plot but a very cute catterpillar!
9. Our guttering -- when we moved into this (brick) house all the eaves and gutters were cream, a few years ago we repainted them a gentle eucalytus green, really gave the place a lift!
10. My old Cruden's Concordance -- invaluable help for locating that elusive bible verse that's teasing my mind!
1. grass, leaves, plants -- all the obvious ones first, but they do make the world very beautiful!
2. Pickles! -- ok, but you do have to remember that I'm the naughty pickle who's green and bumpy and stands in the corner :)
3.Kermit the Frog -- he was after all the one who sang "It's not easy being green", the anthem of all of us pickles
4. Scarlett O'Hara's eyes -- for some reason it's the mention of her green eyes that stays with me. For many years, because of those green eyes, i visualised her as a redhead (despite Vivian Leigh). It was only a few years ago I re-read it and discovered she was dark!
5. New Zealand -- so green it almost hurts. However, it rains a lot to keep it that way.
6. Envy, the green-eyed monster -- one of the ugliest human motivations
7. My teenage bedspread. -- When I got my own room at age 12, I wanted mauve with a green bedspread. I had in mind a pretty apple green, when we went shopping my father insisted I had to get the first green one we found: an ugly dull dark green. I was so disappointed, but he wasn't going to spend any longer shopping than he had to!
8. The very hungry catterpillar -- one of the preschool books my sister lent my kids when they were small, not much plot but a very cute catterpillar!
9. Our guttering -- when we moved into this (brick) house all the eaves and gutters were cream, a few years ago we repainted them a gentle eucalytus green, really gave the place a lift!
10. My old Cruden's Concordance -- invaluable help for locating that elusive bible verse that's teasing my mind!
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Cloud coming down
another view from the lookout on Freycinet, showing the clouds coming down over the hilltops. it was such a beautiful place. not sure when we're likely to go back to Tassie now they've cancelled the boat from Sydney .. all the more reason to preserve these photos!
Red Hot pokers
At home now, being June, we have one lone red hot poker flower bravely standing in the rain. In Tassie, apparently, they flower in summer, not winter. Here is a whole stand of them in a garden attached to a craft gallery found along a mountain pass (called elephant Pass if I remember correctly, though I don't think Hannibal was ever anywhere near there!)
Friday, June 09, 2006
Under His wings
It's been a long day, my daughter's BA graduation (photos in the next few days when i've had time to upload and edit .. I promise!!) Tonight I just need something quiet and gentle .. do you? so I found this one in my collection ..
UNDER THE SHADOW
Under the shadow of Your wings
Here I shall rest entire
Loved into being by Yourself
Child of Your own desire.
Here I am wanted. Here I come
Home to Your lovely grace
Still You receive me, take me in
Welcome shines from Your face.
You are my shelter. Outside You
Fierce tempests rage and tear;
But I may curl against Your breast
There is no shaking there.
Here is my peace that cannot pass
Here my security
In the still centre of the world
Where You have hold of me.
UNDER THE SHADOW
Under the shadow of Your wings
Here I shall rest entire
Loved into being by Yourself
Child of Your own desire.
Here I am wanted. Here I come
Home to Your lovely grace
Still You receive me, take me in
Welcome shines from Your face.
You are my shelter. Outside You
Fierce tempests rage and tear;
But I may curl against Your breast
There is no shaking there.
Here is my peace that cannot pass
Here my security
In the still centre of the world
Where You have hold of me.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Can't!
ok, i'm on a roll. This time: Lynne can't!
*Lynne can't compete (guess I must be just too good for the competition .. or too nice to be competitive!)
*Lynne can't do quite wrong (I can get awfully close though .. can't tell the difference myself!)
*Lynne can't compose poorly (truth is, Lynne can't compose at all)
*Lynne can't remember the last time she sat down to dinner with her husband (I can so too! it was about 31/2 hours ago, and I can even remember what I cooked!)
*Lynne can't pick who the person falls in love with at all (no, but I bet it was a frog they had to kiss!)
*Lynne can't give him a trial (Lynne's not into trying?)
*Lynne, can't have COLIN FIRTH as a baddie (well, I wouldn't want to upset Suzanne, I know what she thinks of him!)
*Lynne can't take a joke (of course I can, but only if it's funny!)
*Lynne can't hold a candle (no, I go round with an electric light bulb stuck above my head like a cartoon character)
*Lynne can't be blamed this time (that makes a nice change!)
*Lynne can't be all that bad eh? (does this one need a comment?)
*Lynne Can't Go Back Home (this could make life difficult)
*Lynne can't seem to keep her temper (why would i want to keep one? Nowhere to store it! besides, you only have one if you lose it .. go figure!)
*Lynne can't compete (guess I must be just too good for the competition .. or too nice to be competitive!)
*Lynne can't do quite wrong (I can get awfully close though .. can't tell the difference myself!)
*Lynne can't compose poorly (truth is, Lynne can't compose at all)
*Lynne can't remember the last time she sat down to dinner with her husband (I can so too! it was about 31/2 hours ago, and I can even remember what I cooked!)
*Lynne can't pick who the person falls in love with at all (no, but I bet it was a frog they had to kiss!)
*Lynne can't give him a trial (Lynne's not into trying?)
*Lynne, can't have COLIN FIRTH as a baddie (well, I wouldn't want to upset Suzanne, I know what she thinks of him!)
*Lynne can't take a joke (of course I can, but only if it's funny!)
*Lynne can't hold a candle (no, I go round with an electric light bulb stuck above my head like a cartoon character)
*Lynne can't be blamed this time (that makes a nice change!)
*Lynne can't be all that bad eh? (does this one need a comment?)
*Lynne Can't Go Back Home (this could make life difficult)
*Lynne can't seem to keep her temper (why would i want to keep one? Nowhere to store it! besides, you only have one if you lose it .. go figure!)
Near St Helens
A bush stream .. we wanted to drive to a signposted waterfall, but the road wasn't very good, and we decided it wasn't worth pursuing, so we stopped and took photos of the stream instead!
Writer's prayer
WRITER'S PRAYER
Bring truth from labour. Let me not digress
Into embattled emptiness. Infill
My cold confusion with Your burning will;
Shaping my trackless path with tenderness.
Let me be pregnant with Your verity.
Let this poor self be means unto your end.
Into my blind indulgences descend
With beauty of divine simplicity.
Not to my glory, that is little worth,
But to the living honour of Your Name.
Despite my weakness, let my work proclaim
Something of You to this tired, desperate earth.
Bring truth from labour. Let me not digress
Into embattled emptiness. Infill
My cold confusion with Your burning will;
Shaping my trackless path with tenderness.
Let me be pregnant with Your verity.
Let this poor self be means unto your end.
Into my blind indulgences descend
With beauty of divine simplicity.
Not to my glory, that is little worth,
But to the living honour of Your Name.
Despite my weakness, let my work proclaim
Something of You to this tired, desperate earth.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Should!!
And, since i'm really feeling silly tonight, having handed in my last assignment of the semester (ok, I still have to study for next Tuesday's Hebrew exam, but I'm taking one night off!) I thought I would also check out with my friend Google what Lynne should do. No numbers this time, I'll just go with the flow!
*Lynne should have a will (I do, I've had one ever since I was married, and updated it to include the kids)
* Lynne should team up with Tim Burton (but would this be a good career move for Tim Burton?)
*Lynne should send documents (what? to whom? don't they know I hate paperwork?)
* Lynne should really record a live album(nah, I think I'd do better with a dead one!)
*Lynne should have done the trick (what am I? a performing seal?)
*Lynne should deal with more companies (Lynne doesn't deal very well with companies at all. Lynne is strictly non-corporate)
*Lynne should have been left in the house for a bit longer (and kept barefoot in the kitchen as well?)
*Lynne should be an authority on real entertainment by now (well yeah, I know what entertains me ..)
*Lynne should visit India and get to the bottom of this Monkey Man thing(how can I if I have to stay in the house?)
*Lynne should live or die (umm .. nice to have an option?)
*Lynne should be proud (darn! all this time I was trying to operate on the Lynne should be humble theory!)
Ah well, now I've dealt with sufficient shoulds in my life, I can relax!
*Lynne should have a will (I do, I've had one ever since I was married, and updated it to include the kids)
* Lynne should team up with Tim Burton (but would this be a good career move for Tim Burton?)
*Lynne should send documents (what? to whom? don't they know I hate paperwork?)
* Lynne should really record a live album(nah, I think I'd do better with a dead one!)
*Lynne should have done the trick (what am I? a performing seal?)
*Lynne should deal with more companies (Lynne doesn't deal very well with companies at all. Lynne is strictly non-corporate)
*Lynne should have been left in the house for a bit longer (and kept barefoot in the kitchen as well?)
*Lynne should be an authority on real entertainment by now (well yeah, I know what entertains me ..)
*Lynne should visit India and get to the bottom of this Monkey Man thing(how can I if I have to stay in the house?)
*Lynne should live or die (umm .. nice to have an option?)
*Lynne should be proud (darn! all this time I was trying to operate on the Lynne should be humble theory!)
Ah well, now I've dealt with sufficient shoulds in my life, I can relax!
Does not!
I thought the "Lynne needs" google game was so much fun the other day I should try another version This time, "Lynne does not"
1. Lynne does not provide Michael Schiavo's side of a 1994 incident (umm .. I would if I had a clue what it was .. if this is to do with Terry Schiavo I wouldn't dare speak to it without trembling with pity ..)
2.Lynne does not listen (sorry, you weren't speaking loud enough. I'm listening now!)
3. Lynne does not seem bothered that she is both boring and annoying. (Heavens! I had no idea! Must try to do better. Must try to do better ..)
4. Lynne does not always look like a filmmaker. (well I know I don't look like a film star, and I sure don't like Michael Moore or Steven Spielberg)
5. Lynne does not rate a mention (not even on my own blog?)
6. Lynne does not direct this Court (nor any other, not even a tennis court!)
7. Lynne, does not scream (well no, not normally. tends to hurt the throat, I've found)
8. Lynne does not wear black all the time (actually, not at all, except some pants and skirts. I'm a purple sort of person)
9. Lynne does not just have a pretty voice (see! more than a pretty voice, more than a pretty face ..)
10. Lynne does not compromise the Word of God. (well, I certainly try not to. But I also try to make sure I understand it in the big picture, the heart of God, before I try to be to dogmatic about little isolated verses)
This is so much fun I think I'll make it 15!
11. Lynne does not have those numbers (no, I have these numbers, and they're top secret!)
12. Lynne does not even spare herself (has this person been talking to my counsellor?)
13. Lynne does not believe she is an example from which budding writers can learn. (well, considering I've never been published .. But what does a budding writer look like? I sort of picture them breaking out in pens ..)
14. Lynne does not know how she will explain this (this blog? this life? this last assignment I wrote? face it, I probably can't explain anything!)
15. Lynne does not turn her back on the organic (so i must be facing it? Where? where?)
All i can conclude is that we Lynnes are rather complex creatures ..
1. Lynne does not provide Michael Schiavo's side of a 1994 incident (umm .. I would if I had a clue what it was .. if this is to do with Terry Schiavo I wouldn't dare speak to it without trembling with pity ..)
2.Lynne does not listen (sorry, you weren't speaking loud enough. I'm listening now!)
3. Lynne does not seem bothered that she is both boring and annoying. (Heavens! I had no idea! Must try to do better. Must try to do better ..)
4. Lynne does not always look like a filmmaker. (well I know I don't look like a film star, and I sure don't like Michael Moore or Steven Spielberg)
5. Lynne does not rate a mention (not even on my own blog?)
6. Lynne does not direct this Court (nor any other, not even a tennis court!)
7. Lynne, does not scream (well no, not normally. tends to hurt the throat, I've found)
8. Lynne does not wear black all the time (actually, not at all, except some pants and skirts. I'm a purple sort of person)
9. Lynne does not just have a pretty voice (see! more than a pretty voice, more than a pretty face ..)
10. Lynne does not compromise the Word of God. (well, I certainly try not to. But I also try to make sure I understand it in the big picture, the heart of God, before I try to be to dogmatic about little isolated verses)
This is so much fun I think I'll make it 15!
11. Lynne does not have those numbers (no, I have these numbers, and they're top secret!)
12. Lynne does not even spare herself (has this person been talking to my counsellor?)
13. Lynne does not believe she is an example from which budding writers can learn. (well, considering I've never been published .. But what does a budding writer look like? I sort of picture them breaking out in pens ..)
14. Lynne does not know how she will explain this (this blog? this life? this last assignment I wrote? face it, I probably can't explain anything!)
15. Lynne does not turn her back on the organic (so i must be facing it? Where? where?)
All i can conclude is that we Lynnes are rather complex creatures ..
Monday, June 05, 2006
John 8:35
works or grace? it's so easy to get into that mindset where we feel we have to somehow earn God's approval (as if we ever could!!) When I came across this verse of scripture several years ago, Jesus' contrast between a slave and a son really struck me. We have the choice between labouring in vain (at a safe distance) or being willing to simply come into His presence (I really mean make ourselves present to Him, who is already fully there) and sit at his feet and name him our father.
JOHN 8:35
Dispensable, a labourer of lust,
I toiled the miraged fields to raise delight;
And, desperate, struggled on in thirst's despite,
For a slave's wages are but ashen dust,
And, at the end, he shall betray my trust.
The door is locked against me, come the night.
The crown I yearned dissolves before my sight,
And I am turned away without a crust.
Better to be the boughten of His love,
Child of His heart, and given my own key,
Member, forever, of His family,
With promised place for me in home above.
Never to be rejected, turned aside,
And every need forevermore supplied.
JOHN 8:35
Dispensable, a labourer of lust,
I toiled the miraged fields to raise delight;
And, desperate, struggled on in thirst's despite,
For a slave's wages are but ashen dust,
And, at the end, he shall betray my trust.
The door is locked against me, come the night.
The crown I yearned dissolves before my sight,
And I am turned away without a crust.
Better to be the boughten of His love,
Child of His heart, and given my own key,
Member, forever, of His family,
With promised place for me in home above.
Never to be rejected, turned aside,
And every need forevermore supplied.
Google game
Here's something different, type in your own name +needs into Google and take the first 10 sentences that make sense. My comments follow each one.
1. Lynne needs a bunkmate (considering i have a husband and a queen sized bed, I can't imagine why! :) )
2. Lynne needs to look into other less expensive alternatives (to what? Oh well, it's probably a good idea anyway)
3. Lynne needs to explain to Ted that she will not be influenced by threats (is Ted a bear? I findclaws very threatening .. and influential!)
4. Lynne needs to let her hair grow out again (darn! I just got it cut, and I like it)
5. Lynne needs to stop with the excuses (aww ... I like making excuses ...)
6. Lynne needs two men to testify that she is indeed single (Lol! they're going to take some finding when I've been married more than 29 years!)
7. Lynne needs to go to Dodge City to attend a suffrage conference (suffrage? I thought we all had the vote. besides I thought Dodge city -- wherever that is -- was somewhere one should get out of!)
8. Lynne needs a description of each breakout session (someone has acne problems? I don't think telling me would solve them ..sigh ..)
9. Lynne needs to leave the water to rest (sorry water, I didn't know I was tiring you out)
10. Lynne needs assistance during her research ( bring it on! help for every college assignment!)
hmm ... whoever these mythical cyber "Lynnes" are out there, I don't think we share many needs in common!
1. Lynne needs a bunkmate (considering i have a husband and a queen sized bed, I can't imagine why! :) )
2. Lynne needs to look into other less expensive alternatives (to what? Oh well, it's probably a good idea anyway)
3. Lynne needs to explain to Ted that she will not be influenced by threats (is Ted a bear? I findclaws very threatening .. and influential!)
4. Lynne needs to let her hair grow out again (darn! I just got it cut, and I like it)
5. Lynne needs to stop with the excuses (aww ... I like making excuses ...)
6. Lynne needs two men to testify that she is indeed single (Lol! they're going to take some finding when I've been married more than 29 years!)
7. Lynne needs to go to Dodge City to attend a suffrage conference (suffrage? I thought we all had the vote. besides I thought Dodge city -- wherever that is -- was somewhere one should get out of!)
8. Lynne needs a description of each breakout session (someone has acne problems? I don't think telling me would solve them ..sigh ..)
9. Lynne needs to leave the water to rest (sorry water, I didn't know I was tiring you out)
10. Lynne needs assistance during her research ( bring it on! help for every college assignment!)
hmm ... whoever these mythical cyber "Lynnes" are out there, I don't think we share many needs in common!
Friday, June 02, 2006
I can always dream ..
Haven't done a quiz for a while, so thought I'd check out which variety of intelligence they think I have ..
| Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence |
You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator. |
church for sale
And this one is the old Presbyterian church at Jamberoo. It's for sale if anyone has a spare 900K
Communion poem
and, still on the communion theme, this is a poem I wrote on the subject 2 years ago. There is definitely a connecting thought ..
COMMUNION
My Christ has no dividing walls;
He is the Lord, and He is one.
But pain we spread between ourselves:
The broken body of the Son.
We lacerate the hearts of men
By the dark rage within our soul.
Yet, feeding on Christ’s brokenness,
We are re-woven to be whole.
His stripes our healing. At the cross,
Stripped by His love to see our sin,
We must embrace as broken men;
His mercy is the only thing.
Forgive, forebear and be remade
By boundless love as holy fire
Till all resentments wash away
And Jesus is our whole desire.
COMMUNION
My Christ has no dividing walls;
He is the Lord, and He is one.
But pain we spread between ourselves:
The broken body of the Son.
We lacerate the hearts of men
By the dark rage within our soul.
Yet, feeding on Christ’s brokenness,
We are re-woven to be whole.
His stripes our healing. At the cross,
Stripped by His love to see our sin,
We must embrace as broken men;
His mercy is the only thing.
Forgive, forebear and be remade
By boundless love as holy fire
Till all resentments wash away
And Jesus is our whole desire.
white rose
Another flower I came across just walking down the street in Jamberoo. This one was growing in someone's front yard, just inside the fence.
wayside dahlia
It was just growing along the edge of a path down the side of a building in Jamberoo ..
Communion thought
Something to ponder: I just read something that's worth thinking about, that when, in communion I receive and partake of Christ (which I believe I do spiritually, not physically) then I am also receiving everyone who is in Christ, since how can I partake of the Head and reeject the members of His body? All our divisions and arguments are silenced at that point, if you are willing to receive Him then I must receive you, it is the Lord's table and not the possession of any man or group of men. If he has accepted us, welcomed us to the feast in all our tattered bewilderment, then we must rejoice in one another's presence there, for his sake until we can learn to do it for our own. there is only one requirement to eat at that table, we must be hungry for Jesus.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Psalm 27
Psalm 27 has been my favourite psalm for many years. When I started dealing with abuse issues, God gave me Psalm 27:10 "Though my mother and father forsake me, yet the Lord will receive me." Later I found another precious promise at the end of the psalm: "I will yet see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Anyway, this is an attempt to put it into my own words ..
THOUGHTS ON PSALM 27
All I need in the darkness, and the swift-descending terror,
Is Yourself.
All I need in the tempest, in the whirlwind of emotion
When the foundations move, and my whole world is re-fashioned
Is Yourself
In the face of utmost evil, with the hordes of hell against me
When war is declared on me
My need is You.
For you are my sufficiency, my all-in-all
My heart’s desire, my only need
Is to be with You forever:
To seek You and to find You, to be always in Your presence,
To be satisfied in You.
There, in the depths of You, utterly untouchable
In the place pain cannot master
Where no condemnation dwells.
You lift me up in the very midst of shaming
And I find triumphant worship
In the place I laid me down:
My whole heart becomes a song.
I need to know You hear me
For my hunger and thirst overwhelm me
I can only be satisfied in You.
Your face is all I seek
Your self all I desire
I cannot bear to live outside of You.
Be merciful, do not reject me, You are everything I have,
On You I have totally depended
And You have always come through for me.
When all human love failed me
And the dearest bonds were broken
You took me in and held me
And I knew that I was Yours.
Change me to become like You
Show me how to please You.
Transform me with integrity
So I may stand against the world.
Put Your whole truth within me
And no darkness can defeat me,
No falsehood overcome me.
I am safe inside Your love.
And my certainty is this,
Founded utterly on You
That even in earth’s brokenness
There are foretastes of Your heaven.
And I shall see your goodness
Even in this flesh.
Give me the faith and patience
To keep my hope in You.
THOUGHTS ON PSALM 27
All I need in the darkness, and the swift-descending terror,
Is Yourself.
All I need in the tempest, in the whirlwind of emotion
When the foundations move, and my whole world is re-fashioned
Is Yourself
In the face of utmost evil, with the hordes of hell against me
When war is declared on me
My need is You.
For you are my sufficiency, my all-in-all
My heart’s desire, my only need
Is to be with You forever:
To seek You and to find You, to be always in Your presence,
To be satisfied in You.
There, in the depths of You, utterly untouchable
In the place pain cannot master
Where no condemnation dwells.
You lift me up in the very midst of shaming
And I find triumphant worship
In the place I laid me down:
My whole heart becomes a song.
I need to know You hear me
For my hunger and thirst overwhelm me
I can only be satisfied in You.
Your face is all I seek
Your self all I desire
I cannot bear to live outside of You.
Be merciful, do not reject me, You are everything I have,
On You I have totally depended
And You have always come through for me.
When all human love failed me
And the dearest bonds were broken
You took me in and held me
And I knew that I was Yours.
Change me to become like You
Show me how to please You.
Transform me with integrity
So I may stand against the world.
Put Your whole truth within me
And no darkness can defeat me,
No falsehood overcome me.
I am safe inside Your love.
And my certainty is this,
Founded utterly on You
That even in earth’s brokenness
There are foretastes of Your heaven.
And I shall see your goodness
Even in this flesh.
Give me the faith and patience
To keep my hope in You.
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