December 2021 – Page 2

Amazing

You love me
What could be more amazing
than this!

You … love … me!

I who drip with foulest sin
My darkened path I find so sweet
It pains my flesh to turn to You
To seek Your lovely face
To make love with You

Worldly care distracts with ease
and carnal flickers burn within my breast

While You find the stars impure
because they’ve shown their lights
upon my sin

While You turn with bitter hate from all of me
that e’er was laid upon your Son

and that is
ALL
I would call me …

Yet Your love for me would stretch my mind and heart beyond rebound

If You showed the full of it to me
I could never think or work again
for the longing I would have
to live only in this love of Yours

for me

And yet
even then
I fear
I would be moved
for only me

Your love makes me feel good

Somehow my love for You
for You
Yourself
is often sick and sad

I wrench with painful toil
to draw Your rich sweet words aflow within my mind

My heart
it breaks for want of human love
and will not turn to You with ease
I fear that others will disdain
and toss my comforts far from clenching hands
and so I walk to please them

You

I grieve you lightly,
because You are tender
gentle
patient with me.

Were it not for Your own dear Son
arising in my heart
I would be
a brute beast
made to be taken
and destroyed

Yet

You love me

It is amazing
Truly amazing

Perhaps…

Perhaps this is yet more amazing…
perhaps the only equal
in awesome vastness

That I could be weak
in love
with You

For You
The altogether LOVELY

You

Who melts the hollow discord in my breast with Your sweet breath

You

Whose beauty makes the finest art a cursed thing

You

Whose wisdom and knowledge
wraps the mind with ecstasy
beyond the wildest dream

You

Whose song with rapture splits the fragile soul beyond repair

You

Who loves espous-ed spirits in eternal whirls of brilliant peace

Relentless happy chase of lovers in a wood
Of songs amid the sun

How You woo and draw this poor dim mortal
with heart-strung cords of fire light!

Ever loving … selfless …

waiting

waiting for me
to turn to You!
so You can bless
me with Your love

With one sweet touch You draw my disconnect and fragment from afar
to make me whole in You again

Ah …

if worldlings only knew
what I know

…

that sex is merely shadow

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Alone

Once upon a sacred time
before there was a she
A he walked through a sacred wood
a sovereign lord and free

The air was splendid, bright and clean
and dew bespangled rose
Sir Brooks caressed his passing feet
rich Fragrance kissed his nose

Man in deep communion sown
to share the Maker’s heart
In wordless oneness love was made
What rich communion start!

All creature names came forth precise
as if he’d always known
Each pair a kind of parenthood
Himself though, stood… alone

The Maker’s hand at work again…
the wonder of her hair!
She knelt beside him as he woke…
Adam was now… a pair!

He watched her breathe…
He watched her eyes…
He watched her rise!
Crafted without flaw…
They swooned… in splendored awe…

He drew up close… their eyes were locked…
he took her hands and blessed
He brushed his lips against her cheek
and gazed upon her breast

In luscious garden open light
they loved as lovers will
Two made one in warm shine sun
to peering angels’ thrill

They rose to play and dance and sing
to raise their virgin joy
The Maker’s eye was warm delight…
the dragon’s thoughts were coy

Why they parted… no one knows
but soon she lulled alone
The wily fiend made double time
to gouge her from the throne

Toward the awesome tree she felt
and trembled close to look…
The wonder serpent slurping now
what it should not have took

Entranced, she strained to watch it die
but die it did not do
Just sweetly slithered from the tree
“My girl, this one’s for you!”

Her lover gone and heart a-whirl
she raised it to her face
and pressed into her shaking lips
to marr the holy race

No longer one in holiness
he felt his lover fall!
and sprang in chase to her beside
to long upon the sprawl

He froze to stare on Death Day eyes,
and wept her darkened sway
What passion thrashed within his soul
to pond her slink his way!

She reached his side and pressed in close
’til chest to chest they stood.
Though two hearts beat their flesh to flesh…
no longer love they could

Fruit still dripping in her play
was squished into his hands.
Life or Death to choose this day
To eat… or stay her bands…

He should have run!
He should have tried!
He only groaned
and GROANED inside!

What love they could have shared!
Two lovers entwined within three LOVERS!
Loving intensely…Loving completely… Loving eternally…

Why had she eaten???
Oh damned lies!!!
Loveless confound Paradise!

Adam was, aloss!

Alone!

He raised it to his heart
and fell
to be with her
in Hell

1 Timothy 2:14

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Adrift

Blankly adrift on the quiet glass
As far as the eye can see
The water is smooth in a silent calm
There’s only You and me

The moon shines bright on the crystal deep
No purpose at the bow
I sit in my boat and drift about
There’s nothing to do here now

Nothing to fight, nothing to win
Nothing to lose or gain
Sifted to death, a silent heart
I can’t even feel the pain

When shall I touch and feel again?
When shall I cut and bleed?
When nothing but You is left inside …
When You are all I need.

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Christianity is unique among the world’s religions in that it’s grounded in a single historical event: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ did not raise His physical body from the grave after He died, though Christianity contains much we might consider true, its central message may be dismissed. (1Co 15:14) If the Resurrection didn’t occur as the Twelve Apostles claimed, Christianity is based on a lie. (15)

This begs the question: Does the evidence assure us that Jesus Christ actually did rise from the dead? The answer is: Yes. Assuming Christ didn’t rise from the dead generates a significant contradiction. This proves that He did rise from the dead.

The primary evidence for the Resurrection claim is the New Testament, containing eye-witness accounts of those who claimed to have personally encountered the risen Christ: the Twelve Apostles (Ac 1:21-22), over 500 eye-witnesses who all saw Him at one time, and finally the Apostle Paul. (1Co 15:6-8) This evidence comprises not only what these witnesses said, but also what they didn’t say, and how their lives aligned with their testimony.

The reliability of the New Testament is established by Dr. Bart Ehrman. As an atheist who rejects the historicity of the Resurrection, Ehrman may be received as authoritative here: he affirms that these writings accurately convey eye-witness accounts of historical events pertaining to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, as well as His Resurrection. So, we’re left to consider the reliability of the witnesses themselves.

The Twelve Apostles were devout Jews with a Torah-centered world view, a truth-based value system. They claimed they saw the risen Christ repeatedly over a 40-day period, eating and drinking with Him, conversing with and being taught by Him (Ac 1:3), and physically touching Him. (Lk 24:39) If their Resurrection claim is false, the Twelve Apostles all knew they were lying and they must have had a compelling motive for conspiring together to do so.

However, the apostles expected no temporal benefit through their testimony; they anticipated and experienced severe hardship and suffering. (1Co 4:9-13) If the Resurrection were a false hope, the apostles admitted they themselves were to be pitied above all men. (1Co 15:19) People with a truth-centered world view do not do this consistently, gladly sacrifice themselves for what they know is a lie.

Further, a crucified/resurrected Messiah was entirely unexpected and totally unacceptable within their Jewish community (1Co 1:23), which expected a military conqueror to deliver them from Roman oppression (Ac 1:6), and the Twelve Apostles undertook their mission with no interest in evangelizing non-Jews (Ac 11:19): they didn’t intend to start a new religion. (Ac 21:20)

So, if the Apostles were lying, they crafted a message they knew would be terribly unpopular, and for which they expected to be severely persecuted, and they consistently gave their all to share it. Sane people don’t act like this, especially in large groups.

Assuming Christ didn’t rise from the dead as the Twelve Apostles claimed thus implies a basic contradiction in human nature, based on the overwhelming, historically reliable witness of those who gave their lives to tell us about it. Further, since well over 500 souls are involved, this contradiction must be acknowledged on a massive scale.

Such evidence establishes the Resurrection of Jesus Christ beyond a reasonable doubt. Yet do our presuppositions and biases blind us?

What will it cost us to believe in the Resurrection? Or to not believe?

Either way, in the end, this will cost us everything, as it should. (Mt 10:39)

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the pivotal event of history: it changes everything. (Ac 17:30-31)

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Month: December 2021

Amazing

Alone

Adrift

If Christ Be Not Risen