Daily Lectionary in Poetry Tuesday 24th February 2015

Psalm 77

 I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, that he may hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 I think of God, and I moan;
    I meditate, and my spirit faints.Selah
4 You keep my eyelids from closing;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
    and remember the years of long ago.
6 I commune[a] with my heart in the night;
    I meditate and search my spirit:[b]
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love ceased forever?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”Selah
10 And I say, “It is my grief
    that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
11 I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord;
    I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all your work,
    and muse on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have displayed your might among the peoples.
15 With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.Selah
16 When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    the very deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
    the skies thundered;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lit up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
    your path, through the mighty waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
________________________________________________________

I cry out to God
Does he hear?
I moan to God
Does he respond?

Has he forgotten about me?
Why doesn't he come to me?

I will think on God's works
On all that He has done
And thus I will be reminded
That He is the greatest one

_________________________________________________________

Job 5:8-27

“As for me, I would seek God,
    and to God I would commit my cause.
9 He does great things and unsearchable,
    marvellous things without number.
10 He gives rain on the earth
    and sends waters on the fields;
11 he sets on high those who are lowly,
    and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
    so that their hands achieve no success.
13 He takes the wise in their own craftiness;
    and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime,
    and grope at noonday as in the night.
15 But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth,
    from the hand of the mighty.
16 So the poor have hope,
    and injustice shuts its mouth.
17 “How happy is the one whom God reproves;
    therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.[a]
18 For he wounds, but he binds up;
    he strikes, but his hands heal.
19 He will deliver you from six troubles;
    in seven no harm shall touch you.
20 In famine he will redeem you from death,
    and in war from the power of the sword.
21 You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
    and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
22 At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
    and shall not fear the wild animals of the earth.
23 For you shall be in league with the stones of the field,
    and the wild animals shall be at peace with you.
24 You shall know that your tent is safe,
    you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.
25 You shall know that your descendants will be many,
    and your offspring like the grass of the earth.
26 You shall come to your grave in ripe old age,
    as a shock of grain comes up to the threshing floor in its season.
27 See, we have searched this out; it is true.
    Hear, and know it for yourself.”
________________________________________________________

Job did not turn from God
He turned towards and laid all to him
He told of God's greatness
Of His salvation for all
Of His gifts to the earth
He told all of God's greatness

_________________________________________________________

1 Peter 3:8-18a

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. 10 For

“Those who desire life
    and desire to see good days,
let them keep their tongues from evil
    and their lips from speaking deceit;
11 let them turn away from evil and do good;
    let them seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
13 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? 14 But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear,[a] and do not be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence.[b] Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered[c] for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you[d] to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.

________________________________________________________

Love one another
Take heart together
In this way you will
Inherit great blessings
Turn away from evil
Hold your tongue when it is wrong
Look only to the Lord
And know that he is with you
_________________________________________________________

Daily Lectionary in Poetry Monday 23rd February 2015

Psalm 77

 I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, that he may hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 I think of God, and I moan;
    I meditate, and my spirit faints.Selah
4 You keep my eyelids from closing;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
    and remember the years of long ago.
6 I commune[a] with my heart in the night;
    I meditate and search my spirit:[b]
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love ceased forever?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”Selah
10 And I say, “It is my grief
    that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
11 I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord;
    I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all your work,
    and muse on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have displayed your might among the peoples.
15 With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.Selah
16 When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    the very deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
    the skies thundered;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lit up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
    your path, through the mighty waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
________________________________________________________

I cry out to God
Does he hear?
I moan to God
Does he respond?

Has he forgotten about me?
Why doesn't he come to me?

I will think on God's works
On all that He has done
And thus I will be reminded
That He is the greatest one

_________________________________________________________

Job 4:1-21

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:

2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you be offended?
    But who can keep from speaking?
3 See, you have instructed many;
    you have strengthened the weak hands.
4 Your words have supported those who were stumbling,
    and you have made firm the feeble knees.
5 But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
    it touches you, and you are dismayed.
6 Is not your fear of God your confidence,
    and the integrity of your ways your hope?
7 “Think now, who that was innocent ever perished?
    Or where were the upright cut off?
8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity
    and sow trouble reap the same.
9 By the breath of God they perish,
    and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.
10 The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion,
    and the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11 The strong lion perishes for lack of prey,
    and the whelps of the lioness are scattered.
12 “Now a word came stealing to me,
    my ear received the whisper of it.
13 Amid thoughts from visions of the night,
    when deep sleep falls on mortals,
14 dread came upon me, and trembling,
    which made all my bones shake.
15 A spirit glided past my face;
    the hair of my flesh bristled.
16 It stood still,
    but I could not discern its appearance.
A form was before my eyes;
    there was silence, then I heard a voice:
17 ‘Can mortals be righteous before[a] God?
    Can human beings be pure before[b] their Maker?
18 Even in his servants he puts no trust,
    and his angels he charges with error;
19 how much more those who live in houses of clay,
    whose foundation is in the dust,
    who are crushed like a moth.
20 Between morning and evening they are destroyed;
    they perish forever without any regarding it.
21 Their tent-cord is plucked up within them,
    and they die devoid of wisdom.’

________________________________________________________

God does not trust anyone
So what makes you think he loves you?
He is too great to care for man
He will allow us to be destroyed

_________________________________________________________


Ephesians 2:1-10

You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ[a]—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.


________________________________________________________

You sinned
You were dead inside
God came and gave His grace
And you lived and loved with Christ

_________________________________________________________

Daily Lectionary in Poetry Friday 27th February 2015

Psalm 22:23-31

You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
    stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he did not despise or abhor
    the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,[a]
    but heard when I[b] cried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
    my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The poor[c] shall eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
    May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
    and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
    shall worship before him.[d]
28 For dominion belongs to the Lord,
    and he rules over the nations.
29 To him,[e] indeed, shall all who sleep in[f] the earth bow down;
    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
    and I shall live for him.[g]
30 Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord,
31 and[h] proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
    saying that he has done it.

________________________________________________________

If you fear the Lord
Then praise Him
He has always heard me
Always helped me
We must glorify His name
All the earth shall turn to God
All the nations shall worship Him
Everything belongs to God

_________________________________________________________

Genesis 16:1-6

The Birth of Ishmael
16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave-girl whose name was Hagar, 2 and Sarai said to Abram, “You see that the Lord has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave-girl; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. 4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my slave-girl to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Your slave-girl is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she ran away from her.

________________________________________________________

Sarah had no children
She felt so sad of this
So she told Abraham to take her slave
And that way to have a child

But it all turned upside down
And slave looked down on Sarah
Abraham allowed Sarah to deal with it
And she was harsh with her power

_________________________________________________________

Romans 4:1-12

The Example of Abraham
4 What then are we to say was gained by[a] Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5 But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. 6 So also David speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven,
    and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not reckon sin.”
9 Is this blessedness, then, pronounced only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We say, “Faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 How then was it reckoned to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the ancestor of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them, 12 and likewise the ancestor of the circumcised who are not only circumcised but who also follow the example of the faith that our ancestor Abraham had before he was circumcised.

________________________________________________________

Works are not the key
The key to it all is grace
Blessed are those who sin
And turn and as for forgiveness
There is nothing we must do
But stand as we are before God
To ask for Him in our lives
And to lead as as we go

_________________________________________________________

Daily Lectionary in Poetry Thursday 26th February 2015

Psalm 22:23-31

You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
    stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he did not despise or abhor
    the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,[a]
    but heard when I[b] cried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
    my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The poor[c] shall eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
    May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
    and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
    shall worship before him.[d]
28 For dominion belongs to the Lord,
    and he rules over the nations.
29 To him,[e] indeed, shall all who sleep in[f] the earth bow down;
    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
    and I shall live for him.[g]
30 Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord,
31 and[h] proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
    saying that he has done it.
________________________________________________________

If you fear the Lord
Then praise Him
He has always heard me
Always helped me
We must glorify His name
All the earth shall turn to God
All the nations shall worship Him
Everything belongs to God

_________________________________________________________

Genesis 15:1-6, 12-18

God’s Covenant with Abram
15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”[a] 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” 4 But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” 5 He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed the Lord; and the Lord[b] reckoned it to him as righteousness.

________________________________________________________

God came to Abraham
Do not be afraid
Your reward is plentiful
You will be great

But Abraham had questions
What Lord can you give?
All I wish for us a child
An heir is all I wish

God told him to look up
To the stars in all the heavens
You will have many heirs
You will start a nation
_________________________________________________________

Romans 3:21-31

But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ[a] for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement[b] by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26 it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.[c]

27 Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

________________________________________________________

Everyone falls short
Short of the glory of God
Through Grace they are lifted up
Through Grace that comes from God
He did this to show his righteosness
How much he loves us all
No one will ever be excluded
His love is love for evermore
_________________________________________________________

Daily Lectionary in Poetry Wednesday 25th February 2015

Psalm 77

 I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, that he may hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 I think of God, and I moan;
    I meditate, and my spirit faints.Selah
4 You keep my eyelids from closing;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
    and remember the years of long ago.
6 I commune[a] with my heart in the night;
    I meditate and search my spirit:[b]
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love ceased forever?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”Selah
10 And I say, “It is my grief
    that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
11 I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord;
    I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all your work,
    and muse on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have displayed your might among the peoples.
15 With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.Selah
16 When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    the very deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
    the skies thundered;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lit up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
    your path, through the mighty waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
________________________________________________________

I cry out to God
Does he hear?
I moan to God
Does he respond?

Has he forgotten about me?
Why doesn't he come to me?

I will think on God's works
On all that He has done
And thus I will be reminded
That He is the greatest one

_________________________________________________________

Proverbs 30:1-9

30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.

Thus says the man: I am weary, O God,
    I am weary, O God. How can I prevail?[a]
2 Surely I am too stupid to be human;
    I do not have human understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
    nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.[b]
4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
    Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is the person’s name?
    And what is the name of the person’s child?
    Surely you know!
5 Every word of God proves true;
    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words,
    or else he will rebuke you, and you will be found a liar.
7 Two things I ask of you;
    do not deny them to me before I die:
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
    give me neither poverty nor riches;
    feed me with the food that I need,
9 or I shall be full, and deny you,
    and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or I shall be poor, and steal,
    and profane the name of my God.

________________________________________________________

Every word of God is true
Every action one of truth
These things need to be told
Not changed or added to

_________________________________________________________

Matthew 4:1-11

The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

‘One does not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
    and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

________________________________________________________

Jesus was led to the desert
And there he was tempted
The devil offered food
But Jesus resisted
The devil offered temples
But Jesus resisted
The devil offered kingdoms
But Jesus resisted
Worship only God Jesus said
In that way the devil was defeated

_________________________________________________________

Day Fifty Two #asthma #mentalhealth #diet #healthyeating

It's day fifty two
Of a healthier life
And day twelve
Of Quet withdrawal
They're so intertwined
They can't be apart
So it's hard
To draw conclusions
But my emotions are rawer
My irritation's high
And I'm aching
Head to toe
I'm blaming all this
On the changes of meds
And trying to let
My fear go
One thing I've done
I know will help
Back to the
Counselling rooms
There I can talk
And really explore
How to cope
With all the changes

#40acts act #9 mix it up @40acts

Rachel and I
With today's challenge
Have had a lot
Of Fun
We've looked up
Hello
And also Goodbye
In a dozen ;languages
Ola, Bonjour
Merci, Por Favour
And more
We both now know
We are so lucky
To live where we do
It is a true
Salad bowl
And we celebrate
All that we are
And what we bring
To each other

#40acts act #8 tick tock @40acts

I really hate
To be late
I'd rather cancel
Than make them wait

In fact it is
A bit of a problem
I'm usually so early
I have to wait around

But I use that time
To pray and think
In that way
It is a blessing

#40acts act #7 hold it lightly @40acts

Today's a real challenge
About the stuff we own
I'm not bothered about the Jones'
But getting rid makes me moan

My clothes all go to charity
Along with books and toys
But items given by people
Clutter up my many shelves

So I'm asking God to show me
Things that I value too much
Things I really should give away
Even if it feels quite tough

Then I'll give that item
To someone or a charity
For them to treasure themselves
I wonder how that will be

Then I'll make a list
Of all the stuff that clutters my life
I'll really try to thin it out
Even if it causes me strife

This is living lightly
I know it will be hard
But I'm sure I'll learn lots from it
So I'm off to make a start

#40acts act #6 thankyou @40acts

Today I'm making a commitment
But if I blog it, it'll loose it's effect
It might well involve thank you
But I can't tell you the rest

#40acts act #5 fair and square @40acts

The start of fairtrade fortnight
Was launched at church yesterday
We saw the banana chain's truth
And ate soup prepared all fair

So how am I taking it forward
Through lent, you might well ask
I'll be buying fairtrade whenever I can
I'll even try to find some fair clothes

#40acts act #4 devise a surprise @40acts

We combined this surprise
With the action to chat
We invited round some neighbours
And Rachel made a cake

The greatest surprise though
Came from Rach not me
The cake that she did make
Was extra specially tasty

Day Forty Nine #asthma #mentalhealth #diet #healthyeating

Two pound lost this week
It is a complete surprise
I haven't exactly stuck to plan
Through the half term days

I'm into week eight now
It's a long and winding road
And the second of withdrawal
Haven't yet turned into a toad

Don't have much more to say
So I'll just leave it there
So
There

Daily Lectionary in Poetry Tuesday 3rd March 2015

Psalm 105:1-11, 37-45

God’s Faithfulness to Israel
1 O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
    make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually.
5 Remember the wonderful works he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgements he has uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham,[a]
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is the Lord our God;
    his judgements are in all the earth.
8 He is mindful of his covenant forever,
    of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
    as your portion for an inheritance.”

Then he brought Israel[a] out with silver and gold,
    and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
    for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering,
    and fire to give light by night.
40 They asked, and he brought quails,
    and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
    it flowed through the desert like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise,
    and Abraham, his servant.
43 So he brought his people out with joy,
    his chosen ones with singing.
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
45 that they might keep his statutes
    and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord!

________________________________________________________

Thank the Lord
Call His name
Sing to the Lord
Praise His name
Rejoice in the Lord
Glorify His name
Seek the Lord
Remember what He has done

Thanks to the Lord
Israel is great
He protected her people
In every state
Praise the Lord
Sing His name
Rejoice in the Lord
Glorify His name

_________________________________________________________

Genesis 22:1-19

The Command to Sacrifice Isaac
22 After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

9 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill[a] his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide”;[b] as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”[c]

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18 and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham lived at Beer-sheba.

________________________________________________________

God tested Abraham
The worst test for any dad
"Take your son Isaac
And sacrifice him to the Lord"

Abraham did obey
He took his Son up high
Prepared the altar ready
Said to God he would provide

Then the angel of the Lord
Came down to Abraham
Saying because he had been willing
No sacrifice was required

_________________________________________________________


Hebrews 11:1-3, 13-19

The Meaning of Faith
11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 Indeed, by faith[a] our ancestors received approval. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, 18 of whom he had been told, “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” 19 He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

________________________________________________________

Faith is an assurance
Of all things that are hoped
In this way we can understand
God and all His ways

_________________________________________________________

Daily Lectionary in Poetry Monday 2nd March 2015

Psalm 105:1-11, 37-45

God’s Faithfulness to Israel
1 O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
    make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually.
5 Remember the wonderful works he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgements he has uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham,[a]
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is the Lord our God;
    his judgements are in all the earth.
8 He is mindful of his covenant forever,
    of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
    as your portion for an inheritance.”

Then he brought Israel[a] out with silver and gold,
    and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
    for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering,
    and fire to give light by night.
40 They asked, and he brought quails,
    and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
    it flowed through the desert like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise,
    and Abraham, his servant.
43 So he brought his people out with joy,
    his chosen ones with singing.
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
45 that they might keep his statutes
    and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord!

________________________________________________________

Thank the Lord
Call His name
Sing to the Lord
Praise His name
Rejoice in the Lord
Glorify His name
Seek the Lord
Remember what He has done

Thanks to the Lord
Israel is great
He protected her people
In every state
Praise the Lord
Sing His name
Rejoice in the Lord
Glorify His name

_________________________________________________________

Genesis 21:1-7

The Birth of Isaac
21 The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. 2 Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Now Sarah said, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” 7 And she said, “Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

________________________________________________________

God had promised a son
To be born of Sarah and Abraham
Isaac was this Son
He was cared for as commanded
Sarah was filled with Laughter
And Abraham full of joy
_________________________________________________________

Hebrews 1:8-12

 But of the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, is[a] forever and ever,
    and the righteous sceptre is the sceptre of your[b] kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
    with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
10 And,

“In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11 they will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like clothing;
12 like a cloak you will roll them up,
    and like clothing[c] they will be changed.
But you are the same,
    and your years will never end.”

________________________________________________________

Jesus' throne is forever and ever
You have loved goodness
And hated all sin
You have been anointed
Your years will never end
_________________________________________________________

Daily Lectionary in Poetry Sunday 22nd February 2015

Psalm 25:1-10

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
    do not let me be put to shame;
    do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
    let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
    according to your steadfast love remember me,
    for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
    and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

________________________________________________________

I lift my soul to you
To you my God
I trust you in all you do
I trust you my God
Protect me from it all
From my enemies
And their ways
Protect me my God
Lead me in your truth
Lead me and I'll follow
Teach me your ways
And I will learn from sorrow
Forget my previous mistakes
In love know my searching
I am humble before you
Oh God lead me in your love

_________________________________________________________

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous."  3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him,  4 "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations.  5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

15 God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."
________________________________________________________

When Abraham was 99 years
God came to him and spoke indeed
Walk before me is what God said
I will make an agreement with you he said
You will be a leader of many born
You will be fruitful, from you kings will come
Go to Sarah, I bless her too
She will have a son, a gift to you
_________________________________________________________

Romans 4:13-25

4:13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. 16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations") --in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be." 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness." 23 Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
________________________________________________________

The law was given to Abraham
And passed through all his line
But it isn't enough for always
It has truly had it's time

Jesus came to save us from death
This replaces all that was law
We are raised for being us
All of us, even the poor
_________________________________________________________

Mark 8:31-38 

8:31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."  34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.  36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?  37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?  38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

________________________________________________________

Jesus began to preach
About how all would reject him
He was open in his clarity
But Peter wouldn't accept it
Jesus became quite cross
Told him to set his mind from man
To focus on the divine
Let God lead them where He can
_________________________________________________________

Daily Lectionary in Poetry Saturday 21st February 2015

Psalm 25:1-10

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
    do not let me be put to shame;
    do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
    let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
    according to your steadfast love remember me,
    for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
    and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

________________________________________________________

I lift my soul to you
To you my God
I trust you in all you do
I trust you my God
Protect me from it all
From my enemies
And their ways
Protect me my God
Lead me in your truth
Lead me and I'll follow
Teach me your ways
And I will learn from sorrow
Forget my previous mistakes
In love know my searching
I am humble before you
Oh God lead me in your love

_________________________________________________________

Matthew 9:2-13

Jesus Heals a Paralytic
2 And just then some people were carrying a paralysed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.” 7 And he stood up and went to his home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.

The Call of Matthew
9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

10 And as he sat at dinner[a] in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting[b] with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

________________________________________________________

They brought forth a man
Who lay on a bed
He couldn't move
Much more than his head

When Jesus saw them come
He forgave them all
Then some of the scribes
Accused him of more

Which do you find easier
Jesus did ask
Forgiving sins
Or getting him to walk

Before they could answer
He instructed this man
Get up and walk
And his new life had begun

All those who saw it
Told everyone
Rejoicing they followed
As he ate with a taxman
_________________________________________________________

Day Forty Five #asthma #mentalhealth #diet #healthyeating

Not feeling great
Really tired
Horribly itchy
And pretty down

Went out last night
Had lovely time
But a 100 yards walk
Left me broken

I feel so scared
Of what might be
What if it doesn't improve
What will become of me

What if? isn't useful
I know that to be true
But it's going round my head
Making me feel blue

I want to trust
One day at a time
That I'll feel better
And I will be fine

But the doubt is huge
It stomps over trust
Leaves me wondering
Will I regain health

I think perhaps
The easing off
Is causing a dip
In my mental health

Which is to be expected
But doesn't help
So I'll turn to prayer
And ask for your help

Please pray that I
Will retain hope
That I'll stay in the day
Not sit and mope

#40acts act #3 clean @40acts

Today we are tasked with helping clean up our homes and streets and communities.  Today is about celebrating God's creation and looking after it.  This is what we are passionate about in the Forest Church movement; about taking care of creation and worshipping God in it.  Today I will combine the challenge to recycle more in the home with a second lent challenge I am doing to declutter my home each day.  Today and through the weekend we are going to finally take the clutter we had cleared months ago to charity shops and allow others to enjoy what we no longer need.  I am also committing today to have a meeting about Oakwood Forest Church and how we are moving forward with it especially as my health is so poor.

Daily Lectionary in Poetry Friday 20th February 2015

Psalm 25:1-10

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
    do not let me be put to shame;
    do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
    let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
    according to your steadfast love remember me,
    for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
    and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

________________________________________________________

I lift my soul to you
To you my God
I trust you in all you do
I trust you my God
Protect me from it all
From my enemies
And their ways
Protect me my God
Lead me in your truth
Lead me and I'll follow
Teach me your ways
And I will learn from sorrow
Forget my previous mistakes
In love know my searching
I am humble before you
Oh God lead me in your love

_________________________________________________________

Daniel 9:15-25a

 “And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made your name renowned even to this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 O Lord, in view of all your righteous acts, let your anger and wrath, we pray, turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become a disgrace among all our neighbors. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, and for your own sake, Lord,[a] let your face shine upon your desolated sanctuary. 18 Incline your ear, O my God, and hear. Open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that bears your name. We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of your great mercies. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act and do not delay! For your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people bear your name!”

The Seventy Weeks
20 While I was speaking, and was praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God on behalf of the holy mountain of my God— 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen before in a vision, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He came[b] and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come out to give you wisdom and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your supplications a word went out, and I have come to declare it, for you are greatly beloved. So consider the word and understand the vision:

24 “Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.[c] 25 Know therefore and understand: from the time that the word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the time of an anointed prince, there shall be seven weeks; and for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with streets and moat, but in a troubled time.

________________________________________________________

Oh Lord we are sorry
We know we deserve this
We need to be punished
But we beg of you
Forgive us and save us
And save your city Jerusalem
Do not delay Oh Lord
We wait earnestly

Then God spoke
Through Gabriel to Daniel
I hear you 
You are greatly beloved
You have seventy weeks
To put an end to sin
To bring righteousness
This I command you

_________________________________________________________


2 Timothy 4:1-5

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
________________________________________________________

Spread the good news
Convince the people
Show them when they are wrong
Have patience as they learn
They may turn away
But you remain strong
Do your work
Be evangelists

_________________________________________________________

Daily Lectionary in Poetry Thursday 19th February 2015

Psalm 25:1-10

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
    do not let me be put to shame;
    do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
    let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
    according to your steadfast love remember me,
    for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
    and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

________________________________________________________

I lift my soul to you
To you my God
I trust you in all you do
I trust you my God
Protect me from it all
From my enemies
And their ways
Protect me my God
Lead me in your truth
Lead me and I'll follow
Teach me your ways
And I will learn from sorrow
Forget my previous mistakes
In love know my searching
I am humble before you
Oh God lead me in your love

_________________________________________________________

Daniel 9:1-14

Daniel’s Prayer for the People
9 In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, by birth a Mede, who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah, must be fulfilled for the devastation of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

3 Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying,

“Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love with those who love you and keep your commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and ordinances. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

7 “Righteousness is on your side, O Lord, but open shame, as at this day, falls on us, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 Open shame, O Lord, falls on us, our kings, our officials, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him, 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

11 “All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. So the curse and the oath written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against you. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers, by bringing upon us a calamity so great that what has been done against Jerusalem has never before been done under the whole heaven. 13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us. We did not entreat the favour of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and reflecting on his[a] fidelity. 14 So the Lord kept watch over this calamity until he brought it upon us. Indeed, the Lord our God is right in all that he has done; for we have disobeyed his voice.

________________________________________________________

Daniel prayed to God
He laid down all their failings
He begged humbly for forgiveness
He longed for God's mercy

He knew the curse upon them all
And he spoke of it to God 
He agreed that they deserved it
Yet he prayed for it to stop
_________________________________________________________

1 John 1:3-10

we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our[a] joy may be complete.

God Is Light
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

________________________________________________________

We have seen it
We have heard it
Now we share it
With you in fellowship

God is light
He has no darkness
He shines his light
And banishes that darkness

When we walk with God
We must leave our darkness
We must walk in the light
After we have confessed
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Some thoughts about Fifty Shades of Grey

Friends persuaded me to go and see the fifty shades film with them last night.  I wasn't sure partly because I didn't enjoy the book and partly because it felt wrong to spend money on a film which celebrated the abuse of women.  But in the end I decided to go for one simple reason; you can't have or share an opinion about something if you haven't watched it!

I decided to watch it not only as a possible form of entertainment but also to form an opinion of the film to share with others.  I had read many mixed reviews beforehand and thought I knew what to expect but it was not so clear cut at all.

I didn't expect the film to be good, after all the book didn't provide enough material for that, but I did expect it to be interesting and I suppose it was; but my mind swayed in its opinion of the film as it went along.

There were parts which made me really uncomfortable; such as when Mr Christian Grey tempts Ana to "try" some of his domination and she seems happy to please him. It's all about him and that's not right in any relationship.

There were parts when it was clear that Ana was in control and inside I cheered, but not for long. And was she in control at all? Or was that all part of the control?

There were times when Ana seemed to be changing him; but can a leopard really change its spots?  He could manipulate get easily back to his way of thinking.

No surprise really; it's a film about domination and submission and it tackled some of those issues.

But what I found really interesting was what was beneath the decisions and the dominance and submission and the characters and their reactions.

Ana surprised herself by the depravity of the beating she received when she asked for the worst he might do to her.  She was broken inside by it and shocked by that reaction.  She knew he was messed up but somehow she thought she'd changed him and the realisation that she hadn't was clear.

And perhaps more surprisingly the dominant Christian seems to find no joy in hurting his submissive.  It's more like a form of self harm; a release from the pain caused by his experiences of Loss or Abuse or lack of control.

This film is less about sex and more about the psychology of control and relationships.  It is about how broken people can be and how they can in tum break others.

In the end, reflecting on the film I just felt the film was Sad!
It is a sad film about sad lives and sadly this is how a great many people in our society feel today.

Sad people with
Sad backgrounds in
Sad situations which make them feel
Sad

(I chose the image for this post because it about sums up the sadness.  Look at his face, he is tortured and he wishes he wasn't and he knows it's wrong to take it out on others but it's the only way he knows to deal with his demons.  Then look at her face, yes perhaps she looks like an innocent who has fallen in love with this handsome guy, or, as I see, she is sad because she longs to be loved in it's truest sense but the man she loves doesn't know how to love and it is warping her idea of what love is.  How sad they both look.  What a sad situation for two sad people.)

After posting this an interesting question was raised on facebook about why we can't have opinions about things we haven't witnessed when we all have opinions about things we've never experienced.  Here was my response which I provides some more of my thoughts about the film

"Well yes that's true, I have opinions about wars and genocide and all sorts of things I haven't experienced, but I have read about them and seen news reports about them and have heard first hand accounts of them.  I think with something like a book or a film it is very hard to have an opinion unless you have a first hand account from someone who has read/seen it and has given you an account without any sway or opinion.  As I read all the many reviews I realised that, of course, they were hugely affected by the life experience and beliefs of those who wrote them, much as mine is.  It was almost impossible to find a review which didn't take a side and I felt that if I wanted to be able to talk about this film in any reasoned way then I needed to see it.  And of course my opinion is skewed by my own experiences of control and domination in my younger years and by my understanding of confusion over control which originates from childhood.  At least now I can share my opinion with those who have made sweeping judgements about how this film is about a girl being abused; and I can clearly say it is not as straight forward as that; it has a lot to say about society and it is not making the world of S&M seem glamarous at all.  And I can also share with people who say it's harmless fun that no it isn't, it's disturbing in it's depiction of a very messed up man, if through no fault of his own, and how he has found a way of coping which could be overcome if he sought psychological help but he's so ashamed of it that he can't bear to tell anyone."