11.29.99
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are ecpecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that enables him to make all tings subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.(NRSV)
Paul writes the Philippians to follow his example and put behind the things of the past(3:13). He wants the Philippians to identify the characteristics of the Godly and the enemies of Christ, and in doing so, put the Godly characteristics into use in their lives.
Who are some Godly people around us that we can imitate? What are the characteristics that stand out about them? I can name a few from my pastor Gary, friends like Tom, Scott, and others, camp counselors like Todd and Mike to name a few. We all model certain things of ourselves from others, lets look at those Godly people and model them!!
12.4.99 12:08am
Sometimes I must write what I feel because it is the only way to express the emotions that run through my mind and my heart. Below is a collection of the poems that I have written and they reflect the spiritual journey that is my life. From depression, spiritual dryness, happiness, and spiritual growth, you can follow my journey. I hope you enjoy and would love to hear your feedback.
Journey Through the Desert
I need to grow,
from the seed that you've sown.
I feel trapped and compromised.
Will I ever touch the sky?
I need to quench this thirst.
Wet my parched soul.
I need to go to the oasis.
Jesus won't you save me?
It's getting very hard,
for this journey to go on.
I'm going to whither and die,
if rain doesn't fill the sky.
Quicksand
Mired deep,
within the grasp of quicksand.
Being pulled down,
slowly to my death.
All alone,
with no ones hand to reach me.
None near to save me.
Quicksand is drowning me.
Quicksand makes it hard to breath.
Jesus send your love to this poor soul.
Set me free of this quicksand.
A stillness comes,
and calms my soul.
A piece that I,
had never known
Quicksand starts to recede,
Jesus set me free!!
The Epitaph of Cadwallader Storm
I was a happy man,
until that one dark day.
Well-liked by the townsfolk,
until my mind went stray.
My love for her strong,
yet one day,
without warning,
she left without saying why.
No hugs, no reason, no good-bye.
Rage filled my mind.
Hate consumed my heart.
Why him instead of me?
One cool night as they walked by,
a sure aim I took
upon his head.
A shower of red.
Then I shot myself till
I was dead..
Pain
You try to tell me that it's ok.
When you have no clue.
Pain to you,
is leaving that special other for a day.
While everywhere I see,
memories taunt me,
about a joyous time,
that I once claimed as mine.
Pain greets me where she once did.
Pain covers me when her smile is directed at another.
And when I think of a happy memory,
pain is there,
ridiculing me while I am in its shackles.
Pain is finding out,
that I no longer exist,
in the conscience of her mind.
Pain is realizing a mistake made,
yet without her caring.
Pain is the depressing realization of one I care for,
no longer cares for me.
Paradox 4/20/96
Life seems to be the greatest of all paradoxes.
What once was will never be again.
A truth one day, appears an illusion the next.
A mountain in the horizon,
turns out to be a rolling meadow.
And what is the cost?
A lifetime spent in pursuit f happiness,
becomes a lifetime wasted on frivolous pleasures.
But there is One who defies the paradox,
One that transcends time and space,
to be the One constant in life.
nobody 4/26/96
i am nobody,
yet i have a purpose.
I am but an atom to the incomprehensible
vastness of the universe,
yet i live another day.
i am not faithful,
yet God loves me.
i a, a liar,
yet i am forgiven.
i am nobody,
yet the Son of God died for me,
and called me His child.
The Third Day 6/9/96
Dark clouds rolled over the countryside,
as lightning danced across the sky.
The thunder's supersonic crash,
made for bombastic echoes throughout the valley.
The earth shook at what transpired on the hill.
Legions of an evil presence,
festered the population.
Friends wept, conspirators jeered.
But in all the darkness,
One Roman soldier saw the Light.
When he saw Christ upon the cross, he said,
"Truly this is the Son of God."
For two days the disciples
stayed behind closed doors.
Not knowing the implications
the third day bore.
On that dew kissed morn,
flowers yet to bloom,
Mary set out for Jesus' tomb.
And when she got to the place,
where Christ body lay,
she was shocked to see,
That the stone was rolled away.
An angel from above appeared,
and asked why she wept.
For promises that Christ made,
He surely kept.
The Rescue 6/9/96
I am so weak
I am not strong
I attempt life on my own,
but when Satan blows
I fall
to the ground
I look up to see two pierced feet
A punctured hand reaches for me
He picks me up and cleans my wounds
and tells me
"When you are weak,
I'll be strong,
my grace will help you carry on."
Who Can Say? 7/16/96
Who can say they're worthy,
of the love of God?
Who can say they're deserving,
of his forgiving glance?
We never fail to fall ,
and miss his outstretched hand.
A hand that is always there,
no matter what we face.
A hand that was pierced through,
by the Father's grace.
So who can say they're worthy?
Alone, not you or me.
But by the grace of God,
We'll live for eternity.
Fizzle Star 8/19/96
Star light, Star bright,
First star I see tonight.
This never works,
I don't know why.
It ‘s nights like this I want to cry.
I wish I was, I wish I may.
You know, I really can't say,
Why I feel the way I do.
This time I tried to think it through.
And in the end,
the results the same.
I am alone another day.
Does anyone care?
I don't know.
I toss in my bed, to and fro.
I look out the window and begin to think,
the star I see appears to wink.
Star light, star bright,
Maybe I'll get my wish tonight.
The Mountaintop 7/9/94
On this mountaintop I stand.
Overlooking miles of dust and sand.
From here I recognize the world's hurt.
From atop I can see their pain.
I see them fight for power,
though all is vain.
On this mountaintop I stand.
Joined with Christians hand in hand.
Praising God for the cross.
For making sure not all were lost.
Lifting up Christ holy name,
holes in his hand,
his claim to fame.
On the mountain I no longer stand.
Joined with the world of dust and sand.
Off in the distance there is a light I see.
It's coming from the man at Calvary.
Who gave his life upon a tree.
His shining light forever guiding me.
The Crossroads Winter ‘95
He comes to the crossroads,
contemplating his decision.
Weeks ago losing his vision.
Losing focus on life.
At the crossroads lies a train station,
With one way trips to one location.
He looked at the station's name - Life.
The conductor called the last call,
last call for the one way trip out of life.
He stood, a second thinking,
Was the pain of his too much to bear?
What would the next town hold?
Would the pain be there?
The train started moving,
The man stood and stared.
"All that I ask is for someone to care."
And at that moment on the other side of the tracks,
A shepherd appeared with scars on his back.
"This station" he said, "is not for you.
Your time on earth is not yet through."
Like a Child (Brazil ‘96)
The children came as children do,
laughing, smiling, eyes shining through.
They come eager knowing why,
He also shared a twinkle in his eye.
He smiled at them, maybe a game they played,
Later, though, what he had to say,
was not for the little ones,
for they held the key,
that unlocked the doors to heaven's gate,
but to their parents who pushed them aside.
Their hearts filled with adult pride.
For Jesus said you must enter like a child,
your love for me must not be mild.
But hot as fire, and pure as gold,
That is the only way you'll save your soul.
A Shepherd's Story
We sat and watched our flocks that night,
like any other time.
A star illuminated the sky so bright,
above Bethleham high.
And in an instant a multitude appeared
like countless head of sheep.
A single angel poke out and said,
"Do not be afraid!
For the message we bring tonight is full of joy.
Behold! The Son of God is on earth,
in the form of a baby boy."
Our eyes were caught by a star in the sky.
It shone so bright on the town below,
that we knew that moment where to go.
To Bethlehem we went,
our Savior we wanted to find.
And in a stable we found him,
laying by the swine.
His mother and father looked at teach other and smiled,
knowing that their son was God's only child.
We left the town singing praise to God above,
for allowing us to see His only son.
Heart-a-scope
Your popular.
The cheerleader, a basketball star.
But at night you wonder who you are.
Many questions fill your head.
"Are my friends there because of who I am ?"
Or do they really care?
Is my happiness real?
Is it a mask, a perpetual Halloween?
Am I loved, or am I hated?
Is it really me?
I know where to start,
take a look at my heart.
Don't judge me by my outer,
but examine the soul.
Then you'll know
why I am myself, and you are you.
Tales of the Crypt
I sat silently and waited,
for stories they had to tell.
For any piece of info,
that might serve me well.
Advice that they thought
that should've been heeded,
is what I wanted to know.
Elsie lived to 76,
Fredrick, just 27 days.
Did they realize why they were here,
or why they passed away?
Dead men tell very little stories.
Dead men tell little worth listening to.
Did they go to heaven or hell?
Did they know the love of Jesus?
Right now I don't know,
because the dead man won't tell.
Murderer
I was there,
when they arrested Christ.
I was there,
when they sentenced his life.
It was me who beat him,
and me who spit on his face.
I held the whip,
that tore away his back,
exposing the organs that gave him life.
Only his bones keeping him intact.
The crown of six inch thorns,
we drove into his head.
An incredible amount of blood he shed.
I pounded the nails into his wrist,
His feet and pierced him with a spear.
"Save yourself!", the people jeered.
And after the life in him was gone,
I couldn't believe what I had done.
I had murdered God's only Son.
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