Born to a noble Roman family
In
the 3rd century AD,
Crispin
and Crispinian,
Persecuted
for their faith,
Fled
their homeland
And
travelled to Gaul
And
preached Christianity
To
the Gaul’s in Soissons.
They
made shoes by night
To
support themselves
And
also aided the poor
But
their evangelical success
Brought
them to the attention
Of
a jealous Rictus Varus,
Governor
of Belgic Gaul,
Who
brought their good works
To
a savage end
Let God within your heart
Fill the
void of darkness
Fill it with
love and joy
Let his love
envelope your being
Let him
bring light
Where darkness
once dwelt
Let him
bring love
Where hate
once ruled
Let him
bring happiness
Where sadness
held dominion
As she lay motionless
Cruelly aware of her incarceration
Trapped inside a broken body
Unable to move
Unable to speak
A mere shadow of what once was
And in my black despair
I prayed for her
And I heard Malachi’s words
So I prayed for her release
So she would awake with the Lord
And burst forth from her stall
Like a young calf in springtimeIt was in sixteenth century Germany, or so the legend has it, in a town called Wittenberg in Saxony-Anhalt.
That the founder of the protestant church, Martin
Luther, was the first to decorate a Christmas tree with lighted candles.
Apparently when he was walking home through the
forest one dark and frosty winter’s night, his attention was drawn to the
myriad of bright stars that he could see sparkling and twinkling through the
branches of the trees.
The beauty of the nights display had a great effect
on him, and he proceeded home very excited.
When he arrived home he relayed to his family what
he had seen and what had excited him so and almost immediately he set about
decorating his Christmas tree with candles and then to his families surprise he
lit them.
Goodness only knows what his family thought,
possibly that he was possessed, and what of the other people in the town, what
did they think of him and his antics?
It probably caused as much consternation than the
reformation.
In the quiet of the night
As peaceful silence reigns
I hear an angel singing
And I wonder if it’s you
Amidst the dawn chorus
When birds are centre stage
I hear an angel singing
And I consider if it’s you
When the wind is in the trees
Swirling in the breeze
I hear an angel singing
And I think it might be you
When the rain cascades,
Falling from the heavens
I hear an angel singing
And I’m sure it must be you
When the sun brightly shines
And I feel it warm my skin
I hear an angel singing
And I believe it maybe you
At the setting of the sun
When another day is done
I hear an angel singing
And I know that it is you
Yeshua, you are
Our hope of salvation
Dying for us
Our hope of glory
Living in us
Yeshua,
you are
Our hope for the future
Living for you
Our hope for redemption
Alive
in you
If
not the Lord, then who?
If
not salvation, then what?
Raiki,
Yoga or Feng Shui?
Worshiping
the elements
Or
the sun and the moon?
Life
without Gods guidance
Leads
to a return to chaos
The
savagery of Pagan times
Before
the Fisher of Men
Cast
his net
If
not our Lord, then who?
What
idol?
What
fad or fashion?
What
new Gods
Will
replace Him?
Plastic
surgeons
Pandering
to vanity,
Or
De-toxing clinics
Health
spas
And
colonic irrigation
Or
wannabee’s
Worshiping
celebrity
At
the altar of fame?
If
not the Christ
Then
what?
Life
without faith
Is
not a loss of belief
For
even without faith
They
don’t stop believing
Because
they have a need
A
desperate need
To
believe in something
So,
they believe
In
everything
And
anything
Except
the risen Christ
When Haiti shook
And the old colonial
Structures
fell
Who was to
blame?
When the
rains fell on Madeira
Making
rivers of mud
Where once
were roads
Who was to
blame?
When
earthquake and tsunami
Wreaked
their havoc
On Chile’s
coast
Who was to
blame?
The zealots
speak of God’s wrath,
Divine
retribution
Against the
wicked of the world
Smiting the
transgressors
But it’s not
the wicked who suffer
It’s the
most humble and devout
The poor and
the needy
Who suffer
the most
Why would
God do such a thing?
What would
be gained?
It’s not a Godly
act
But rather
that of a tyrant
That’s not
what my God would do
My God is a
loving God
Not a
wrathful being
The secular
blame God
For not
stopping natural disasters
They don’t
believe in him
But blame
him anyway
Where was
God?
What was God
doing when he was needed?
When
something wonderful happens
They praise
nature’s ingenuity
Yet when
tragedy strikes
It’s “where
was God?”
God is not
to blame
It is not
within his power to prevent disasters
So, he does
what he can
He comforts
and supports
Eases suffering
and ends pain
But my God
is not to blame
Mother
Nature is the culprit
The planet
is angry with mankind
And
unleashes these acts of spite
To punish us
for our indifference
Mother
Nature roars
And defines
our insignificance
When the
earth moves
And mountains
split
When winds
tear up all before them
And the seas
rise up
We are
powerless
But we are
not alone
When we are
at our most vulnerable
Who do we
call upon? God
Whoever that
God might be
Mine is an
understanding God
A
compassionate God
A
surgeon was in deep discussion with a horticulturist
On
whether or not the immortal soul does actually exist
The
medic began “I have been a surgeon for many a year
And
after many operations I would like to make it clear
After
having cut every conceivable part of a human being
I
can say without doubt that I don’t remember ever seeing
Or
finding anything that you could possibly ever compare
To
an immortal soul within the human body anywhere”
The
horticulturist then responded to him in this form
Saying
“If I were to cut into a flower bulb, tuber or corm
I
would not be able to see any sign of a flower anywhere
But
we both know a beautiful flower dwells within there”
Who is there?
In my darkest hours
When pain wracks my body
When dark thoughts plague
me
Who is it who sustains me?
Who is there?
At times of anguish
When I feel so alone
When I feel all hope is
gone
Who lifts me and guides me?
Who is there?
In the depths of my
despair
When I see no end
When I seek release
Who is it?
Who will take my pain?
He is there
When the pain ends
When darkness is banished
In the light of love
My Lord God will keep me
The babe angelically reposed
Cherubic and smartly clothed
Apparent parental joy and pride
God parents standing side by side
As all around the font arrayed
With love and harmony displayed
And when the spoken words allow
The holy waters cross her brow
Then after the ritual is satisfied
Anna, in Christ’s family is baptized
Unflinching faith is much admired
To pass with dignity is
what’s desired
Slipping quietly away in
to the light
And with passed loved
ones, reunite
Let slip the earthly bonds,
external
Hear
the heavenly angel sing,
Perched
with the host on high
Effortlessly
poised in spiritual grace
Serenity
upon its celestial-face
As
they glorious sing their joy
A
resonating sound, true and pure
